Enter Late, Leave Early
Also known as Get In Late Get Out Early, Late Entry Early Exit
An editing and initiation principle borrowed from screenwriting: start a scene as late into the action as possible and cut it the moment its point lands.
Known for
- Cuts the dead weight at both ends: skip the hellos and the throat-clearing, open in the middle of a charged moment, and edit on the button.
- On the front end it pushes performers toward meaty initiations that start in media res rather than transportation lines like 'want to grab coffee?'.
- On the back end it is the discipline behind editing on the laugh: once the scene has made its point, staying longer can only cost it.
- Directly imported from screen and stage writing craft, which is why it pairs so naturally with the game-driven, tightly edited longform tradition.