MovieChat Forums > Subconscious (2015) Discussion > Why Delete Short Key Plot Point Scenes?

Why Delete Short Key Plot Point Scenes?

posted 9 years ago by mcdemuth
1 reply | jump to latest

I have seen several movies, where the directors have deleted Key Plot Point Scenes that run for only a minute or two, from theatrical releases that result in confusing stories. If they had left those scenes in the movie, it would have explained a key plot point to make the film make more sense. Many of these deleted scenes last only a minute or two, and so it can't be any real reason to cut it for time purposes... Cutting these scenes just makes the audience confused.

In this film, all of the Sub's secondary hatches are chained up and a guard is posted at the main "door" entry to the ship. "Somehow" the commander gets on board this sealed sub, and "disappears" from history. This has caused confusion with many who have seen the film. "How did he get back on board this sealed sub?"

On the DVD, there is a deleted scene which shows how the commander got back on board, and why no one realized how he "disappeared". This scene lasts for no more than two minutes.

WHY DELETE THIS SCENE?

I know this is not a great film, and many viewers here have stated that they thought it was so bad they did not finish watching it... I believe that even a film which is hard to sit through TWO hours of...most viewer would be willing to sit through another two more minutes to prevent key plot point issues. And as I said, two minutes. This is not like some classic hollywood epic with ran for over four hours, and directors need to trim the time down...

Why do we have to buy a DVD with deleted scenes, or wait for a "Director's Cut" of these films to resolve confusing plot points that should not have been an issue in the first place?

What is the thought process in deleting these scenes from the final release versions of these films?

[–] philoj 9 years ago

There is a problem in general with people where, when they spend a lot of time with a subject, they lose track of what people with no experience with it don't know. This is the root of the classic civil servant "No, you need to fill out a yellow form for returns, and a pink form for declarations" like it's blatantly obvious.

The scenes you're referring to are usually cut for pacing - they're too slow in the middle of a fast-paced chase, or mood - upbeat when the tone should be somber. Basically the director is watching the movie and the scene is jarring. So they cut it, losing track of the fact that they're cutting a key plot point.

(Yes, a good mark of a director is being able to keep track of the audience's perception of the story as well as tone and pacing...)