ABSTRACT
Complete narratives have been an editing challenge since D. W. Griffith’s Intolerance (1916). But narrative clarity is a more complicated challenge than leading the audience through com-
plex narratives. Stories can have complicated characters or multiple characters. Who is impor-
tant to the narrative outcome: one or all of the characters, or multiple characters? Who is important to the narrative outcome: one or all of the characters? Is the antagonist as impor-
tant as the main character? Is it important to understand which secondary character is trans-
formative for the main character as the narrative begins and he or she changes from the character in crisis to the changed character we leave as the narrative resolves? And what about
the tone of the narrative, that accumulation of detail that helps us to interpret the narrative?
Must the tone be consistent or varied? The answers to all of these questions must be addressed and answered in the edit. Only by doing so in a consistent and specific manner
can the goal of narrative clarity be effectively met and achieved.
