Test screenings

July 25, 2006 That's because producer Mark Johnson and writer-director Bob Dolman modified their first edit after a test screening held some four months ago delivered less-than-stellar results. Whereas test screenings once were widely reviled by filmmakers, who resented how studio executives would use early audience reaction to exact changes to their visions, producers and directors now seem to find comfort in them. Perhaps it's a matter of accepting the inevitable or attempting to predict an unpredictable public, but during the past few years, test screenings have become an integral part of moviemaking -- not only by the major studios but also by independents.

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