 American Beauty was edited by Christopher Greenbury and Tariq Anwar ; Greenbury began in the position , but had to leave halfway through post @-@ production because of a scheduling conflict with Me , Myself and Irene ( 2000 ) ( in which Chris Cooper also starred ) . Mendes and an assistant edited the film for 10 days between the appointments . Mendes realized during editing that the film was different from the one he had envisioned . He believed he had been making a " much more whimsical , [ ... ] kaleidoscopic " film than what came together in the edit suite . Instead , Mendes was drawn to the emotion and darkness ; he began to use the score and shots he had intended to discard to craft the film along these lines . In total , he cut about 30 minutes from his original edit . The opening included a dream in which Lester imagines himself flying above the town . Mendes spent two days filming Spacey against bluescreen , but removed the sequence as he believed it to be too whimsical — " like a Coen brothers movie " — and therefore inappropriate for the tone he was trying to set . The opening in the final cut reused a scene from the middle of the film where Jane tells Ricky to kill her father . This scene was to be the revelation to the audience that the pair was not responsible for Lester 's death , as the way it was scored and acted made it clear that Jane 's request was not serious . However , in the portion he used in the opening — and when the full scene plays out later — Mendes used the score and a reaction shot of Ricky to leave a lingering ambiguity as to his guilt . The subsequent shot — an aerial view of the neighborhood — was originally intended as the plate shot for the bluescreen effects in the dream sequence . 
 American Beauty was edited by Christopher Greenbury and Tariq Anwar ; Greenbury began in the position , but had to leave halfway through post @-@ production because of a scheduling conflict with Me , Myself and Irene ( 2000 ) ( in which Chris Cooper also starred ) . Mendes and an assistant edited the film for 10 days between the appointments . Mendes realized during editing that the film was different from the one he <a href='been_done' title='1'><mark>had</mark></a> envisioned . He believed he had been making a " much more whimsical , [ ... ] kaleidoscopic " film than what came together in the edit suite . Instead , Mendes was drawn to the emotion and darkness ; he began to use the score and shots he <a href='been_done' title='2'><mark>had</mark></a> intended to discard to craft the film along these lines . In total , he cut about 30 minutes from his original edit . The opening included a dream in which Lester <a href='uninflect' title='3'><mark>imagines</mark></a> himself flying above the town . Mendes spent two days filming Spacey against bluescreen , but removed the sequence as he believed it to be too whimsical — " like a Coen brothers movie " — and therefore inappropriate for the tone he was trying to set . The opening in the final cut reused a scene from the middle of the film where Jane <a href='uninflect' title='4'><mark>tells</mark></a> Ricky to kill her father . This scene was to be the revelation to the audience that the pair <a href='negative_concord' title='5'><mark>was</mark></a> <a href='negative_concord' title='6'><mark>not</mark></a>responsible for Lester <a href='null_genetive' title='7'><mark>'s</mark></a>death , as the way it was scored and acted made it clear that Jane <a href='null_genetive' title='8'><mark>'s</mark></a>request <a href='negative_concord' title='9'><mark>was</mark></a> <a href='negative_concord' title='10'><mark>not</mark></a>serious . However , in the portion he used in the opening — and when the full scene <a href='uninflect' title='11'><mark>plays</mark></a> out later — Mendes used the score and a reaction shot of Ricky to leave a lingering ambiguity as to his guilt . The subsequent shot — an aerial view of the neighborhood — was originally intended as the plate shot for the bluescreen effects in the dream sequence . 
American Beauty was edited by Christopher Greenbury and Tariq Anwar ; Greenbury began in da position , but had to leave halfway through post @-@ production because of a scheduling conflict w Me , Myself and Irene ( 2000 ) ( in which Chris Cooper also starred ) . Mendes and an assistant edited tdafilm fir 10 days between the appointments . Mendes realized during editing dat thdailm was diff from the one he done envisioned . He believed he had been wit a " much more whimsical , [ ... ] kaleidoscopic " film den what came together in the edit suite . Instead , Mendes was drawn to the emotion and darkness ; he began to use the score and shots he done intended to discard to craft the film along dese lines . In total , he cut about 30 minutes from his original edit . Thedaening included a dream in which Lester imagine hisself flying above the town . Mendes spent two dayz filming Spacey against bluescreen , but removed the sequence as he believed it to be too whimsical — " like a Coen brothers movie " — and therefore inappropriate fa the tone he was tryna set . The opening in the final cut reused a scene from the dadle of the film where Jane tell Ricky to kill her father . dis scene was to b the revelation to the adaence that the padaain't responsible ffaLester  death , as the way it was scored and acted made it clear that Jane  request ain't serious . However , in the portion he used in the opening — and when the full scene play outt later — Mendes used the score and a reaction shot of Ricky to leave a lingering ambiguity as to his guilt . The subsequent shot — an aerial view of the neidaorhood — was originally intended as the platdahot fofahe bluescreen effects in the dreamdaquence .