Rough assembly with loose timing and effects—used for editorial flow and preliminary sound sync. Fast iteration before fine-cut.
In the editing room, you quickly need a version of the material that works temporally — without every cut being perfect. This is the Slop Comp. You throw the takes onto the timeline, find rough in- and out-points, allow for transition blurs, and forgo color grading, sound design, or clean transitions. The shots are still "wet" next to each other. The goal is speed: you need a playable version to see if the story works, if the editing rhythm and pacing are correct, before the sound editor and visual effects supervisor get involved.
In practice, the Slop Comp is created immediately after reviewing the dailies. The editor — or in a smaller setup, the director themselves — works with jump cuts, overlaps, even audio gaps. This is explicitly allowed. You need the rawness: it shows you where cuts are truly necessary and where there is only placeholder material. Often, original sound or scratch dialogue is still used here, sometimes even meeting recordings. The reason: save costs, utilize time. While the editor is creating the Slop Comp, sound and VFX can already plan in parallel.
Communication about the Slop Comp is crucial — the director, producer, and DP look at it together, providing feedback on lengths, missing takes, or editing moments. This is iterative and fast. No perfectionism. After 2-3 rounds, you have enough information to move on to the Rough Cut, where the actual refining takes place. The Slop Comp is therefore a compass, not the destination. Many editors underestimate this step — but those who consciously use it save endless loops during the fine cut later. You see faster what works and what needs to be removed.