Editing Ferris Bueller's Day Off (section)

===Writing===
As he was writing the film in 1985, [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]] kept track of his progress in a spiral-bound logbook. He noted that the basic storyline was developed on February 25 and was successfully pitched the following day to [[Paramount Studios]] chief [[Ned Tanen]]. Tanen was intrigued by the concept, but wary that the [[Writers Guild of America]] was hours away from picketing the studio.<ref name="bratpackbook" /> Hughes wrote the screenplay in less than a week.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kamp |first=David |title=Sweet Bard of Youth |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2010/03/john-hughes-201003?printable=true&currentPage=5 |url-status=live |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |date=March 2010 |page=5 |access-date=February 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100221025524/http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2010/03/john-hughes-201003?printable=true&currentPage=5 |archive-date=February 21, 2010}}</ref>

Editor Paul Hirsch explained that Hughes had a trance-like concentration to his script-writing process, working for hours on end, and would later shoot the film on essentially what was his first draft of the script. "The first cut of ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' ended up at two hours, 45 minutes. The shortening of the script had to come in the cutting room", said Hirsch.<ref name="editing">{{cite book |last=McGrath |first=Declan |title=Editing & post-production |year=2001 |page=79 |publisher=Focal Press |isbn=0-240-80468-6}}</ref> "Having the story episodic and taking place in one day<small>...</small>meant the characters were wearing the same clothes. I suspect that Hughes writes his scripts with few, if any costume changes just so he can have that kind of freedom in the editing."<ref name="editing" />

Hughes intended to focus more on the characters rather than the plot. "I know how the movie begins, I know how it ends", said Hughes. "I don't ever know the rest, but that doesn't seem to matter. It's not the events that are important, it's the characters going through the event. Therefore, I make them as full and real as I can. This time around, I wanted to create a character who could handle everyone and everything."<ref>{{cite news |title=Ferris Bueller: John Hughes and Speedwriting |url=http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/2007/04/10/ |work=AMC Movie Blog |date=April 10, 2007 |access-date=February 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406094443/http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/2007/04/10/ |archive-date=April 6, 2012}}</ref>

Edward McNally was rumored as the inspiration for the character Ferris Bueller. McNally grew up on the same street as Hughes, had a best friend named "Buehler", and was relentlessly pursued by the school dean over his truancy, which amounted to 27 days' absence, compared to Bueller's nine in the film.<ref>{{cite news |last=McNally |first=Edward |title=A Mirror Up To the Original Ferris Bueller |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/11/AR2009081103453.html |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=August 12, 2009 |access-date=August 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818161414/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/11/AR2009081103453.html |archive-date=August 18, 2017}}</ref>