Evaluating documentary editing phases

Evaluating documentary editing phases

Blog Article

Some of the very most important documentary filmmaking decisions are made in the editing room.


Editing is a vital step of all films, since it is the phase when raw footage alters in to the final product. This stage is especially essential for documentary films, however. This is because the majority of narrative movies will likely be edited to fit around the pre-defined storyboard and script. On the other hand, documentary filmmakers commonly go into their shoots with only a rough pre-planned notion of whatever they will make, with the remainder of the story being not known until they actually film it. James Rogan is going to be well aware that this may mean that documentary directors and producers could be sitting on thousands of hours' worth of footage with no established narrative. The first step is always to back-up the entirety of it because any shot could end up being utilised in the final documentary. After this, all footage has to be watched with accompanying notes being written to identify the very best moments. This should take place at exactly the same time as going through archive material, photos, and music to determine what is the most useful fit for the documentary.


Editing has improved quite a bit through the length of movie history. In fact, the entire reason the medium is named film is due to the material that movies were filmed on. This material is edited by hand, with editors cutting and pasting camera shots together. In the present day most movies are in fact digital, which means that a lot of the editing is completed on the computer. Morgan Matthews will know that many documentary filmmakers are well-acquainted with editing software. Once all prospective aspects of the movie have been put into their selected software, it is time to begin tinkering with laying the best shots into a timeline. Moments that show key information and can be the emotional core of the documentary would be the best to work with. Seeing what works and doesn't work at this time may help establish the building blocks of the documentary.


Individuals are attracted to viewing documentaries because they desire to discover something. Nevertheless, this does not always mean that documentaries must be dry lectures. Individuals are also seeking to have fun while learning the knowledge by way of a narrative structure. Tim Parker will be able to inform you that deciding on the narrative and finding elements that fit the narrative among the most essential stages in the film editing process. Even the most breathtaking shots mixed with the most remarkable archive footage will likely be meaningless if connected together without a clear narrative. Most filmmakers will create a long first cut version of their documentary after they have established the narrative. They will then undergo the entire process of refining and re-editing it till it turns into a viewable length while accomplishing the goals that the filmmaker attempted to attain.