Investigating documentary editing processes nowadays

Some of the most extremely essential documentary filmmaking decisions are done within the editing room.


Editing is a vital phase of all movies, as it is the phase when raw footage transforms in to the final item. This phase is particularly necessary for documentary films, however. This is because most narrative movies are edited to fit around the pre-defined script and storyboard. Meanwhile, documentary filmmakers often get into their shoots with merely a rough pre-planned idea of whatever they will make, with the rest of the story being undiscovered until they actually film it. James Rogan is going to be well aware that this may mean that documentary directors and producers could possibly 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 moment could turn out to be used in the final documentary. Following this, all footage needs to be watched with accompanying records being made to identify the most effective moments. This should happen at the same time as going through archive material, pictures, and music to determine what's the best fit for the documentary.


Editing has developed dramatically through the span of film history. In reality, the whole explanation the medium is called film could be because of the material that films had been filmed on. This material would be modified by hand, with editors cutting and pasting camera shots together. Nowadays many movies are now digital, which means that the majority of the editing is done by computer. Morgan Matthews will know that most documentary filmmakers are well-acquainted with editing software. As soon as all potential components of the film were added to their selected software, it's time to start trying out laying the best shots in to a timeline. Moments that reveal key information and will be the emotional core of the documentary will be the best to make use of. Seeing what really works and does not work during this period will help establish the building blocks of the documentary.


Individuals are attracted to viewing documentaries since they wish to discover something. However, this does not mean that documentaries should be dry lectures. People are additionally seeking to have fun while learning the information via a narrative structure. Tim Parker should be able to tell you that choosing the narrative and locating elements that fit the narrative is one of the most crucial phases within the film editing process. Even the most gorgeous shots combined with the most remarkable archive footage is going to be meaningless if connected together without any clear narrative. Most filmmakers will generate a long first cut version of the documentary once they have established the narrative. They'll then go through the entire process of refining and re-editing it till it becomes a viewable length while accomplishing the objectives that the filmmaker attempted to attain.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *