Editing Tip #5: Intercutting Story Arcs
I made a mistake in editing my PBS documentary I Shall Not Be Removed: The Life of Marlon Riggs. I told the story of this controversial black gay filmmaker chronologically. Story-wise, it worked.
But stylistically, the first half of the film plodded along with talking heads, archival footage, and photographs. Visually, it was lifeless.
The second half, which followed Marlon’s contemporary quest, powered along with observational footage of my protagonist creating soul-searching art at a furious pace, to outstrip the toll AIDS was taking on his life.
For my next biography, about an 85-year old woman who believes the future can be much better than we can imagine, I’ve decided to intercut her contemporary quest (conveyed through verite footage) with seminal events in her life story (told through interviews and archival footage.)
What’s the advantage of intercutting a contemporary quest with key backstories? Stylistically, your film hums along with live action footage, dipping periodically into more staid footage for key backstories.
Two terrific examples of biographies that employ this technique of intercutting present and past timelines are Ram Dass: Fierce Grace (2001) and Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010).
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The Inner Circle has helped many filmmakers create award-winning films, including Samantha Grant, whose PBS film A Fragile Trust was recently nominated for a Special Jury Award at the Sheffield Doc Fest.
Our former Inner Circle member Katie Teague, whose film Money & Life won Best Social Issue Documentary at Docufest, says:
“Hiring Karen as a consultant on my film was one of the best investments on the project to date. She brings perspective and insight that, as the director, I am too enmeshed in the project to be able to see. Karen’s guiding touch is just right: not too hard and not too soft.”
