Our Blog
Blog
Blog
Edit Documentary in Ten Weeks
March 19, 2018
In our successful Accelerated Post program, we help directors edit their documentaries in ten weeks. Such heroics require laser-focus, and we don’t skimp on viewer feedback. Check out the attached How To Hold A Successful Rough Cut Screening guide. In it, you’ll find time-tested tips for getting the invaluable feedback. Lately we’ve been modifying the in-person screening party to help directors get feedback virtually. Just keep the key principles, including the viewer questionnaire, and it works great! I’m currently offering a free consultation to directors with a post budget. Email if you want to talk about how one of our…
Read More...
Surprise for Director of New Muppet Documentary
March 17, 2018
Happy Saturday! First off, tomorrow is the last day to get half-off on our documentary seminar series. This weekend also marks the release of filmmaker Frank Oz’s wonderful documentary, Muppets Guys Talking, which debuted one year ago at the SXSW Film Festival. Since this was his first documentary, Director Oz was in for a big surprise in post-production. As he tells Inside the Magic, “It’s hard in the editing, because in the big movies I have a script, a story. I shoot that and then I edit. But in documentaries, I realized, it flips. You just shoot and then later…
Read More...
48-Hour Documentary Seminar Sale
March 16, 2018
Spring is next week! I’m offering a jump on the season of creativity with a half-price sale on my acclaimed documentary seminars. Need seasoned guidance on story structure? You’ll get my expert advice in “The Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary,” “Editing the Character-Driven Documentary,” and “The Story Doctoring Kit.” Here’s what a few documentary directors have had to say about these seminars: “This is the best class I’ve had at the San Francisco Film Society by far!” – Chris Langton “Invaluable… brings into crystal focus how to apply a 3-act structure to a documentary.” – Paige Bierma “Excellent use…
Read More...
Spring Sale on Documentary Seminars
March 12, 2018
Spring is next week! I’m offering a jump on the season of creativity with a half-price discount on my acclaimed documentary seminars. Need expert guidance on a budget? Normally $300, you can get all my video seminars for $150, including: The Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary Editing the Character-Driven Documentary The Story Doctoring Kit Here’s what documentary directors have had to say about these seminars: “This is the best class I’ve had at the San Francisco Film Society by far!” – Chris Langton “Invaluable… brings into crystal focus how to apply a 3-act structure to a documentary.” – Paige…
Read More...
Stages of Post-Production Guide
March 7, 2018
Hi Everyone, Having released my own film earlier this month, I’m excited to turn my attention back to my specialty: helping filmmakers structure and edit great documentaries! Post-production can be such an arduous process that I’ve collaborated with other professional to create the attached Stages of Post-production Guide. It specifies the methodology and goals of each stage of editing, and brings clarity to poorly understood stages, such as the Assembly Cut. Click here to read it. Typically, this 7-stage editing process takes independent filmmakers 6-18 months. My talented editors and I have developed an Accelerated Post program to compress this timeline…
Read More...Talented Editor Available
February 28, 2018
I have a talented, award-winning editor available soon. This editor is an excellent storyteller and collaborates with great sensitivity to your vision. If you need an editor and have funding, please email me to discuss how we can edit your film in ten weeks in our Accelerated Post program.
Read More...
My Documentary American Visionary Released Today
February 21, 2018
I’m thrilled to announce that my new documentary American Visionary: The Story of Barbara Marx Hubbard is being released today for digital screening and DVD purchase! Deepak Chopra has called Barbara “the voice for conscious evolution of our time.” She’s inspired millions—including me–to find and hone their purpose in evolving our world. As many of you filmmakers will doubtless understand, making this film has been a labor of love in the grittiest sense—expensive, time-consuming, and artistically relentless. The result is a moving documentary that people are calling “honest”, “inspiring,” and “beautiful.” I’m proud of its authenticity and, on an artistic…
Read More...
Intentional Filmmaking Class with Carole Dean
January 17, 2018
We’ve been busy editing several films here at New Doc Editing, and I’ve also been finishing my own film American Visionary. One of the biggest influencers for creating and funding this film is Carole Dean, who teaches the Intentional Filmmaking Class. I highly recommend this stellar class to anyone who needs help with staying motivated and on track with film fundraising. Carole helped me raise $100,000 for my own film. Her new class begins Feb 6th, and she’s co-teaching with funding expert Tom Malloy. The class is $730 and starts Feb 6th. You save $100 by enrolling by Jan 28th.…
Read More...
Positively Trending Documentaries
September 6, 2017
The trend in documentaries that leave audiences feeling inspired is growing, and I’m proud to have story consulted on some of these hits. In the trailer to Al Gore’s new documentary An Inconvenient Sequel, Gore says, “Despair can be paralyzing, but this to me is the most exciting development. We’re seeing a tremendous amount of positive change.” Gore was talking about climate change, of course, but his upbeat, solution-oriented tone can be seen in a number of recent documentary debuts. Take Josh and Rebecca Tickell’s new documentary Good Fortune, which tells the story of a John Paul DeJoria. An outlier…
Read More...
Editing Technique Crash Course
August 30, 2017
Check out this entertaining 4-minute crash course in editing techniques. Sponsored by Pond 5, this slick tutorial gives 13 examples of micro-editing techniques, such as the smash cut, invisible cut and cross cut parallel editing. And if you haven’t yet received my acclaimed e-book Documentary Editing (free here, normally $27), you’ll learn more editing transition tricks, as well as big-picture structural ideas. Finally, for tips editing documentaries with multiple protagonists, check out module 5 of my seminar Editing the Character Driven Documentary (taught at the San Francisco Film Society).
Read More...