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Blog
Fine Cut and Locked Picture
April 4, 2016
Today’s newsletter completes our four-part series on the Stages of Post-Production. But first, this opportunity just in from our former story consulting client Gayle Embrey, who is on the board of Aspen Film, which hosts three festivals per year. This prestigious organization is seeking a Program Coordinator. If you or someone you know is interested in this opportunity, please email info@aspenfilm.org. Kindly do not contact Gayle. If you missed my earlier newsletters in this series, check out our valuable Logging Tips, the overlooked Assembly Cut, and Rough Cut Guidelines. By Fine Cut stage, the film’s structure is locked. The length should be within three…
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Rough Cut Guidelines
March 31, 2016
I’m returning from a family vacation in Mexico today, feeling refreshed! In today’s newsletter, I’m presenting part 3 of my Post series. We’ll focus on the Rough Cut, a stage many of you (including myself) are working in. You can view the entire Stages of Post-Production here. First, an announcement: we will shortly have two experienced editors available to help you navigate the stages of post-production. Email me for a free consultation. We’d love to help you! Professional editors think of post-production in discrete stages, based around different kinds of cuts. Each cut differs in length and purpose. The Rough…
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Power of The Assembly Cut
March 22, 2016
First, a quick announcement: we currently have two talented editors who will be available soon. Email me if you are interested. Out of the hundreds of filmmakers we work with, every single director knows what a rough cut is. But interestingly, only one in three know what an Assembly Cut is. So in today’s Part 2 of the Stages of Post Production, we’ll see how this underutilized tool can help unveil your film’s structure–without wasting time by overcutting a rough cut. The Assembly Cut is a quick and dirty first edit. It’s so ugly that it should not be screened…
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Gifted Editors Soon Obtainable
March 21, 2016
Two of our gifted editors are wrapping film projects soon. What’s it take to obtain their services? First, email me for a free 20-minute consultation. We’ll discuss what you’re specifically looking for in an editor, your vision for your documentary, and your post-production time-table. Then, if you want, we’ll set up a three-way conference call with an experienced editor who best fits your working style and film’s subject matter. With New Doc Editing, you’ll collaborate with an editorial team whose strong suit is storytelling. I’d love to discuss how an award-winning story consultant and a talented editor can execute your…
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Documentary Logging Tips
March 17, 2016
I’m offering the following 4-part series on the Stages of Post-Production: Logging, Assembly Cut, Rough Cut, Fine Cut/Locked Picture. Today’s Part 1 focuses on preparing for the edit with transcripts and effective logging tips. If you’re underfunded, should you pay to get transcripts made of your chief interviews? Yes! I used to skip this step to save money, but after working with hundreds of filmmakers, I’ve come to see how transcripts help editors cut much more quickly. Post on Doculink to find a professional transcriber. I also now recommend starting the logging process as soon as you’ve shot footage. Why?…
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Stages of Documentary Post-Production
March 16, 2016
In the spirit of community-wide collaboration, we would like to share these time-tested post-production procedures, as well as some of our own editorial inventions, with other editors and directors. New Doc Editing first compiled this step-by-step post guide for its popular seminar “Editing the Character-Driven Documentary”, developed for the Film Arts Foundation and the San Francisco Film Society. Remember, this guide is a suggested course of action; not a hard and fast prescription. Each project will likely deviate from time to time from these stages of post-production. We would like to thank all the documentary directors, producers, and editors who…
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Documentary Director’s Vision Worksheet
March 14, 2016
Have you ever discovered that an editor is cutting a different film than the one you had intended them to edit? Some of the directors we work with find it invaluable to communicate their vision in a formal statement prior to beginning post-production. We’ve codified this process and call it DOVESTM (Director’s Outcome, Vision & Editorial Statements). More concise than a treatment, this powerful document outlines the Director’s goals and approach to the film. Its purpose is to guide and foster harmony within the post-production team, making sure that the director stays in control of the film by clearly communicating…
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DOVES: A Documentary Director’s Worksheet
March 13, 2016
DOVESTM is our acronym that stands for the Director’s Outcome, Vision and Editorial Statements. New Doc Editing created the DOVES worksheet for directors who may find it valuable to state their intentions before kicking off the editing phase of their film project. Its purpose is to clearly establish the director at the helm, define the director’s goals and vision, and act as a compass that keeps the entire post-production team working harmoniously on the same film. A well-composed DOVESTM will foster amity. DOVESTM is composed of three statements, which New Doc Editing is happy to help the director craft: 1. …
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Writing Documentary Narration: Part 2
March 9, 2016
In part 2 of my series on Documentary Narration, I’ll share several tips for writing narration. If you missed part 1, which can help you decide why you might want to use narration (or not), go here. Keep in mind that writing for the screen is different than writing for print. The most surprising difference may actually make your job easier. Since screen narration needs to be conversational, this often means writing short sentences. And even incomplete sentences. Like this. Consider the following narration in the award-winning HBO documentary Getting Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015): “Hubbard was…
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The Dreaded Film Question
March 6, 2016
How often these days are you asked, “So how’s your film going?” I used to dread that question. In 2012, I had made rapid progress on my sixth documentary. Then, as I waited for grant money, film production receded into the background of my busy life. Then, the haunting began, with that dreaded question. I finally realized that I had to get this film done now, grant funding or not. Why? Partly out of self-respect, but also for love of my film’s subject. So I went through the steps of making a promise to finish my film within a year.…
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