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Documentary Editing Tip #12: The Forgotten 2nd Act Climax
March 24, 2015
It’s a common mistake that I see time and again. Filmmakers editing a three-act documentary fail to include a second act climax. The result? A film that looses momentum three-quarters of the way through, lulling viewers to sleep before the final rally. Ideally, each act in the three-act structure ends with the highest emotional moment in the film thus far. Imagine a timeline with three arcs representing three acts. Now, delete the second arc’s peak. What’s left? A peak at the 25% mark, representing the emotional spike of the first act climax, followed by a long, slow ascent to the…
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Documentary Editing Tip 11: Essay Climax
March 18, 2015
How can you end an essay-style documentary with a big climactic feeling? I’ll give you five ideas, but first…our Inner Circle program for documentary filmmakers has been moved to April 13th. Learn more at: Inner Circle 9.0 In our last editing tip, we looked at how to construct a climax scene for a character-driven documentary. Today, we’ll examine five tried and true ways you can end your film with a splash. First, you can conclude by presenting your most damning piece of evidence. Ramp up to the anecdote or the statistic that cements the thesis statement you’ve been arguing throughout…
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Inner Circle Documentary Program Extended
March 15, 2015
I hope you’re enjoying the Spring! I’m going to Joshua Tree National Park to delight in the wildflowers. Our Inner Circle 9.0 program has been extended to April 13th. Since our last program was such a success, we’ll be repeating our Filmmaker’s workshop in San Francisco. And I’ll pay up to $400 for your plane ticket to get here! There is no better program that I know of, short of a university film program, in which to structure your documentary over three months. Here’s what our recent Inner Circle member Roddy Maclean, an accomplished filmmaker, has to say: “The Mastermind…
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Free Footage Critique
March 6, 2015
The Sundance Documentary Fund recently announced its 2015 Application is now open, so I’m offering a free footage critique to the first five filmmakers to get back to me. Here’s how it works: Email me a link to your work-in-progress (fundraising trailers are OK). I will critique up to five minutes, so please specify which section you want me to review: karen@newdocediting.com Then we’ll schedule time for a phone chat about what’s working well and suggestions for improvement.
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Documentary Editing Tip 10: Character Climax
February 26, 2015
One of the biggest problems documentary editors face is the absence of a climax scene. What if you don’t have the riveting footage with which to construct the film’s biggest emotional moment? Well, there’s hope. In my next two editing tips, I will show you techniques for constructing a climax scene for both a character-driven and an essay-style documentary—even if you didn’t capture a seemingly climactic moment on camera. Today, we’ll focus on character-driven documentaries. Check out my short video tutorial at: youtu.be As a reminder, our upcoming Inner Circle begins March 16th. Please email me for a free consultation…
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Sundance Prize + New Doc Program
February 25, 2015
When director Chad Gracia approached me about story consulting services late last year to help shape The Russian Woodpecker, I could see that his film’s story made it a strong contender to get into the Sundance Film Festival. We focused on making his story launch more dramatic, and I was thrilled to learn that his film won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize. (See his testimonial below). I highly recommend The Russian Woodpecker. Stylistically innovative, it’s an excellent example of a three-act documentary structure, replete with a compelling first–act inciting incident and a stunning third–act climax scene. I’m also pleased…
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Film Award and Update
February 11, 2015
First, some good news. One of the films I worked on (as a story consultant) won top prize at the Sundance Film Festival last week! “The Russian Woodpecker” employs that same three-act narrative structure we will use to translate Barbara’s dramatic story in “American Visionary“. If you are interested, check out this “Variety” review at: “The Russian Woodpecker” I deeply appreciate your contributions! And in case you missed it, I want to update you about our progress on American Visionary: The Story of Barbara Marx Hubbard. Last year, I announced the ambitious goal of finishing the remarkable story of Barbara’s…
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Intentional Filmmaking Class
January 27, 2015
Now in its fourth year, Carole Dean’s Intentional Filmmaking Class helps filmmakers get funded. A new session begins February 16th. Taught by Carole Dean, author of the best-selling “The Art of Film Funding: Alternative Financing Concepts”, the class is a 5-month, online course that teaches filmmakers how to get the money they need to make their film. I took this course myself and raised more than $120,000 for my film. You’ll get a strong foundation in fundraising after 5 months of training. You’ll know who your market is and how to reach them. You will feel confident that you can…
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New Documentary Seminar Begins Tomorrow
January 25, 2015
I hope your weekend is going well. I’m excited that several motivated, passionate filmmakers have joined our new seminar, Structuring the Three Act Documentary. We begin on Monday, so register today if you want to learn how to inject dramatic forward motion into your documentary film: Structuring the Three Act Documentary
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Documentary Editing Tip #1: Soundbite Montage
January 22, 2015
If you’re going to Sundance, be sure to catch The Russian Woodpecker, a great example of the three-act structure. Our story consulting client Chad Gracia worked hard to create a riveting inciting incident, and it works beautifully. Learn more about how to structure a compelling quest at: Structuring the Three Act Documentary. Today I want to share one of my favorite tips from our new Documentary Editing Tips series. I’ve created a new 3-minute video to explain how to create a powerful soundbite montage. If you’ve shot too many interviews and don’t know how to use all those talking heads,…
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