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The First Comprehensive Resource to Focus on Documentary Film Editing
January 22, 2010
Documentary Editing Back in the day, when I was a budding editor, I was taught to avoid jump cuts. That was about the extent of my editing education, despite the fact that I was attending one of the top graduate schools in the world for documentary filmmaking. To make matters worse, there were no books on how to edit a documentary film. (I was intrigued in 1993 when Walter Murch’s In the Blink of an Eye was published, but I soon realized that it was aimed primarily at Hollywood narratives, not documentaries.) Fast forward two decades. After years of training…
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Sundance Film Festival
January 21, 2010
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe I’m excited to be going to the Sundance Film Festival this week. There’ll be a whole new lineup of exciting documentary films that I won’t have time to watch during the crazy Park City hubbub. Last year at Sundance, I had time in between networking and parties to watch five films in five days. However, over the course of 2009, I dragged my girlfriends (not unwillingly) to see several documentaries that have premiered at Sundance and were now being released theatrically. Among the most memorable: The Cove, an action packed character-driven film with an inspiring…
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How A Backstory Can Solve The Problem of Pacing
January 20, 2010
A screenwriter can plot progressive complications without being constrained by journalistic ethics, but what can a documentary filmmaker do if the actual chronology of conflict ebbs and flows rather than steadily escalates? Many editors’ biggest challenge in Act Two is sustaining momentum. Since Act Two is the longest act (a little more than half the film), it is imperative that the editor ratchets up conflict. How can the editor ramp up the protagonist’s opposition while staying true to the facts? One solution is to change the order of events, recognizing that a chronicle does not have to unfold chronologically. You…
Read More...Great Example of Documentary Film Trailer
January 14, 2010
Filmmakers are always asking me for examples of well-cut trailers, so I am delighted to offer this gem: www.connectedthefilm.com Directed by award-winning director Tiffany Shlain (The Tribe, 2006), the trailer for her new film, Connected, is witty, smart, and exceptionally short. With a total TRT of 1:25, this sneak preview leaves you intrigued and wanting more. In the spirit of self disclosure, I am working as a story consultant on this documentary. But I had nothing to do with the trailer, which was edited by Shlain and co-editor Dalan McNabola. So…what makes this trailer so great? In addition to stunning…
Read More...How A Backstory Can Solve The Problem of Pacing
January 13, 2010
A screenwriter can plot progressive complications without being constrained by journalistic ethics, but what can a documentary filmmaker do if the actual chronology of conflict ebbs and flows rather than steadily escalates? Many editors’ biggest challenge in Act Two is sustaining momentum. Since Act Two is the longest act (a little more than half the film), it is imperative that the editor ratchets up conflict. How can the editor ramp up the protagonist’s opposition while staying true to the facts? One solution is to change the order of events, recognizing that a chronicle does not have to unfold chronologically. You…
Read More...Braving the Polar Plunge
January 12, 2010
I just returned from Antarctica, where I heroically stripped down to my bathing suit and took a dip in icy waters. (No, this is not a rant about global warming.) To be honest, the beach had a natural hot springs flowing into the ocean, thus making the task bearable and undermining my bragging rights. Stay tuned for a my announcement next week about my new book! And I want to remind you documentary film makers who are needing help structuring your films, that you can get my e-course, “Editing the Character-Driven Documentary,” for $197. Here’s what one person who took…
Read More...Expanding the Documentary Trend in Contrived Quests
January 7, 2010
I recently wrote this article for SF360, the online magazine for documentary filmmakers, which I thought you’d find interesting as we enter the New Year. There is a new trend in documentary storytelling that has its roots in the 2004 hit Supersize Me and will likely morph into new forms in the coming year. Documentary filmmakers are tinkering with, fine-tuning and expanding on the idea of constructing a story arc that goes something like this: I’ll attempt this crazy, quirky, or impossible feat for X amount of time and in the process, reveal something important about a troubling social issue.”…
Read More...Sync Your Collaboration Styles
December 17, 2009
HAVE YOU ever sat with an editor in your office, asked them to suggest a line of narration and then been met with a blank look? Before jumping to the conclusion that your editor is inept, consider that she might be a brilliant introvert. Tip #6 Sync Your Collaboration Styles. How do you like to work with editors? Do you want to be in the edit room (on your premises) and sit with your editor several hours a day? Or do you prefer to hand off the digital files and leave your editor to work in their own space for…
Read More...Demand Superior Communication Skills
December 16, 2009
CREATIVE conflicts are fine as long as they don’t deteriorate into personality conflicts. The most deadly personality clashes will cost you big time, because you will either be stuck with miserable rapport or foot the bill to hire someone else. Most directors suffer with the former because after investing in an editor to watch hundreds of hours of footage, they can’t afford to hire someone else to start from scratch. All this can be avoided if you make the right hiring decision. Tip #5: Demand Superior Interpersonal Communication Skills. How will you know if someone is a good communicator? In…
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Get More Than Your Money’s Worth
December 15, 2009
THE FIRST THING most directors ask upon finding a potential editor is, “What’s your fee?” Then they check their budget to see how many weeks of editing they can afford. To really make a great hiring decision in today’s economy, you need to ask a few more questions. Tip #4: Get More Than Your Money’s Worth I don’t mean that you should exploit your editor by demanding 10-12 hour days. In a recent thread in Doculink, editors railed on directors with unreasonable expectations: dozens of DVD’s of various cuts, twenty email responses in a day, and extensive handholding throughout reshoots. …
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