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Editing A Personal Documentary
July 20, 2022
Editing a personal documentary requires some distance from one’s subject—i.e. one’s self. That’s especially true if, like director Jonathan Schroder, you’ve experienced a dramatic transformation. In Episode 3 of The Art of Documentary Storytelling, hear how my staff editor and I gave this director fresh perspective on his own journey, encouraging radical transparency. “Few directors would expose themselves to this degree, and Schroder deserves kudos for his openness on this journey of self-discovery,” said a critic on Roger Ebert.com about The Boys In Red Hats. Infusing the film with candor wasn’t easy. For example, we weighed the consequences of the…
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Announcing Ep #3 of “The Art of Documentary Storytelling” Podcast
July 14, 2022
In this special episode of The Art of Documentary Storytelling, my staff editor and I collaborate with the producers of The Boys In Red Hats (2021). They had hired New Doc Editing to edit their politically-charged documentary. You’ll hear four editorial sessions that reveal our post-production workflow. But first, a quick news flash about another documentary that we edited: We Said No! No! This story of civil disobediences combines dramatic reenactments and archival footage. The result? An artful, emotionally charged tale of social justice that rocked film festivals in Toronto, Berlin and Tokyo, where it won the Golden Prize for…
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24 Hours Left for Holiday Sale on Documentary Seminars
July 4, 2022
Happy July 4th to my U.S. readers! Our holiday sale on my popular documentary seminars officially ends in 24 hours. Click here to buy The Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary (formerly sold for $297.97) for $50. With your purchase, I’m also including my other seminar “Editing the Character Driven Documentary” (currently $79.97) for free. Topics include how to launch your film, build momentum, craft a climax scene, and structure a documentary with multiple protagonists.
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Holiday Sale on Documentary Seminars
July 1, 2022
To celebrate American Independence Day, I’m offering a two-for-one sale on my popular documentary seminars. Click here to buy The Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary (formerly $297) for $50. As a bonus I’ll include for free Editing the Character-Driven Documentary (now valued at $79.97).Here’s what one Emmy-Award-winning director had to say about Editing the Character-Driven Documentary:“This class was invaluable for bringing into crystal-clear focus how to bring a 3-act structure to a documentary film. Karen is inspiring and the documentary clips she screens are extremely useful.” – Paige Bierman, Producer/Director
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Too Many Characters & Pride NETA Pick
June 24, 2022
Happy Pride! My father hung the rainbow flag from his house in rural Maine, and I couldn’t be prouder! He’s happy he doesn’t live in a retirement community—but who knew there were retirement homes for LBGTQ+ people? For this revelation, we have veteran director Pam Walton to thank! Her documentary The Lodge, about the nation’s first state-licensed retirement community for LGBTI+ seniors and their allies, will premiere this weekend on public television. Congratulations! As Pam told the LGBT Aging Center, “Ruth and I, both filmmakers, were married in 2008 in California and decided in 2017 it was time to sell…
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Deciding NOT to Use Narration
March 29, 2022
First, congratulations to the creative team behind Summer of Soul for winning Best Documentary Feature at the 2022 Academy Awards! (We won’t talk about Will Smith here.) Director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson decided not to use conventional narration, instead relying on the emcee of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival to introduce performers and lend mood. It was a good choice. Ditto for fellow nominee Stanley Nelson, who co-directed Attica, a documentary about a famous prison rebellion fifty years ago. Now, time for a disclaimer. I’ve argued before The Case for Narration, an underestimated tool that can clarify plot points and establish…
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NETA Documentary Winners Prepare TV Cutdown
March 22, 2022
Happy Spring! Last month several filmmakers whose films we helped edit emailed me excitedly. Each of their films had been accepted by NETA (National Educational Telecommunications Association): The Lodge, We Said No! No!, The Coop Wars and Baba Babee Skazala! As NETA recipients, they will all have their films packaged into acceptable PBS lengths, promoted to target audiences, and then made available on American Public Television stations. El Susto will be released digitally on April 5, 2002. Watch it on Amazon Prime, along with another documentary we helped shape, Citizen Ashe, about the life and work of Arthur Ashe. Converting…
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“I Shall Not Be Removed” is back
March 8, 2022
Last week the director of UC Berkeley’s documentary program, where I taught editing for 18 years, asked me for a streaming link to my first post-graduate feature. I had to admit I didn’t have one. I Shall Not Be Removed: The Life of Marlon Riggs premiered on PBS in 1996, shortly after this Black, gay filmmaker died of AIDS at 37. Recently acquired by the Criterion Collection for their prestigious DVD collection, this biography of my beloved mentor hasn’t been available to stream lately. So big thanks this week to my distributor California Newsreel for providing this $2.99 rental link!…
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Film Reveals Ukrainian Resilience
March 3, 2022
Have you wondered recently where the Ukrainian spirit of resilience comes from? Look no further than Baba Babee Skazala (Grandmother Told Grandmother). Watch this documentary for two reasons. First, to understand its war-torn history (which I didn’t know about when we began editing the film). During WWII, Ukraine was crushed by Nazi Germany on the West and the Soviets on the East. “I could see trucks loaded with people, crying, because they were sent to Siberia,” says aging Maria Figlus, who left Ukraine at age 18. Many Ukrainian citizens became known as DP’s, or Displaced Persons. But the displacement oddly…
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Webinar Tomorrow: Raise Film Funds Through Conferences
January 19, 2022
The word is spreading! Filmmakers are far more likely to raise funding through conferences than through typical film grants. How? Tomorrow (1/20) I’ll co-host an interactive webinar called Conferences: your Fundraising Secret Weapon. In this free webinar, my co-host Keith Ochwat will show you how to find associations that want to screen a 15-20 minute version of your documentary at their conference. Then I’ll share four methods to edit your feature doc (or raw footage) into a compelling conference cut! Join us or get the recording by registering here.
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