From Hero To Tyrant: Editing Character Transformation

I’m receiving great feedback on episode #1 of my new podcast The Art of Documentary Storytelling! Ever wonder what a story consultation would be like?

In “From Hero to Tyrant: Editing Character Transformation”, I story consult on a documentary about the founder of the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford is a complex protagonist.

Director Andy Kirshner creatively stretches the documentary form by setting up Ford (played by actor John Lepard) as a spook who returns to Detroit one hundred years after his death. What did this troubled ghost want?

Turns out, he had an outer quest, and an inner quest. But the parallel arcs didn’t intersect. We needed to create some connective tissue.

Find out how we did it, along with these takeaways from “The Art of Documentary Storytelling”:

• Adapt the Three Act Structure for a non-fiction film
• Where to position the inciting incident
• Use a midpoint to edit character transformation
• The outer tangible quest vs. the inner psychological quest
• Tips to shape a powerful climax scene