Extreme documentary
- Thread starter JimSlaton
- Start date
Fourth Line
Active member
I apologize for stating the obvious, but perhaps watching docs you like and then using their cutting style as inspiration.
Fourth Line
Active member
Well my guess is that each director / editor has a different work flow. Here is what I do:
I have all of my sit down interviews transcribed (I outsourced my transcription to India - cheaper but not nearly as accurate.) While they are being transcribed, I start looking through my footage and begin to imagine what given scenes might look like - I am basically starting a list in my head (or on paper) of what might be.
I then read through those and begin to organize ideas and scenes. (I should add that most of the work I have done is in the observational style). I use different colors of highlighter to denote different sections of the film. I then have all my interviews partitioned to where I think they might go in the film.
Next I begin to create scenes. My goal is to use as little of the interviews as possible - let the observational stuff tell the story. I use the interviews to give key items of information and interpretation.
Unfortunately, a film is not constructed of a couple of scenes thrown together. So once I have some scenes that are working I begin placing them next to one another to develop the meta-narrative. For my money this is the most important part and where I begin to discover if I actually have something worth watching, or do I just have some interesting tidbits.
This is where I develop conflict. This may mean changing some of the scenes that I had developed in earlier stages. Really, up to this point, everything is just discovering what I have. Now the crafting begins.
Because I have the space, I digitize a lot of my footage - including entire interviews. This allows me to quickly access footage when I get a brainstorm instead of having to go find the tape, find the moment on the interview, and then digitize it.
There is an awful lot more, but this is my basic workflow.
I have all of my sit down interviews transcribed (I outsourced my transcription to India - cheaper but not nearly as accurate.) While they are being transcribed, I start looking through my footage and begin to imagine what given scenes might look like - I am basically starting a list in my head (or on paper) of what might be.
I then read through those and begin to organize ideas and scenes. (I should add that most of the work I have done is in the observational style). I use different colors of highlighter to denote different sections of the film. I then have all my interviews partitioned to where I think they might go in the film.
Next I begin to create scenes. My goal is to use as little of the interviews as possible - let the observational stuff tell the story. I use the interviews to give key items of information and interpretation.
Unfortunately, a film is not constructed of a couple of scenes thrown together. So once I have some scenes that are working I begin placing them next to one another to develop the meta-narrative. For my money this is the most important part and where I begin to discover if I actually have something worth watching, or do I just have some interesting tidbits.
This is where I develop conflict. This may mean changing some of the scenes that I had developed in earlier stages. Really, up to this point, everything is just discovering what I have. Now the crafting begins.
Because I have the space, I digitize a lot of my footage - including entire interviews. This allows me to quickly access footage when I get a brainstorm instead of having to go find the tape, find the moment on the interview, and then digitize it.
There is an awful lot more, but this is my basic workflow.
grinner
Carbonite Member
I place my talking heads in one bin, my broll in another (sometimes per topic) and my graphics and voice overs in another. I keep a bin online all the time with music in it.
I start the rough cut by throwing what i have on a time line and checking out the length. I then go from the top trimming and rearranging to set up the stories.
Now, cut to time and content agreed upon, I again go from the top with broll and music.
one more time from the top with graphics, layers of love, filtering, transitions, sweetening, ect. I do this last so I don't waist time doing this stuff to something that winds up on the cutting room floor.
same as any other workflow with some consideration for drive space.
I start the rough cut by throwing what i have on a time line and checking out the length. I then go from the top trimming and rearranging to set up the stories.
Now, cut to time and content agreed upon, I again go from the top with broll and music.
one more time from the top with graphics, layers of love, filtering, transitions, sweetening, ect. I do this last so I don't waist time doing this stuff to something that winds up on the cutting room floor.
same as any other workflow with some consideration for drive space.
SISUMAN
Active member
assemble it into a worthy doc
assemble it into a worthy doc
I'm weighing in a month after the fact but I would strongly suggest that you start you final edit before you even shoot one frame of video. The point I'm making here is that you should clearly define your 'goal' for your documentary and it's 'purpose' in elaborate written detail before you shoot. What is it that you are trying to achieve and who are you speaking to is extremely important to know before you start. It's like the business man who says 'I want to make a lot of money and sell it to everybody'. This kind of ambiguous thinking is a doomed approach and a waste of your valuable time.
So, if you already have footage that you'd like to assemble into a worthy doc, first define 'what' you want to say and 'who' you want to say it to, and write it down. There is a post by me (Looking for a documentary outline and guide) in this forum, with a very detailed outline of how to make a documentary I put together out of frustration of getting the bad advice of "review your stuff and see what happens". No offense, it's just seems like a waste of time if you don't have a clearly defined goal 'before' you start to edit. Once you have a goal the edit will fall into place quite magically, including what effects you want, how much you want of what footage and so forth. Good luck.
Bob's your uncle.
assemble it into a worthy doc
I'm weighing in a month after the fact but I would strongly suggest that you start you final edit before you even shoot one frame of video. The point I'm making here is that you should clearly define your 'goal' for your documentary and it's 'purpose' in elaborate written detail before you shoot. What is it that you are trying to achieve and who are you speaking to is extremely important to know before you start. It's like the business man who says 'I want to make a lot of money and sell it to everybody'. This kind of ambiguous thinking is a doomed approach and a waste of your valuable time.
So, if you already have footage that you'd like to assemble into a worthy doc, first define 'what' you want to say and 'who' you want to say it to, and write it down. There is a post by me (Looking for a documentary outline and guide) in this forum, with a very detailed outline of how to make a documentary I put together out of frustration of getting the bad advice of "review your stuff and see what happens". No offense, it's just seems like a waste of time if you don't have a clearly defined goal 'before' you start to edit. Once you have a goal the edit will fall into place quite magically, including what effects you want, how much you want of what footage and so forth. Good luck.
Bob's your uncle.
For the sailor who doesn't know where he is going, no wind is a good wind!
I agree with Sisuman, define clearly your subject and what you want to express ( the message). Have a look at Fontline World, their docs are short and made by young filmmaker or journalist but they are usually very good exemples of good storytelling,
Good luck.
I agree with Sisuman, define clearly your subject and what you want to express ( the message). Have a look at Fontline World, their docs are short and made by young filmmaker or journalist but they are usually very good exemples of good storytelling,
Good luck.