Analysing documentary editing stages

Analysing documentary editing stages

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Well-crafted editing can be the distinction between a poor documentary and a fantastic one.


Editing is a vital stage of all flicks, because it is the stage when raw footage alters into the final item. This phase is especially important for documentary films, though. This is because the majority of narrative films are edited to fit around the pre-defined storyboard and script. Meanwhile, documentary filmmakers oftentimes enter their shoots with just a rough pre-planned concept of whatever they will make, with the remainder of the tale being unbeknownst until they actually film it. James Rogan will likely be well aware that this could mean that documentary directors and producers could possibly be sitting on hundreds of hours' worth of footage without any established narrative. The first step would be to back-up all of it because any shot could turn out to be used in the ultimate documentary. After this, all footage has to be watched with accompanying records being made to identify the best moments. This should take place at the same time as going through archive material, photos, and music to choose what is the best fit for the documentary.


Editing has evolved significantly through the course of film history. In reality, the whole reason the medium is named film is because of the material that movies had been filmed on. This material is edited by hand, with editors chopping and pasting camera shots together. Today many movies are actually digital, which means that a lot of the editing is completed by computer. Morgan Matthews will know that most documentary filmmakers are well-acquainted with editing software. When all prospective elements of the film were put into their selected software, it is time to start trying out laying the greatest shots into a timeline. Moments that reveal key information and will be the emotional core of the documentary will be the best to work with. Seeing what works and does not work during this period may help establish the building blocks of the documentary.


People are drawn to viewing documentaries since they desire to learn something. Nevertheless, this does not always mean that documentaries must certainly be dry lectures. Individuals are also looking to be entertained while learning the details by way of a narrative structure. Tim Parker will be able to tell you that selecting the narrative and locating elements that fit the narrative among the most essential phases within the film editing process. Even the most beautiful shots mixed with the most remarkable archive footage will be meaningless if linked together with no clear narrative. Many filmmakers will generate a long first cut version of the documentary after they established the narrative. They will then undergo the process of refining and re-editing it till it becomes a viewable length while accomplishing the goals that the filmmaker set out to achieve.