Analysing documentary editing phases

Analysing documentary editing phases

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These are the editing stages that all documentary makers experience.


Editing is a vital step of all motion pictures, because it is the stage when raw footage turns into the final product. This phase is specifically crucial for documentary films, though. It is because many narrative films will likely be edited to fit around the pre-defined storyboard and script. In the meantime, documentary filmmakers commonly enter their shoots with only a rough pre-planned idea of whatever they will make, with the rest of the story being undiscovered until they actually film it. James Rogan is going to be well aware that this could mean that documentary directors and producers could be sitting on thousands of hours' worth of footage without any established narrative. The initial step is to back-up the entirety of it because any moment could end up being utilised in the ultimate documentary. After this, all footage has to be watched with accompanying notes being made to identify the most effective moments. This should happen at precisely the same time as going through archive material, pictures, and music to decide what's the most useful fit for the documentary.


Editing has progressed considerably through the length of film history. In reality, the entire reason the medium is named film is due to the material that films had been filmed on. This material would be modified by hand, with editors cutting and pasting camera shots together. Today many films are now actually digital, meaning that most of the editing is completed on the computer. Morgan Matthews will know that many documentary filmmakers are well-acquainted with editing software. Once all prospective aspects of the movie were put into their chosen software, it's time to start tinkering with laying the best shots in to a timeline. Moments that reveal key information and will be the emotional core of the documentary are the best to use. Seeing what works and does not work during this period will help establish the foundation of the documentary.


People are drawn to viewing documentaries because they desire to discover something. Nevertheless, this does not always mean that documentaries must be dry lectures. Individuals are also seeking to have fun while learning the knowledge by way of a narrative structure. Tim Parker will be able to inform you that deciding on the narrative and finding elements that fit the narrative among the most important stages within the film editing process. Even the most beautiful shots combined with the most remarkable archive footage is going to be meaningless if linked together with no clear narrative. Many filmmakers will create a long first cut version of their documentary when they established the narrative. They will then undergo the entire process of refining and re-editing it till it turns into a viewable length while accomplishing the goals that the filmmaker attempted to attain.