Evaluating documentary editing phases

Evaluating documentary editing phases

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These are the editing stages that all documentary makers experience.


Editing is a vital stage of all flicks, since it is the phase when raw footage changes to the final product. This stage is especially very important to documentary films, however. This is because most narrative movies are going to be edited to fit around the pre-defined script and storyboard. On the other hand, documentary filmmakers typically enter their shoots with merely a rough pre-planned idea of whatever they will make, with the remainder of the tale being not known until they actually film it. James Rogan is going to be well aware that this may mean that documentary directors and producers could be sitting on thousands of hours' worth of footage without any established narrative. The first step is always to back-up the entirety of it because any moment could end up being utilised in the final documentary. Following this, all footage has to be watched with accompanying notes being written to pinpoint the greatest moments. This should take place at exactly the same time as going through archive material, photos, and music to determine what is the most useful fit for the documentary.


Editing has progressed considerably through the length of film history. In fact, the entire reason the medium is named film is because of the material that movies were filmed on. This material is edited by hand, with editors chopping and pasting camera shots together. Today many films are now digital, which means that a lot of the editing is done by computer. Morgan Matthews will know that most documentary filmmakers are well-acquainted with editing software. As soon as all potential components of the film were added to their chosen software, it's time to start trying out laying the best shots in to a timeline. Moments that show key information and can be the emotional core of the documentary will be the best to work with. Seeing what really works and does not work at this time will help establish the building blocks of the documentary.


Individuals are attracted to watching documentaries since they wish to learn something. But, this does not mean that documentaries should really be dry lectures. People are also trying to be entertained while learning the details 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 essential stages in the film editing process. Even the most stunning shots blended with the most remarkable archive footage will be meaningless if connected together without a clear narrative. Most 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 size while accomplishing the goals that the filmmaker set out to achieve.