Analysing documentary editing stages

Analysing documentary editing stages

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Editing permits all the various facets of a documentary to create a united whole.


Editing is a vital phase of all movies, as it is the phase when raw footage alters to the final item. This phase is particularly essential for documentary films, though. The reason being many narrative films will likely be edited to fit around the pre-defined storyboard and script. In the meantime, documentary filmmakers typically enter their shoots with only a rough pre-planned idea of whatever they will make, with the remainder of the tale being unbeknownst 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 first step is always to back-up the entirety of it because any moment could turn out to be used in the final documentary. Following this, all footage needs to be watched with accompanying notes being written to pinpoint the best 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 quite a bit through the length of movie 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 cutting and pasting camera shots together. Today many films are now digital, which means that the majority of the editing is performed 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 are added to their selected software, it's time to start trying out laying the best shots in to a timeline. Moments that show key information and will be the emotional core of the documentary will be the best to make use of. Seeing what really works and doesn't work at this time may help establish the building blocks of the documentary.


Individuals are interested in watching documentaries simply because they wish to learn something. Nonetheless, 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 tell you that making a choice on the narrative and finding elements that fit the narrative is one of the most essential stages in the film editing process. Even the most stunning shots mixed with the most remarkable archive footage will likely be meaningless if connected together without any clear narrative. Most filmmakers will create a long first cut version of the documentary after they established the narrative. They will then undergo the entire process of refining and re-editing it till it becomes a viewable size while accomplishing the objectives that the filmmaker attempted to achieve.