Editing Documentary

HI Guys

I have got an upcoming feature length documentary to edit i have only ever edited smaller productions and was wondering if there was any articles that someone could point me towards, that would give me some advice about some good working practices that more experienced editors have found while editing longer productions?

Any help would greatly be appreciated

Many Thanks


Kim

> that would give me some advice about some good working practices that
> more experienced editors have found while editing longer productions?

This is really way too broad for a forum. But here are some common practices, some common mistakes:

1. Think ahead. What is your final delivery format? What do you have to do to get to the final format?

2. Storage: How much raw footage do you have, and how much more will you be shooting? How many different types of formats are you using?

3. Organization: Create a clear file-management system. Don't use quirky or cute file and folder names like "My movie", "Great shot" or "Marnie's folder". Use a stone-cold-logical system like:

Titanic Archive
Titanic Clips
Titanic Graphics
Titanic Project

My basic criterion is: Nine months from now, will you be able to tell what the file is just by looking at its filename, without opening it? Also, if the project is given to another editor, will s/he be able to figure out what most things are by looking at them? A good, logical file-management system will be by and large apparent and comprehensible to another professional.

4. Safeguards: The longer a project takes to edit, the more likely something will go wrong. And an editing station, a hardware/software combination that works fine for six months, may not necessarily be healthy. Always assume that you will have some piece of equipment break tomorrow, and implement safeguards, habits that will allow you to protect your work.

5. Don't take the fastest way out. The fastest way is usually the most dangerous way. For example, you can capture more tapes a day if you just use Capture Now while ignoring timecode breaks, but if the files get corrupted, you can lose *all* the edits you make using that piece of media, and you can lose the ability to do a proper online. When devising a strategy for tackling any given process, pick the safest and most stable method, not the fastest and most haphazard method. The safest and most stable methods save you time in the long run -- for example, when you have two days to a festival deadline.

Do a thorough film log and I mean thorough - tape number, scene description briefly and timecodes - then watch the BBC or HBO...I have edited docs and have never found a book of any use but a film log is so essential and don't let anybody tell you that it's not. Good luck PHIL UK

If you want some advice regarding good ways to attack the edit (ie not technical FCP considerations, but instead the best ways to work through your material and get a well structured film) I'd recommend Michael Rabiger's 'Directing the Documentary'. It's widely available and is a great text that broadly covers far more than the editing of the film, but is good on this subject. I'm approaching the end game of a (so far) 3 year project, currently running at about 3hours (from 90 DVCam tapes), and can agree with everyone else that you're gonna need a well organised project to get through it (but you knew that already), good luck!

I tried a search for you in this forum but came up empty. There is a thread in here somewhere that is very detailed in "How to... "organize your computers' drives that was excellent. It was specific to editing a lenghthy documentary. Music, PS, AE, rearranging columns in your time line, etc

sailho

Thanks guys for the input!

it's been very helpful

sailho can you remember what the thread was called?

i will try and look for it!!!

Thanks again guys

One word of advice: Test your exact workflow.



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Transcripts of all interview tracks! The organzation phase should include verbatim transcripts.
These will allow you to tackle expressed ideas at the speed of thought. Build a Paper Cut or a digital relative of it, from annotated transcripts and you'll sail into Final Cut.

Popular annotation includes-

- Camera comp in the margin, when it changes
- special marks for visual values
- timing dots at a regular chosen time, such as ten, or fifteen second intervals, to estimate pacing of a section
- timecode of interview start to end

If you choose to handle paper you go to Staples or Office Max for the colored markers. You can get up to eight colors these days, and assign a meaning to each highlight color, and mark selects from each interview that way. This is where you plan audio editing and where you plan support visuals, often to cover audio edits.

Leave room along text lines for marking multiple meanings or functions!

After organizing your captures, the first half of a longform interview-driven doc is best done as a Paper Cut. Less thrashing around in video time. The result is your rough cut script. You'll move into a far more cogent and complete Fine Cut, knowing you've located the best material from Day One.

I helped build several prizewinners this way.

- Loren
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Preview effects sections with Option-P or Option-Backslash!

The FCP 5 KeyGuide?: a professional placemat.
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Hi:

Just couldn't come up with the right combination of words to locate that thread. It's in here somewhere, this one has very useful information though.


[www.lafcpug.org]


Hope this helps.......Sailho