ABSTRACT
Most of the techniques used by documentary editors are identical to the methodologies used by other editors, but documentary editors are a unique breed: crafting stories without scripts in many cases. Because their craft is similar but different, I have created a chapter dedicated to the art and craft of editing documentaries. As you may notice, many of the headings in this chapter reflect the topics in the previous chapters of the book. Like the interviewees in this chapter, I too spent a lot of time editing documentaries and working in various post-production roles in the genre, so this chapter is a bit of a homecoming for me. This chapter relies on five diverse documentary editors: Steve Audette, Paul Crowder, Andy Grieve, Paula Heredia and Craig Mellish. It should be noted that most of the “feature film” and “episodic TV” editors in this book also have solid résumés in documentary film editing.
