Within the genre of documentary there are various approaches to capturing the subject matter. One of the standard methods of making a documentary is to settle on the subject or theme. A research team will fi nd the following:
● The best locations
● Relevant interviews and interviewees
● Stock footage (to be licensed from a stock house)
● Stills (obtained from the subject of the show or licensed from a stills library)
● Music that might be used for the show or that might form part of the story
B roll is footage that is used to illustrate the story and will be used as cutaways for an interview.
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Make the Cut: A Guide to Becoming a Successful Assistant Editor in Film and TV
A producer, cameraman, sound mixer, and small production crew will then go on location to record the interviews, shoot the B roll, and capture any sound or music that is relevant to the story.
Another popular and important device used to tell the documen- tary story is the re-creation. These dramatizations can sometimes be major production events utilizing actors, extras, sets, and com- plicated lighting setups. They can be quite costly. Sometimes these re-creations can be shot rather simply and will rely on postproduc- tion techniques to heighten their drama.
Re -creation is a dramatic reen- actment of a situation (historic or contemporary) that portrays an event or action that high- lights or dramatizes a story point in the show.
DEFINITION
Re -creations are, for me, the most exciting part of editing and creating a documentary. This is where the dramatic world of theatrical production meets the nonfi ction world of harsh reality. I have edited many nonfi ction works that have relied heavily on re-creations to dramatize events. These re-creations form an integral part of the mood and the visual look of the show. A simple cart being pushed slowly along a road by a man against a stunning sunset became the key symbolic element in a story called “ Black Death ” for the series History’s Mysteries . African men walking past the camera with bare feet in front of a slave fort in Ghana symbolized the slaves being herded onto the dreaded ships for the New World in “ World on a String. ”
Many times these re-creations need to be treated in some way to take them beyond the immediate reality and to create another time and place. Many popular methods include speeding up the shot (ramping) or doing a slow motion effect (slow-mo) to create more tension or make the scene more surreal. Editors are always looking for fresh and effective ways of treating shots when they are used as re-creations or fl ashbacks in a story. This becomes a perfect moment for an assistant to suggest new concepts using the latest available programs or technology that might be available for the edit- ing programs. Offer up suggestions and contribute whenever the opportunity arises.
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When the shoot is complete (there are always pickups of some sort needed to help fl esh out a story), all the material (on whatever format it was shot on) is brought back to postproduction and prepped for input- ting or ingesting. Again, every production house has its own specifi c setup, and you will familiarize yourself with all the technology particular to that editing system. All the interviews will need to be transferred by the assistant onto a tape format (specifi ed by the transcriber) with visible time code (Viz TC) and sent to be transcribed. These transcriptions will have a shooting timecode (TC) denoted in the margins on every paragraph for visual reference for the writer. The writer – producer will select relevant statements made in the interview (bites) and will write a script based on these selected bites. He will denote the TC on his script for the assistant. This enables the assistant to scroll through the interviews and use both the timecodes and the corresponding typed transcripts to fi nd the selected material required for digitizing. The writer – producer will write a guide narration in and out of each bite, which will become the story outline for the show. Many cre- ative writers – producers will also suggest visuals and B roll material that could be used over the narration and interviews (the cutaways). This is a paper cut of the fi lm and is the fi rst script the editor has to work with.
Chapter 7: Assisting Protocols for Documentaries
There are many different documentary formats and styles, and most people will approach their subject matter in a method that is best suited to that subject matter. Many shows are not scripted at all. Some documenta- ries could be compilation fi lms, using clips from old movies, for example. These fi lms might incorporate an onscreen host to start and end the show. The onscreen presenter is the actor who will be shot on a stage or on location and will be setting up the narrative and talking directly to the camera. Often he is the voice-over (VO) narrator for the entire fi lm. Often the editor has to craft the show with the on-screen host already shot. Sometimes this narration will be written only after the show is cut. The host will be tagged to the head and tail of the show, and his off-screen narration will be written after the show has a fi nal cut.
Sometimes a producer – cameraman will go on location and shoot as much material as he can with a story in mind. The footage will be brought back, and the fi nal fi lm will be created in the cutting room from mounds of footage. There is no script, and guidelines for the story outline will be in rough note form from the director. Often the amount of coverage is enormous, and fi nding shots can become a nightmare unless there is meticulous organization of the material. Discuss a method of breaking down the material with your editor, and take careful note of how he wants the footage digitized and bins set up for fast and easy reference. Endless styles of shooting will dictate the work fl ow and organization of dailies and B roll. Your contribution in managing the material will be essential for the success of the show.