Part 5
Postproduction

Editing a documentary is really the second chance to direct it. Seldom does a film follow the kind of scripting through time that determines shooting a fictional story. Often there’s a considerable plasticity to documentary material, and I have finished shooting more than one film without any clear idea of how I should assemble it. What determines a film’s structure—if you haven’t been able to predetermine it—arises out of the nature and emphases in the material. Editing becomes like making a picture from found objects. Individually and in juxtaposition, they suggest what pictures are possible, and you start experimenting. Such searching and experimenting in the cutting room usually arises because shooting has taken its own pathways and turned out differently from what you expected. Life is random, and films about life often have to be shot opportunistically and ad hoc.

This part supplies a set of operations that will give you optimal conditions in which to search for the wood among the trees. Your film’s identity and purpose will emerge as you work on it—a truly fascinating experience for most people. The process culminates in making a final sound track and adding titles. Now you have your first documentary and can show it to audiences for a reaction.