For a couple of months, we have been in the editing room, reviewing footage, capturing selects and arranging clips. In this post, we discuss cost-cutting strategies for building a rough assembly.
While performing your research, save material (and note their licenses) for either reuse in the film or to add to the project’s theme book. This is the perfect time to commit to some means of project organization. Not only will it aid you in finding what you seek during assembly, but it will also ensure there are no orphaned files once you export and archive your project’s timeline.
Periods of inactivity (e.g., awaiting voice actors’ audio delivery) is the perfect time to start working on any graphics, overlay text, or pure black “underlays” needed for your project. Animation can help energize an otherwise stale scene while font and text coloring can subtly convey the mood of your film; especially, during the film’s opening. The two most significant tips regarding graphic elements is to try to maintain consistency and (once again) pay attention to the licensing. Adobe has been known to go after folks for using their fonts after users cancel subscriptions or allow software licensing to expire. You have been warned.
For a heavily-narrated documentary, establish an assembly base by arranging your dialogue tracks (narrator, in-character performances, etc.) first. Once in your timeline, you can begin to overlay the captured materials on-top of the audio. At this time, I would also import your selects (i.e., best takes). This lets you easily identify visual content gaps and which scenes are either dry or overly long. Hopefully, you maintained either a camera log during shooting or drafted an edit decision list when picking your selects - hint, hint. A script breakdown is helpful during this stage. For smaller projects like ours, you can just print off the script and then add filenames or needed sound effects next to the text blocks.You may also need to review any physical media (maps, pamphlets, books) to ensure accuracy; thus, I would keep them together and available until your assembly is complete.
Most stock footage providers offer low-quality clips for temporary editing. I strongly advise you to leverage these resources, just keep an eye on overall cost as it’s easy to exceed your budget. As previously warned, pay attention to the licenses. Not all stock footage providers’ basic licensing packages offer commercial broadcast rights or support for T/SVOD platforms. The decision to purchase stock footage should be one of the last steps with the discovery of new, more impactful, and less expensive footage being a continuous process until picture lock. Trust me, if you subscribe to the notion of continuous research, you will find suitable material elsewhere for less.
Although it may be heresy to some, music tracks, score (or temp score) might help you during assembly. Once again, we’re not going for a “locked picture” here rather identify those spots where you may need to cut on the beat or for impact. By waiting, you may find that you have larger footage gaps to fill.
This piece of advice may upset some editors. Normally the transitions and any other effects are put off until much later in the editing process. Having said that, I found that the overlaying or even dissolving of archived materials on top or adjacent to our captured footage saved us from buying unnecessary stock “filler”. As such, it's recommended to mess around with your own Hickok-recommended montage to cut costs and create an otherwise, unexpected meaning.
Sitting in front of a computer all-day will exhaust your eyes and drain you of life. You will need to unplug and find a creative outlet to ensure your brain tank won’t run out on empty. As old school as it is, my go-to is the written word. Now is a great time to read a script or some text that inspires (not educates) you. Don’t get me wrong, I love to read how-to filmmaker and producer books; but, reading Herzog’s “Fitzcarraldo” and the “Conquest of the Useless” accompaniment inspires me. Others may enjoy “Rebel Without a Crew” or “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho”. My point is that you need to engage the creative-side of your brain, since you’ve been potentially working the analytical-half all day.
Once your assembly is complete and within 40% of your running-time (ala “newdocediting.com”), it’s time to review for more nuanced cutting. We hope you found these tips useful. Please follow us on social media for more helpful tips and techniques.