For the beginning filmmaker, finding the best take can be a reel challenge. Here's some tips on how to simplify your editorial process.
1. View your dailies and pulls relevant selects.
Start by creating two sequences. One sequence is for story beats. The second sequence is for reaction shots.
In your first sequence, pull any language that contains words or actions of conflict, or story set-up. This could be any behavior that says "No", it could be passive aggressive behavior, this could be dialogue of concern or dissent, this could be bites or interviews that support conflict for the scene. Also pull any specific emotional moments, crying, shouting, laughter etc. You'll also need any basic setup and point of view.
In your second scene, pull reaction shots, every reaction shot. Any shot where a person isn't talking, you'll edit it into this sequence. You want everything because you'll take this sequence and organize it later by character. When it comes time for a close-up, you'll go to this sequence and find the absolute best reaction to the moment at hand. It's a tool box.
2. After you've formed your sequences, start to structure your story.
Every scene requires a beginning, a turn, and an end. Start your scene by starting us in the middle of the real life action, not the beginning. If your first sequence contains hours of entrances into a room, and lots of formal "how do you dos", duplicate your sequence and cut them out. Start the scene someone where the action has already begun. We the audience are "entering the meeting" late. Let the people involved state their case, these are opposing views and conflict based behavior which you should have already saved in sequence one.
In non-fiction, you are using your selects to create a "radio cut" initially. The pictures are almost irrelevant as long as the dialogue we're hearing represents the actual events in an honest and dramatic way, you should be able to turn off the picture track and understand most of the story. Later, you can fix the picture to be finished, but in the early stages of non-fiction editing, you are writing the story with the audio.
3. Use bites to comment, not direct the story.
A very talented editor and friend of mine once said that the interview bite is the window to the soul of a non-fiction character. Your first instinct should be to resist the temptation to lead with an interview bite. If anything, the bite should comment or provide point of view on what is already happening dramatically in the vérité footage. When the bites lead, there are no surprises. Use your bites to provide information to what we don't already clearly understand from your documentary footage. A bite can reveal far more exposition in an interesting way if it is delayed in scene. Wait for the last possible second to comment on a scene with a bite. The more you do this, you'll start to notice that you don't really need very many bites to clearly tell the story, and because a great deal of the story is being told through vérité, the audience will be far more actively engaged in your story. Take a look at the highest rated reality shows on television. The very top tier networks programs all use this structure. Their ratings reflect a deeply connected audience based on scenes that reveal vs. guide.
4. Cover for drama.
Once you have structured your narrative properly, your timeline may sound pretty but will likely have picture that looks like a mess. Look through your second sequence and pull appropriate close-up shots to engage the audience further based on the style of your project. You'll notice that you likely have some awesome choices for looks, perhaps from other scenes even. Remember that if a person is outside, they can generally be anywhere and have a close-up that will work. If a person is in an office building, as long as the clothing matches, you can use a shot from any office building, anywhere during production, a white wall is a white wall is a white wall, offices all look the same to the general audience member. Find the absolute best moment/reaction based on your radio cut, use this opportunity to enhance your scene. It's not just about covering bad edits. Reactions can make the difference between and average audience experience and something unforgettable. This part of the process is really something that comes from the world of traditional scripted filmmaking. You can tell so much about a character through their eyes and reactions. You have the power in editorial to focus your characters and clearly demonstrate their desires, even with just a look. It's magic when it all works together.
5. Polish, polish, polish.
In non-fiction, the images and sound were not necessarily shot to work together in a natural way. When you're done with your story structure and reaction pass, go into your sequence and finish it out. Make sure you've filled your audio with room tone. Pan your audio tracks as needed, don't just let the editing system randomly drop the sound in for you, it's never right. Look out for eye blinks (if you don't know what I'm referring to, you should read Walter Murch's book "In the Blink of an Eye"). The polish in the offline editorial makes all of the difference in the world.
Hope that helps. Please comment or ask questions if you'd like.
