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Documentary | Finding the thread in dozens of hours of footage
Editing a documentary is not about polishing, it is about searching — finding the story that really needs telling inside a vast amount of footage.
The biggest difference between a documentary and any other kind of video is that while you are filming you often do not yet know what the story is. A dozen or more interviews, months of following people, dozens of hours of footage — and the thread you end up telling usually only emerges at the edit.
That means post-production on a documentary is far more work than on an ordinary video. Simply watching everything through, logging it section by section and putting the transcripts in order can take up more than half of the whole project's time. But only when that step is done thoroughly can the structure be built on top of it.
These situations are a good fit
- Portraits: the life stories of craftspeople, creators and older people
- Local culture: preserving a record of communities, industries and traditional crafts
- Issue-led documentaries: subjects that need interviews from several sides and a lot of material to organise
- Companies or institutions recording their history, or a long-form brand story
- Academic or research projects documenting their findings on film
- Oral history interviews to be organised and turned into film
Common formats and lengths
- 10–20 minutes: short form, suited to exhibition playback and online release
- 30–50 minutes: television length, or a festival short
- 60 minutes and over: feature length
- Landscape 1920×1080 or 3840×2160
- Chinese subtitles are usually needed; for festival submission an English-subtitled version is also required
Please have these ready
The rules for materials are simple. Just follow whichever one of the options below matches what you have:
1. You already have footage
- Upload the original files to Google Drive, then share the folder link with us
- Please put the files in order first — name them in the order you want them to appear (01, 02, 03…). This step saves a great deal of back-and-forth and makes the quote more accurate
- Please send the original files rather than sending them through a messaging app, which compresses them and costs you quality
2. You do not have footage yet
A simple script is enough. You only need to write down three things:
- From which second to which second
- What is on screen
- What text appears
For example:
0–5 sec | Opening shot (for example an aerial of the setting, the entrance, the product itself) | Text: the brand or topic name
5–12 sec | Main content, camera pushing in slowly | Text: the one line you most want people to remember
12–20 sec | Closing shot | Text: contact details or a call to action
It does not need to be beautifully written, just clear. We will use that script to assess how feasible it is and what the scope of work would be.
3. Other things we can look at (not required)
Below are the supporting materials people often have for this kind of video. They are only a reference, not a requirement. Providing your material in either of the two ways above is enough — having these lets us assess things faster, and not having them makes no difference.
- Send us the unused clips as well — documentary editing often needs them
- Interview transcripts or question outlines, if you have them
- The theme or the question you want to explore
- Any photographs, documents, press coverage and other supporting material we may use
- The permissions you have from the interviewees, and anything that has to be kept out
For anything else, just ask on our official LINE.
How we might approach it
Every project has a different set of materials and a different brief. What is listed below are the approaches commonly used for this kind of video; which of them we actually use, and how far we take them, depends on your material and what you need.
- Cataloguing the footage: logging content, timecode and usability section by section to build a searchable library
- Proposing a narrative structure: we put possible structures to you and discuss them, and only start editing once one is agreed
- Pacing the interviews: keeping the speaker's tone and pauses while cutting out the long run-ups
- Filling out the visuals: using B-roll, photographs and archive material to fill the visual gaps in the interviews
- Evening out the sound: interviews recorded on different days with different equipment need their levels and tone brought into line
We do not simply apply a fixed package. We need to see the full picture of the material and the brief first, and only once we have confirmed what can realistically be done do we provide a quotation and a production schedule. That way the price and the delivery date rest on something solid, and you will not get halfway through and find that extras are needed.
Editing a documentary involves a great many judgement calls, so we keep checking the direction with you as we go rather than handing over a finished film in one go. That also means these projects run longer and take more communication, so please allow enough time when you plan.
Process
How we work together
Every project is bespoke, so the process starts with “taking a look first”, not with a price.
Send the material or a script
If you have footage, upload it to Google Drive and put it in order; if you do not, send a simple three-point script (from which second to which second / what is on screen / what text appears).
Assessment and quotation
Once we have seen the full picture of the material and the brief, we confirm what can be done and provide a quotation and production schedule.
Production and delivery
We deliver a first cut on the agreed schedule, and export the finished film once the revisions are confirmed. Working days are counted from confirmation of payment.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
We have dozens of hours of footage — can you handle that?
Yes, but to be honest about it: the volume of footage has a direct effect on the hours involved and on the quote. Tell us roughly the total running time and how many people were interviewed, and we can give you a sensible assessment.
What if the interview audio was badly recorded?
Most of it can be improved. Background noise, uneven levels and room reverb can all be dealt with — see audio noise repair. If the voice signal itself has gone, there is only so much that can be done.
Can you produce the transcripts?
We can look into it. Transcription is a separate item of work and is quoted separately, so please say whether you need it when you enquire.
Will you take part in discussions about the content?
Yes. A documentary's structure cannot be decided without understanding the material, so once we have watched the footage we put a structure to you, and only proceed once it has been discussed and agreed.
How long does it take?
It depends on the amount of footage and the length, and it is usually measured in “weeks” or even “months”. Once we have assessed it we give you a clear stage-by-stage schedule rather than one vague number.
Thinking about a documentary?
Email us and we will reply with what else we need to know, then move on to assessment and a quote. LINE works too.