General Notes on Rough Cuts

General Notes on Documentary Rough Cuts:

1. Trim the Fat. For every single quote you use in your a-roll ask yourself: In one sentence, What is the real substance of this quote? What is the interviewee saying? Figure out what the heart of the quote is, then trim everything else away. 

Example:

What the actual quote is: “Well no--er--I--we moved around a little bit, too, but I still feel like it’s home because mostly I grew up in Maine, although we did move from one town in Maine to another. ”

What you use: “I grew up in Maine.”

2. Use Silence. Don't be afraid of putting in gaps in the audio, or musical interludes, especially when your interviewee changes topics! The audio should not be wall-to-wall interviews.

3. Please use relevant and high-quality b-roll!


PLEASE WATCH THESE!!!!!

• Running on Fumes 
• All Winter 
• Gnarly in Pink
• Animals Are Persons Too