Dialogue Editing

The Documentary Workspace 295
Table 16-1 Suggested Track Layout for a Documentary Film
Track Name Contents Description
Narr A Primary narration If there’s only one narration voice, recorded
in the same setting, use only one
narration track.
Narr B-? Other narration If there are two or more narrators, or if the
single narrator was recorded in more than
one (different-sounding) session, assign
additional tracks.
Intv A-? Interview/voiceover This is where all interview-based infor-
(or Info A-?) mation is placed.
Use as many tracks as you need, but usually
fi ve or six of these will do.
Scene A-? Scene/vérité material Use these tracks for noninterview material:
B-roll action or cutaways to illuminate the
voiceover; full scenes of character action;
montage constructions. Usually fi ve or six
scene tracks are suffi cient.
Music A-? Musical performances Use these tracks for production music (e.g.,
or other music stripped the band is playing or the string quartet is
from the OMF practicing) or score or acquired music that
you inherited with the OMF.
You can organize your documentary tracks as shown in Table 16-1. Of course,
since each documentary has its own style, you’ll have to adapt your track
plan to the needs of the fi lm, fi lmmaker, and mixer.
Once you’ve organized your tracks, place memory markers on all scene
boundaries. You do this for the same reasons you mark scenes in dramas: to
indicate where to cut dialogue and later backgrounds; to ensure that all scene
cuts are of a desired and predictable length; and to create an easy way to fi nd
scenes and perspective cuts.
Cutting Scenes and Narration
You cut documentary scenes much like you cut dramas. The vérité material
(or véríte scenes or B-roll material, depending on whom you ask) behaves much
like a dramatic scene, so use the same rules of track organization and shot
transition. Within a scene, split shots by character, shooting angle, noise
problems, or whatever else makes sense. Also split off unusually loud or
noisy elements for easier mixing.