ABSTRACT
This chapter dedicates to the art and craft of editing documentaries. Most of the techniques used by documentary editors are identical to the methodologies used by other editors, but documentary editors are a unique breed: crafting stories without scripts in many cases. The chapter relies on five diverse documentary editors: Steve Audette, Paul Crowder, Andy Grieve, Paula Heredia and Craig Mellish. It should be noted that most of the feature film and episodic TV editors also have solid resumes in documentary film editing. Documentary films have very different schedules from one to another. The Scientology documentary took a little more than a year. The hardest scenes to cut are the beginning and the end of a documentary. Every Frontline documentary has a certain sound design.
