ABSTRACT
The chapter looks at the relative value and potential function of the different types of footage that might be available to documentary editors. Verite footage lets our audience see something play out directly in front of them—documentary editors witness the events ourselves. As practitioners consider the various ways that a moment could be portrayed, a documentary editor would usually favor firsthand experience and use footage higher on the list so that they can let the audience experience the world through the eyes of their subjects. Yet for all its many advantages, verite footage has some fundamental limitations. Documentary editors have a great case of a team wrestling their way through the pros and cons of different types of footage. It is a "hierarchy of intervention" with the types of footage listed in order of how much intervention from the filmmaker is shown.
