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HOW-TO, Techniques, & Best Practices Channel
Workflow and Weaving the Story for "Ten More Good Years"
By Staff
posted Feb 1, 2010, 08:11 |
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Check out this article in the print edition of StudentFilmmakers
Magazine, December 2008. Click
here to get a copy and to subscribe >>
Workflow
and Weaving the Story:
"Ten More Good Years"
Includes a Shortlist of Tips for Documentary Editing
by Jennifer Falk
Ever since I knew I wanted to become an editor, my dream was to work on a
documentary project. The idea of searching through hours and hours and hours
of footage looking for the best moments that could be linked together to tell
a touching and thought-provoking story seemed not only a monumental challenge,
but also a rewarding one.
After seven years as a freelance editor, the opportunity presented itself when
I met Mike Jacoby, an independent documentary director/producer. Mike showed
me a teaser he had edited for his project. It was called, �Ten More Good Years,�
and it was about the struggle that many LGBT seniors face, growing old and gay
in America today. He had been working on the project for over four years, traveling
the country interviewing subjects and experts on the topic. He had over a hundred
mini-DV tapes that were loaded onto a Final Cut Pro editing system, with all
of the tapes logged and transcribed. Looking for an editor with experience,
I was recruited for the project.
Photo: Director Mike Jacoby. Documentary, "Ten More Good Years."
I couldn�t wait to get my hands on the footage. We met in October of 2006. Mike
needed to have a finished piece by March 2007. Because of my work schedule,
I could only devote weeknights and weekends to the project. So I took his drive,
brought it home, and got started.
My first approach was to watch down the tapes and start pulling the sound bytes
that I thought would be useful � looking for similar or dissimilar stories,
struggles, emotions that could be used. After about a month, I put a dent in
the subject matter, but knew that there was no way, at this pace (even working
on it full time), we could ever get to the finish line in time. So I expressed
my concerns to Mike about meeting his deadline � and we came up with another
plan. Since he knew the material, (and had made the transcriptions), �why don�t
we sit down and start putting the story together.� This idea was really effective.
With each of us being able to use our talents to the fullest: Mike with his
knowledge and passion for the subject matter; and myself, efficiency on Final
Cut Pro and my storytelling skills.
The film looks at the subject matter as it pertains to the lives of three males
and one transgender person. We started the movie introducing each one of these
�characters� and some background on their lives � their partners, occupations,
being gay in a far less tolerant society than today. These sections were supported
or connected together with sound bytes from various experts. Another important
section that was to be the peak or middle of the film was the 2005 White House
Conference on Aging. (A conference making recommendations to the president and
Congress to help guide national aging policies). This was important, because
what did or didn�t happen at the conference would affect the lives of every
aging American.
Continued
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