HOW-TO, Techniques, & Best Practices Channel

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

Page 1 | 2

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 on Next Page...

Page 1 | 2