The Poetics of Process: a Comparative Study of Documentary Film Editing Methodologies

Abstract

The artistic ramifications of the digital revolution are a critically neglected area in the study of documentary film editing. The literature suggests that the implementation of digital non-linear editing systems indelibly changed the process and, in turn, the style of the art form. However, such studies remain narrow in focus and have yet to investigate the use of the analogue process in a digital context in the art of documentary film editing. This research project sheds light on the relationship between craft processes and artistic outcomes in documentary film editing by comparing and contrasting contemporary, digital-era additive (editing by assembly) and antiquated analogue-era subtractive (editing by excision) strategies using digital film editing tools. This practitioner-based enquiry collects data using a reflective practice study of the film editing of two original medium-length documentaries using the same raw materials but employing distinctly different working methods. These films are contextualised and analysed in an exegesis that also provides the theoretical foundation of the study. This investigation contends that a creative process driven by digital film editing technologies cultivates non-linear, dialogue-driven narrative structures. It further argues that an analogue process in a digital context fosters an immersive, temporally and geographically compartmentalised documentary form. Finally, this research maintains that the editorial process can be employed as an artistic tool in documentary filmmaking. Keywords: Digital Determinism, Documentary, Film Editing, Film Production, Post-Production, Workflow