Documentary Editing: Principles & Practice

This book offers clear and detailed strategies for tackling every stage of the documentary editing process, from organizing raw footage and building select reels to fine cutting and final export. Written by a Sundance award-winning documentary editor with a dozen features to his credit and containing examples from over 100 films, this book presents a step-by-step guide for how to turn seemingly shapeless footage into focused scenes, and how to craft a structure for a documentary of any length. The book contains insights and examples from seven of America’s top documentary editors, including Geoffrey Richman, ACE (The Cove, Tiger King), Kate Amend, ACE (¡Viva Maestro!, The Keepers), and Mary Lampson (Harlan County U.S.A.).

Written for both practitioners and enthusiasts, this book offers unique and invaluable insights into the documentary editing process.

The second edition is completely revised and updated with contemporary examples and contains a new chapter titled, "Editing the Short Documentary."

Jacob Bricca, ACE is an award-winning documentary editor, producer, director, and teacher. His editing credits include the international theatrical hit Lost in La Mancha, the New Yorker Films theatrical release Con Artist, the 2016 Sundance Special Jury Award winner The Bad Kids and the 2020 Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominee Missing in Brooks County. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizon's School of Theatre, Film and Television, where he teaches classes on editing and documentary filmmaking.