Principles of Documentary Editing (On Demand)
About this On Demand Course
This is an On Demand course that was developed from existing live online library content. On Demand courses allow you to watch video lectures at your own pace, with curated resources and other materials to support your work. You can begin taking this course at any time.
Documentary filmmaking is won or lost in the edit. While a great film might begin with a thousand hours of footage, it lives or dies by how it’s shaped into the final cut. In this On Demand course, award-winning documentary editor Jacob Bricca guides you through the key foundations of the editing process, teaching you how to find the “beating heart” of your narrative.
Bricca’s filmmaking credits include:
- Lost in La Mancha
- Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew (2002 Tribeca Best Documentary Feature nominee)
- The Bad Kids (2016 Sundance Special Jury Award winner)
- Missing in Brooks County (2021 Critic’s Choice Documentary Awards nominee)
In this course, Bricca will use examples from his own films as an editor and director to provide creative and collaborative tools needed to shape the narrative of a documentary. This course builds upon a previous Sundance Collab Master Class and features exclusive insights and conversations with established documentary storytellers Geeta Ghandbir and Viridiana Lieberman (The Perfect Neighbor), Carla Gutierrez and David Teague (Frida), Ephraim Kirkwood and John Tarquinio (Patrice: The Movie), and Daniel Garber and Emily Yue (Spermworld).
In this course, you will learn:
- The principles of documentary editing
- Processes for successful non-fiction storytelling
- Relationship dynamics between directors and editors
- Common documentary editing techniques
- Four key narrative strategies
- Creative approaches to the edit
- Tips, tricks, and best practices from professional editors
Who this course is for: This course is ideal for aspiring and established documentary filmmakers looking to learn more about navigating the editing process.
Additional Benefits: Your enrollment includes a workbook and access to additional videos from Sundance Collab's Video Library.
View the Outline tab for more details on the course.
All course videos are closed-captioned. For other accommodations and support services, please email us at accessibility@sundance.org.
On Demand CourseOutline
Topics covered include:
- Course Overview
- Documentary Editing Fundamentals
- Processes of Post-Production
- Relationships Between Editors and Directors
- Behind the Cut
Topics covered include:
- Evidentiary Editing
- Vérité and Montage Editing
- Creative Approaches to Editing
Topics covered include:
- First-Hand and Character Experiences
- Inside the Edit: Character-Driven Storytelling
- Delayed Gratification
Topics covered include:
- Present Tense, Tips, and Tricks
- Inside the Edit: Crafting Dramatic Questions
- Next Steps in Your Documentary Filmmaking Journey
Team
Jacob Bricca
Instructor
Jacob Bricca, ACE is an award-winning film editor, director, producer, and scholar. He has edited eleven feature documentaries including the international theatrical hit Lost In La Mancha, the Independent Lens Audience Award Winner Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew, the 2016 Sundance Special Jury Award Winner The Bad Kids, and the 2021 Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominee Missing In Brooks County. His producing and directing credits include films screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, DOC NYC, and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. He is a member of the American Cinema Editors, where he is Co-Chair of the ACE Education Committee.
His book Documentary Editing: Principles And Practice is the definitive textbook on documentary editing and is a part of the curriculum at film schools around the world, including the USC School of Cinematic Arts and UCLA, and his newest book How Documentaries Work published by Oxford University Press, offers a provocative deconstruction of documentary tropes and conventions. At the University of Arizona he is the Head of the Film and Television Production Division, and teaches classes on narrative and documentary film editing, documentary history, and documentary production.
FAQ
Sundance Collab’s On Demand courses provide flexibility to learn on your own time, whenever you’re ready. On Demand courses do not provide you with feedback on your work, but they do provide suggested activities and curated resources.
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion for all of the On Demand courses and the certificate will include the name associated with your Collab account.
You can find any courses that you are enrolled in or have already completed in the profile section of your Collab account under “Courses.”
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Please contact us at (435) 776-7790 or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to ask any questions or to discuss your specific needs.