Assembly cut, rough cut, fine cut: what each one actually means

A radio edit is the audio-only assembly that proves your story works before you cut any picture. Here is how documentary editors use it and where it sits next to the paper cut.

From dailies to final delivery: every stage a documentary passes through in post, what each stage produces, what it costs in time, and where things stall.

A paper cut is a written assembly of interview selects in the order the editor plans to use them. It is the blueprint for the rough cut. Here is how it works.