The documentary post-production workflow, end to end

Documentary edits move through three named milestones. Each one answers a different question and sits at a different runtime. Here is what they are and how to tell which one you are in.

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.

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.