Paper cut, radio cut, paper edit: the same workflow, different names

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.

Transcript-based editing means selecting interview clips by reading the words instead of scrubbing through audio. Here is why it dominates modern documentary post and how the workflow runs.