Preparing the First Assembly
The director and editor may view all of the rushes — the individual shots — together. They take notes about the particular emotions and information each shot evokes. At this stage, they are likely to have freewheeling discussions about the material. It is also helpful if the director tries to leave behind preconceived notions about the film and looks frankly at what is there with unbiased eyes.
To make life easier, the editor should make a log of the rushes, indicating time in and out of each scene, and a description of the shot.
For example:
WS (wide shot) of town
CS (close shot), man’s hands holding hoe handle.
Other notes might indicate the emotional quality of the shot or its particular usefulness. Having a shot log helps the editor to locate individual shots in the confusion of footage. The notes, sometimes colour-coded or otherwise marked, also help to focus decision making.
Many documentary filmmakers make transcriptions of all of the interview material. It’s time consuming but useful in the long run.
The editor should also have a copy of the transcript, so that they can mark the most effective sections, and cut and paste them into a paper edit of the film. A paper edit is a script devised from the material shot as opposed to what was going to be shot. The editor can also note shots that will come between interview sections, show where cutaways can replace the talking head, and begin to visualize how to use the rushes to tell the film’s story.
By watching the rushes, logging the shots and sequencing the interview material, the editor begins to create the film on paper and in the imagination.
Now the actual assembly of the rough cut begins.