Documentary Video Editing
Indigo Productions specializes in documentary editing. Whether a feature film, television episode, documentary short, or corporate documentary our world-class editors always tell a captivating story.
Documentaries build their narratives in the edit, and assets come in all forms: archival, found footage, stock, photos, talking heads, and broll. Our post-production team combs over the source material, finding every relevant moment and selecting the most exceptional shots.
Then our talented animation teams support the footage with original graphs, figures, and dynamic timelines to amplify viewer engagement, enjoyment, and understanding.
Ready to create your documentary?
Indigo Productions is a Documentary Film Company
Since our establishment in 1990, Indigo has edited countless documentaries across industries. Our expert editors truly get to know your subject matter, asking smart questions and using the answers to drive the video’s narrative and style.
We also shoot and produce documentaries if you need a team for the entire filmmaking process!
Clients
These clients have taken the production journey with Indigo!
Success Stories
Hear from Indigo’s clients:
I hired Indigo for an important shoot at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Frick Collection in New York City. I'm happy to say that they did an outstanding job! I'd recommend them without hesitation to anyone who wants to work with a world-class video production company.
— Production Specialist
I am encouraging publishers, marketing teams and media companies to work with Indigo Productions whenever the opportunity is given. Our publishing company in London has commissioned Indigo to prep and shoot a short film in central Manhattan, New York for one of our biggest clients, Salesforce – and the service has been excellent, to say the least.
— Executive Producer
I'm constantly impressed by Indigo Productions, they're an amazing company. As a Preferred Partner & Vendor here at Salesforce, they've created over 50 videos for us over the years. Indigo has a great team of professionals whose work is consistently innovative, visually stunning, and most importantly, masterful in delivering a powerful message.
— Enterprise Director
Indigo did a great job filming some of the biggest names in film and television over 3 intense days in a high-profile 'mission-critical' project. They interacted with everyone with ease and complete professionalism despite an extremely challenging schedule. Everyone who has seen the finished video has raved about it. I recommend Indigo highly.
— Consultant
Indigo was straightforward, responsive, and ready to collaborate. This was my first time producing a live stream, and Indigo was patient with the multitude of questions - big & small - their response time was unparalleled. When it came to the day, we had an A+ crew from Indigo, and the stream went off without a hitch. Thank you, Indigo!
— Production Coordinator
Massively impressed with Indigo's work on our corporate animated explainer video. Starting with our (sad) script, they turned it into an engaging, visual, and attention-grabbing sequence filled with symbols and emotional attachment. Additionally, Max and his team are reasonable and good to work with...we'll be back for more video work.
— Managing Director
Working with Indigo has been fantastic. Indigo brought vision, creativity, flexibility, leadership, and the rare ability to bring our ideas to the screen in the most dynamic way possible. I’m also delighted that they were able to scale up with us as the scope of the project expanded. Two thumbs way up for Indigo!
— Director of Content
Indigo is truly a team; your team. They jumped in with both feet to make something new and exciting happen and went above and beyond in quality, scope & creativity. The head of the company and team is transparent, results-driven, and highly effective. So good I almost want to keep it a secret so I have them all to myself! LOL.
— Senior VP of Worldwide Content
After an extensive search for the right production company for a promotional video for a new fund we were raising, we narrowed our search to 3 firms. The quality of the work we saw on the Indigo website brought them to the top of the list. Indigo was the first company we met with in person, and we knew without meeting the others that Indigo was our choice.
— COO
Madame Tussauds loves working with Indigo! We've hired the team for very unique shoots and despite our many crazy asks and sometimes high-pressure environment, they always produce an amazing final product. When we're working with A-list talent to launch new projects or figures, we know we can count on the Indigo team.
— Marketing Coordinator
Types of Documentary Editing
Corporate
Corporate documentaries showcase your company, its history, and the employees who make it great. Interviews, broll of your facilities, customer and client testimonials, and timeline animations are combined into an account that informs and excites viewers.
Educational
Educational documentary film editing focuses on clearly communicating key points. Whether your video is for a classroom setting, television, or a museum Indigo’s editors find the right pace, giving viewers time to digest the information while staying engaged.
Animated
When you don’t have access to the right footage or want to appeal to a younger audience, animating your documentary is a great choice. Indigo’s editors and motion graphic experts are ready to bring their artistry to your subject.
Archival
Some documentaries are composed entirely of archival footage. Nothing is shot, so it’s up to the editor and post team to excavate a compelling film from hours of material. Sorting, and reshaping videos and images is our passion, and we can’t wait to extract golden nuggets from your archives.
Biography
Biographies focus on one unique individual, they can highlight a small part of their life or be a broad overview of their accomplishments. Bios typically combine interviews, media footage, and audio recordings. There’s a lot to cover, but Indigo’s editors are adept at spotlighting the most essential moments.
Brand
Brand documentaries detail a personal or business brand, providing facts and context to better educate customers about who you are and what you do. It’s a chance to share your version of your history using exclusive assets that can’t be seen anywhere else. Indigo loves building brand identities through documentary work.
Our Documentary Video Process
Step 1: Get a quote
Documentaries can vary wildly in scope. Are you handing over a truck full of footage and saying, “Have at it,” or have you already sourced the relevant material and drafted a rough outline? Do you need graphics to liven up stale assets or do you just require basic lower thirds to identify charismatic talking heads? Get in touch with one of our post-production specialists and we’ll walk through your needs and the associated costs.
Step 2: Develop the narrative
Once we understand the video’s scope, we’ll establish the documentary’s creative goals. How can the edit best support your subject? Will it comprise of slow pans and zooms over old illustrations and photos or energetic cuts to jazzy notes? And how much story can fit into your runtime? What’s essential to highlight and what won’t make the cut? We’ll outline the overall narrative for the video, revising it until everyone is happy.
Step 3: Receive the assets
Next, it’s time to receive the relevant assets. Depending on the file sizes, these can be uploaded or shipped. We’ll then review, tag, organize, and sort the assets for easy access during the edit. In documentaries, great assets make a huge difference. Viewers are most engaged when they can see what they are learning about. If we don’t have good assets, we’ll create new assets to support the story. This can work well but requires additional time and budget.
Step 4: Scripting
The assets we receive inform the final script and the paper edit. We’ll write VO lines that go with your images and footage. We’ll also assemble any interviews and news footage, generate transcripts, and select and arrange the best lines to start shaping the cut.
Step 5: The Edit
This is where it all comes together. Ideas from the concept and scripting phases are brought onto the screen and refined to take advantage of film’s visual and sonic strengths. We’ll comprehensively review the available media, finding new thematic connections and visual poetry. Additionally, we’ll adapt our editing style to your subject matter and POV so that viewers don’t just learn about but experience your story.
Step 6: Sound design and motion graphics
Sound is one of the most important parts of a documentary video. Depending on the source footage, audio might need touching up to be usable. For example, archival audio might have scratches and pops that must be eliminated. Ambient noises also sell the era or place you are documenting, especially if you only have photos or illustrations to visualize your subject. Finally, motion graphics bring dynamism to your images and provide key contextual information.
Step 7: Delivery
The edit goes through multiple rounds of revision. Each time we deliver a review link so you can evaluate what is working and leave notes on changes you’d like to see in the video. Depending on the subject matter, we may have to lean on your expertise for factual accuracy while we handle the creative side. Once the video is perfect, we’ll export a final version for you to download and host. We also provide captioning services and can send a .srt file alongside the video.
Documentary Styles
Verite
Cinema Verite is a doc style that places the viewer in the room with the subject, so the viewer feels like a fly on the wall. The filmmakers capture events with little interference, creating a non-judgemental record where the subjects are free to be themselves. It’s up to the editor to put it together in a condensed form, keeping it interesting and unbiased. This means minimizing sound design and cuts.
Testimonial
Interviews anchor testimonial documentaries. The editor plays a vital role in finding the best soundbites and giving each speaker their moment so that the video flows but never becomes repetitive. It’s difficult to leave content on the cutting room floor, but a great editor isn’t afraid to eliminate what’s not essential. Good moments that are cut can potentially be repurposed for other videos or YouTube clips. Testimonial videos rely on broll for visual variety and to smoothly transition between edits.
Ken Burns
The Ken Burns editing documentary style defines the modern educational documentary. There is a reason why the slow pan and zoom is called the “Ken Burns Effect.” Ken Burns-style documentaries typically feature abundant images with actors voicing historical figures and era-relevant music playing in the background. These videos are well-sourced, and dense, requiring the deft hand of the editor to keep it focused, on track, and interesting throughout.
Documentary Genres
A documentary’s sub-genre informs the editing technique. While these genres can overlap, identifying the primary sub-genre gives editors a stylistic starting point.
Reflexive
In reflexive documentaries, the filmmakers acknowledge that a doc is being made. They are present in the story and the editing draws attention to the production process by including shots featuring the camera crew and equipment. Reflexive documentaries are often explicitly about film and its relation to the world.
Participatory
In a participatory doc, the filmmakers are part of the narrative. They interact with their subjects and add to the film, imbuing it with their perspective. It’s up to the editor to convey the interaction between the filmmaker and the subjects, finding a balance between both storylines.
Performative
In a performative documentary film, the subject is the filmmaker or a topic close to the filmmaker. They guide the audience with anecdotes and stories from their life and share relevant opinions. The editing style for performative documentaries centers on creating an intimate atmosphere between the viewer and the documentarian.
Expository
Expository documentaries are the quintessential “voice of God” style. The narration and the script drive the film and the images, sounds, and videos are supplementary. Sometimes reenactments are integrated. The film carries a specific point of view which the video editor must present clearly.
Observational
Observational documentaries show rather than tell. They highlight their subjects going about their day with minimal or no intervention from the filmmaking crew. This approach emphasizes unbiased insight. The editor works to preserve the feeling of being an observer by using a light touch, only cutting when necessary.
Poetic
Poetic documentaries are not driven by narrative. Instead, they find truth through imagery and montage. Since the filmmaking informs the message, the editor plays a tremendous role in shaping the film’s point of view. These are exciting projects to take on and artistically rewarding collaborations.
Ready to Hire Indigo?
Indigo’s team is on standby. Reach out to one of our post-production or production supervisors today. We’ll get back to you with a quote and start the process.
We can’t wait to create a documentary with you!
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, at Indigo we are production experts. Alongside editing, we can handle your entire project, from pre-production to post-production. The best creative results are achieved when one company shepherds a video from beginning to end.
Documentaries have the longest production timeline of all film genres. Not only does the crew follow a subject for extended periods, but the editors have to sort through hundreds of hours of footage during post-production. It ultimately depends on the scope of your project. A mini-doc about an executive can be completed in a week or two while a mini-series about how a small town changes over a decade will take exponentially longer.
In some ways, documentaries are the least expensive videos to make. They don’t require actors or sets, just a small crew and access. Post-production can be lengthy and is the most expensive part of making a documentary. Short documentaries may only cost 10k while features can cost hundreds of thousands or a few million, using much more of the editor’s time.
Our professional editing software includes Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Davinci Resolve, and Avid.
Indigo Productions excels at all parts of the filmmaking process. From creative services, scripting, location scouting, and storyboarding, to casting and filming, to post-production, animation, color grading, finishing, QC, marketing, and delivery. We can handle just one part of your video or lead your project from beginning to end as your full-service production solution.
