The Art of Documentary Storytelling Karen Everett
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- Arts
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Documentary story consultant Karen Everett advises filmmakers on how to improve their works-in-progress.
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Ep #3 - The Truth Cannot Be Cancelled: Editing A Personal Documentary
In this special episode, my staff editor and I collaborate on four calls with the director of The Boys In Red Hats (2021). He had hired New Doc Editing to edit his personal documentary, one that traversed hyper-polarized terrain.This is the story of a man who became woke—while staying true to the positive values of his conservative past.In 2019, a politically-charged video went viral. It showed students wearing red MAGA hats confronting a Native American elder in DC. The image of young Nick S...
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Ep #2 - The Deadly Denouement…Plus, Speak to Multiple Worldviews
In this episode, I help director Vicki Lesley revamp her rough cut's slow ending. Now released, The Atom: A Love Affair (2020) is a witty documentary about the politics of nuclear power. It was the first indie feature for this experienced BBC TV producer.Analyzing the rough cut, I discovered a powerful, story-driven documentary that loses its dramatic oomph in the final 20 minutes. It suffered from what I call “the deadly denouement”. When a film can’t find a way to wrap up, viewe...
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Ep #1 - From Hero To Tyrant: Editing Character Transformation
In this story consultation, we restructure the rough cut of the innovative documentary "10 Questions for Henry Ford".Founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford makes a complex protagonist. I guided the director to edit Ford’s character transformation: from a popular American hero, to an anti-Semitic tyrant, to a ghost who finds redemption. Be sure to check out this episode’s emotional conclusion!Working with director Andy Kirshner was a dream. A professor at the University of Michigan, he’...