The Art of Documentary Storytelling

Karen Everett•newdocediting.com

Arts

Documentary story consultant Karen Everett advises filmmakers on how to improve their works-in-progress.

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Episodes

Ep. #4 Verite Structure: "Below the Belt"

Some misguided directors think the message of “see how awful it is” will spur audiences into actionable awareness. But viewers can get paralyzed by bad news. Thankfully, when co-producers Shannon and Patricio Cohn asked me for a story consultation, they already had a name for this problem: “suffering fatigue”. Below the Belt (2022) is a well-directed, verite-style documentary. It follows four women seeking treatment for endometriosis, a painful chronic condition. In Act Three of their film, ther...

Jul 02, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 4

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 Sa...

Jul 05, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 4

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, viewers get bored. ...

Feb 17, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 2

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’...

Feb 14, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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