In this episode, we dive into the editing process behind Daughters, the heart-wrenching and beautifully crafted documentary that follows four young girls preparing for a father-daughter dance with their incarcerated fathers. Editors Troy Lewis and Adelina Bichis take us inside their process, from shaping the raw footage to balancing the film’s emotional weight and ensuring the story was told ethically and collaboratively.
Daughters premiered at Sundance, is shortlisted for the Academy Awards, and is now streaming on Netflix. If you haven't seen it yet, this conversation will give you a whole new appreciation for the craftsmanship behind the film.
In this episode, No Film Schools’s GG Hawkins, Troy Lewis, and Adelina Bichis discuss:
- [00:08] Listener emails about breaking into Hollywood and finding confidence as a filmmaker
- [01:59] Introduction to Daughters and its powerful impact
- [02:57] The unique editing process, with Troy shaping the early cuts and Adelina refining the final version
- [08:47] How they structured the massive amount of footage into a cohesive story
- [16:45] Using index cards, beat sheets, and writing techniques in documentary editing
- [19:02] The challenges of weaving together multiple character arcs
- [30:37] Ethics in documentary filmmaking and ensuring psychological safety for subjects
- [35:42] The portrayal of masculinity and fatherhood in Daughters
- [38:34] Editing tools and techniques that helped shape the final cut
- [50:17] Advice for aspiring editors and documentary filmmakers
Memorable Quotes
- “The girls were so strong, everything was so moving… I thought, ‘This is a film I want to be part of.’”
- “We wanted to keep interviews to a minimum and really focus on verité scenes, almost as narrative film scenes.”
- “It was important for the film to view them as fathers first and foremost.”
- “We had to make sure that every part shown in the film had its place there, that it truly belonged.”
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