Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1525212
42 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E overload of interviews down to a logical narrative that doesn't overstay its welcome. It's tempting to feel entitled to two-plus hours for your very important subject, but you will try an audience's patience if you exceed 90 minutes. S a m P o l l a rd ("S l a v e r y b y A n o t h e r Name," 2012) says that on every film, he puts story cards on the wall. He moves scenes around while building the struc- ture. "Sometimes the ending becomes the beginning, and the beginning becomes the ending, and the middle becomes the first act. It's a dance." The cards will help make it apparent where the narrative thread is strong and where there are holes. What to keep or remove becomes evident as the shape of the acts comes into focus. SEARCHING FOR STRUCTURE A film may ultimately deviate from the plan, but having a three-act structure with an ending in place is a solid way to begin. One good approach is to find the ending and work backward. You may not know all the details of your conclusion, and it may shift as you shoot, but you must know where to look for it. If you are asking a question, solv- ing a mystery, or searching for something, you have to get there somehow. Some stories have built-in endings such as a verdict, finding the sought-after person, or winning the big game. A story that establishes the promise of a climactic finale, right at the start, has a better chance of holding an audience to the end. D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus's "The War Room" (1993) had a definite ending: either a win or a loss for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. Their gamble ended with an elec- tion-night victory. Crime documentaries have arrests, indictments, verdicts, and re- trials that can provide resolutions, though not always closure. "The Thin Blue Line" (1988) brought this style to the forefront and led to Randall Dale Adams's release from prison. Errol Morris lamented, "I'll never find a case quite like 'The Thin Blue Line' again. It's like all the stars aligned. You don't ever find a case that wraps up quite so neatly. Not in my experience." Other examples of this type of documentary that followed are "Making a Murderer" (2015–TBD), "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst" (2015), and "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley" (2019). Sports documentaries, such as "The Last Dance" (2020), end with winning or losing. "Grizzly Man" (2005) ends with d e a t h . W i t h " F re e S o l o" ( 2 0 1 8 ), e v e n though you know Alex Honnold survived his daredevil climb, watching how he does it is gripping. When Liz Garbus was working on a past-tense story where she knew the ending, such as "What Happened, Miss Simone?" (2016) or "Bobby Fischer Against the World" (2011), she said, "I'm looking for narrative elements, of personal struggles or accomplishments that illuminate an individual's journey as well as telling us something about the historical moment or social context. With a vérité film, I'm looking for a journey too. Those arcs may ultimately be the spine around which we structure the film in the edit and determine what to shoot and what not to shoot." The ending of a biography is clear from the start; the film examines how some- body's life played out. "The Kid Stays in the Roger Nygard, center left, shooting a reality pilot. P H OT O : C O U R T E S Y R O G E R N Y G A R D