Week 7 — Post-Production Lab: Montage & Voice

This week is a direct continuation of the Studio Interview Lab. You now move from recording presence to shaping meaning through montage.

Using the shared interview footage, you will begin weaving together voices, images, sound, text, and rhythm—discovering structure in the timeline rather than executing a fixed plan.

Editing is where the interview becomes cinema.

From Interviews to Montage

Interviews are not finished scenes. They are raw material. Meaning emerges through how voices are placed in relation to one another, how images interrupt or extend speech, and how sound and silence shape attention.

• Cutting between multiple interview voices
• Using pauses, overlaps, and repetition
• Letting contradiction and resonance coexist
• Allowing silence to remain expressive

Editing Workflow

Assembly Edit

The assembly edit is exploratory. It is about getting material into the timeline and discovering relationships.

• Create a sequence that contains all interview material you might use
• Pull strong moments, phrases, gestures, and silences
• Do not worry about pacing, polish, or length
• Use placeholders for missing images or sound

Rough Cut

The rough cut introduces structure.

• Begin shaping a clear beginning, middle, and ending
• Establish rhythm and tonal movement
• Introduce sound design and temporary music
• Begin layering text or titles

Final Cut

The final cut refines intention.

• Tighten pacing and duration
• Clarify voice and thematic focus
• Balance sound, music, and silence
• Finalize color, titles, and credits

Montage Tools & Strategies

Interviews

• Cut between speakers to create contrast or resonance
• Let one voice continue over another image
• Use repetition to create emphasis or doubt

B-roll & Cutaways

• Illustrate, extend, or contradict what is being said
• Use observational footage, abstract imagery, or metaphor
• B-roll may be shot footage, archival material, or AI-generated visuals

Sound & Music

• Layer room tone and ambience to smooth cuts
• Introduce music for rhythm and mood (sparingly)
• Let sound bridge between interviews
• Use silence intentionally

Text & Titles

• Use title cards to mark sections or shifts in thought
• Use lower thirds for names, context, or sources
• Text should clarify or destabilize—not over-explain

Adobe Premiere: Essay Editing Techniques

Nested Sequences

• Edit sections (intro, clusters, ending) as separate sequences
• Assemble sections in a master timeline
• Reorder sections easily without breaking the edit

Text-Based Editing

Premiere’s text-based editing tools allow you to work through language as well as images.

• Generate transcripts from interview footage
• Select and assemble clips by editing text
• Search for phrases, themes, or repeated words
• Use transcripts to discover structure before refining visuals

Text-based editing accelerates discovery, but editorial judgment remains central.

Optional AI in Post-Production

AI tools are optional. Use them to support experimentation and efficiency—not to replace authorship.

• AI-assisted transcription and text-based editing
• AI-generated music for drafts or final cuts
• AI-generated imagery for metaphor or abstraction
• Voice tools for temporary or final narration

Any AI tools used must be credited.

In-Class Lab Focus

• Build an assembly edit from interview footage
• Experiment with montage across voices
• Introduce sound, music, and text layers
• Move toward a coherent rough cut

The goal is discovery, not polish.