A term used by documentary and unscripted post-production teams to describe an edit composed entirely of talking head segments—the "chat" component. This type of edit is typically crafted from a paper edit, which organizes transcript selections into a cohesive story structure. The chatcut serves as a foundational version of the narrative, focusing solely on interview-driven storytelling before layering in supporting visuals, B-roll, or other elements.
Origin: The term originates from the name of an editing software used by documentary teams to assemble dialogue-driven edits. Over time, Chatcut evolved into industry slang.
Origin: The term originates from the name of an editing software used by documentary teams to assemble dialogue-driven edits. Over time, Chatcut evolved into industry slang.
For example, the producer can ask the editor:
"can you export the chatcut so I can see if the story flows before we pull the B-roll and sound-ups?"
Translation: The producer needs to check if the narrative works as-is, without any visual distractions, to spot any holes or redundancies in the story arc.
Director in post-production hell: "The edit’s a mess. Let’s strip it down, and get a solid chatcut together before we waste any more time."
Editor to Assistant Editor: "The director sent over his paper edit. I need you to assemble a chatcut based on it—we need to get that confirmed before moving forward."
"can you export the chatcut so I can see if the story flows before we pull the B-roll and sound-ups?"
Translation: The producer needs to check if the narrative works as-is, without any visual distractions, to spot any holes or redundancies in the story arc.
Director in post-production hell: "The edit’s a mess. Let’s strip it down, and get a solid chatcut together before we waste any more time."
Editor to Assistant Editor: "The director sent over his paper edit. I need you to assemble a chatcut based on it—we need to get that confirmed before moving forward."
by Walter Murch January 26, 2025
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