Editing Longform Stories into Tight, Powerful Narratives

Elwood Folse | Hell Cat Productions | Week 13

This week at Hell Cat Productions, I spent most of my time working on some deeply meaningful footage: hours of veterans recounting their war stories. My job was to trim these sprawling, three-hour interviews into concise, compelling one-hour cuts without losing the soul of their stories.

It’s harder than it sounds. You want to honor the speaker’s voice while also crafting a narrative that an audience will stick with. Here's what I’ve learned about cutting longform footage down into something tighter and stronger:

Quick Tips for Editing Long Videos:

• Find the core story first. What is the emotional or thematic throughline? Build around that.

• Cut repetition. Even powerful stories lose their punch if they’re repeated too often or in slightly different words.

• Trim pauses and filler words. “Um,” “you know,” and long silences might feel natural, but they add unnecessary time.

• Keep the emotional beats. Don’t cut parts that show real emotion or human connection—those are gold.

• Let visuals support the words. Sometimes you can replace long explanations with a single well-placed image or clip.

This work reminded me that editing isn’t just technical—it's curating emotion, clarity, and memory. These veterans trusted us with their voices, and it was an honor to help bring their experiences to light in a way that respects both their truth and the viewer’s time.