9 The Edit
When you’re deciding on the length of your film, bear in mind these durations:
- ▶ international broadcast TV is typically 52 minutes
- ▶ US broadcast TV is 54 minutes
- ▶ theatrical release is over 80 minutes if you want a distributor
- ▶ theatrical release self-distributed can be any length
- ▶ mid-form is now becoming more popular, now that Netflix has opened up barriers to duration, and Vox and Vice are also producing at this length.
Of course the film should be as long as it takes for the story to be properly told. But it’s good to have duration information in mind for later distribution meetings.
Documentaries are really made in the edit: you’ll hear that often said and for so many documentaries this is true. It really is the second chance ...
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