Editing: Where To Begin

This workshop, led by award-winning documentary editor Kristina Motwani, walks through how to start editing a feature-length documentary and covers approaches to organizing your ideas and building story structure using Miro Boards. Geared toward editors facing an overwhelming amount of footage and looking for a practical way in.

After the instructional portion, there will be a casual mixer. Drinks and snacks will be provided. Attendees will have the chance to meet eachother, network, and ask Kristina Motwani some more questions.

What are Miro Boards? Kristina Motwani uses the software as digital note cards for organization. It's a robust tool for brainstorming ideas about story and structure while simplifying communication with everyone on your team, even while working virtually. Think of it as a digital whiteboard where you can keep track of the changes made during the edit.

Kristina Motwani (she/her) is an award-winning documentary editor, writer, and artist based in San Francisco. Known for her emotionally precise vérité-driven style, she crafts intimate, character-centered films that bring audiences close to people and their worlds.

Her credits include Adam’s Apple, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, 1-800-ON-HER-OWN, Homeroom, Home Is a Hotel, Fruits of Labor, First Vote, Midnight Traveler, and After Tiller. Her work has screened at Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, and SFFILM, and is distributed by PBS, Netflix, Hulu, Al Jazeera, and World Channel.

Kristina is the recipient of the 2021 Sundance Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award and the 2021 Karen Schmeer Award for Excellence in Documentary Editing, as well as the 2024 Sundance | Adobe Mentorship Award. Her films have been honored with Peabody and Emmy awards. She is a DOC NYC 40 Under 40 honoree, a SFFILM FilmHouse resident, a BAVC MediaMaker Fellow, Karen Schmeer Mentor, BAVC Editing Mentor, IDA Best Editing Award Chair and a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia, ADE, and A-Doc.

Members get $10 off the workshop price! Email [email protected] for questions or sign up for a membership here on our website.

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BAVC Media (Bay Area Video Coalition) has empowered local activists, artists, and media makers since 1976. We are a community media non-profit offering training, workshops, youth programs, video preservation, production services, youth programs, and the home of San Francisco's public access station, SF COMMONS.

You can learn more about what we offer at www.bavc.org

As a member of BAVC Media, you’ll enjoy year-round benefits, including discounts on BAVC Media classes and workshops, networking opportunities, access to facilities, equipment, and more. You can find out more about our benefits and becoming a Member here.

BAVC Media's VERSED is a series of hybrid workshops, hands-on labs, virtual and in-person trainings for creators of all ages and skill levels to spark and sustain careers in the media arts on a free or below-market basis. See our upcoming workshops at bavc.org/versed

If you have any access or support requirements in order to participate fully, please email us at [email protected]. The venue is accessible for people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids. There are two accessible gender neutral restrooms. All the films screened will have closed captioning.

With recent spikes in COVID-19 in the Bay Area, we advise all attendees to be considerate of others and stay home if they are feeling ill. If a participant or staff member has begun showing symptoms of COVID-19 (either through the screening or as observed by staff), they will be asked to not participate in in-person programming until they either test negative for COVID-19 or if they are symptom free for 10 days. While masks will not be mandatory we recommend wearing one inside the screening room and will have masks available at the event.

Event venue & nearby stays

Ninth Street Independent Film Center, 145 9th Street, San Francisco, United States

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