Experienced editors rarely build a dialogue-driven cut by scrubbing the timeline. They build it on paper first, from a transcript, and only then touch the editor. It's faster, and the structure is better because you're making decisions in text instead of fighting playback.
The paper edit
A paper edit is exactly what it sounds like: you assemble the story by selecting and reordering passages of the transcript before any clips move. The timestamps are what make it work — each chosen line carries the exact in-point back to the footage.
Run each interview or take through VTS and choose the timestamped output.
Read through and mark the lines that earn their place. Be ruthless — this is where the edit is really made.
Arrange the selected passages into the sequence you want. Each one still carries its timestamp.
In your NLE, drop each clip at its timestamp in order. The rough cut builds itself.
Why it's faster
Reading is faster than watching. You can evaluate an hour of interview in fifteen minutes of reading and make sharper choices because you see the whole thing at once instead of through a playhead.
Tip: Keep the transcript open beside your timeline during the fine cut. When you need an alt take or a trim, you search text instead of scrubbing.
The timeline is for craft — pacing, sound, picture. The story decisions are easier, faster, and better made in the transcript first.
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