Historical Documentary Archive Editor

I’m in post-production on a feature-length documentary that explains a pivotal historical event and rests almost entirely on archival assets. The cut already has a spine, but the archive sections need a dedicated editor who knows how to make old materials feel alive.

What you’ll be working with
• A balanced mix of digitised 16 mm/Betacam film clips, high-resolution photographs, scanned newspaper pages, and declassified documents already organised in folders.
• Synchronized interview selects and a temp VO track to give you context for each sequence.

What I’m after
The photographs and press clippings should move with energy—smooth zooms, Ken-Burns style pans, subtle parallax, match-cuts, and layered motion graphics where appropriate. Film clips may need light restoration, reframing, and colour balancing so they sit naturally next to the animated stills. Clear lower-thirds or caption cards will have to be added whenever a source first appears.

Technical setup
Project is in Adobe Premiere Pro 24.0 with dynamic links to After Effects for motion work (I’m open to DaVinci Resolve/Fusion if that’s your stronger toolset). ProRes 422 HQ media and a shared Dropbox account are ready to go.

Deliverables
1. A locked picture timeline for three archive-heavy reels (approx. 35 min total) that integrates the material seamlessly.
2. A folder of AE/Resolve comps with clean renders plus project files.
3. An Excel shot-log noting in-points/out-points and onscreen text for caption QC.
4. One round of revisions after internal review.

If you have previous credits cutting archive-driven films or TV, especially those explaining historical events, I’d love to see a reel or time-coded examples. I’m ready to start as soon as we confirm availability.