Daniel Garber

July 1, 2024

Crime all the time

Hello, loyal subscribers to my intermittent newsletter.

I’m writing you sooner than expected because I have a quick update that is only slightly related to my main job of editing films: I am now, apparently, in the business of writing about editing—and Filmmaker Magazine graciously offered me the chance to write a long feature about the editing process behind true crime documentary series. That article and an accompanying sidebar have now been liberated from behind the paywall.

Writing the piece has been such an enriching experience at a time when I’m doing much more thinking about editing than actual editing. I already had many feelings about the ascent of true crime as one of the leading documentary sub-genres, but this article gave me the pretext to have dozens of conversations—primarily with with editors and assistant editors, but also some producers and directors—about how the blood sausage is made. It also gave me a chance to make something of my bizarre, unforgettable experience aboard the Crime Cruise last year. I’m grateful to everyone who made this deep dive possible: Vadim Rizov and Scott Macaulay at Filmmaker; every film/TV worker who spoke with me, on or off the record; and dear friends who offered their eyes for this piece as I was writing it.

I hope you’ll take a look at the piece(s) and let me know what you think. What are your feelings about the true crime documentary boom? What did I get wrong in this article—or simply leave out? (I’m well aware that there’s enough left to explore here that someone could write a book.)

Until next time,

Daniel


Beach reads for sickos

As a bonus for the extra curious, I also wanted to recommend some of the books and articles I’ve found valuable while thinking about true crime over the past few years:

Rachel Monroe - Savage Appetites
Maggie Nelson - The Red Parts
Judith Flanders - The Invention of Murder
Emmanuel Carrère - The Adversary
Becky Cooper - We Keep the Dead Close