20 Days to First Cut
Watch your documentary in 4 weeks.
The first cut is one of the most crucial stages in a documentary’s life.
You will leave with an organized, strong edit that is ready for pitching and finishing.
See your full film on screen for the first time.
2 remaining first cut in Q1 of 2025
Not quite ready? Get on the waitlist.
After 15 years of editing documentaries, I've come to recognize that the first cut is one of
the most crucial stages of a documentary's life.
Without the radio edit...
The story remains vague, leading to unnecessary shoots
Vision and inspiration fades for the team
You spend valuable time and money putting b-roll, music, graphics, color, sound, and narration on top of a weak foundation
And most dangerously… funding dries up without proof of concept or progress
What if you could avoid all that?
When you get a stronger first cut sooner, you can:
Get more funding
Know what story elements are missing
Have specific direction on future shoots
Renew the vision and inspiration for your team
For more than a decade, I have helped filmmakers do exactly this.
Who am I?
JESSE KOEPKE - DOCUMENTARY EDITOR
For the past 15 years I’ve worked on award-winning documentaries across the United States.
I bring over a decade of editing experience and a screenwriter’s focus on story to every film I work on.
Colorado is home, along with my amazing wife and 4 crazy kids.
Past films include:
For Liberated, I worked with over 100 interviews to build the radio edit. Then the editing team and I took it to completion and it was acquired by Netflix.
For House, I worked with the director and producer to fill out the radio edit and set the stage for the finishing editor. The film went on to win a regional Emmy.
For Schwinn, I worked with the director to build the feature-length first cut in just 2 weeks. Revisions followed and the film is set to release in fall 2024.
Your First Cut will include:
(Based on runtime up to 90 minutes and up to 30 interviews)
Week 1:
Review footage and start building first pass act by act
Week 2:
Finish first pass
Week 3:
Revision Pass 1
Week 4:
Revision Pass 2
Deliver your first cut
A full cut of the film, based on an agreed upon outline
2 rounds of revision
Select temp b-roll placement
Select temp music placement
The Process:
Price: $14,000
Booking a First Cut locks in a weekly rate of $3500 for the remainder of your project if we continue together.