STORYTELLING AND EDIТING
IN DOCUMENTARY FILM


"This book is a must-have for all film lovers.

In a personal way it brings the reader very close to experience and understand the creative process of editing documentary films.”

Tue Steen Müller, film consultant, film critic

 

"Very few editors did to contemporary documentary film what Niels Pagh Andersen did. His work on iconic films has inspired a whole generation of directors and editors and provided a new reference to many. Now, he is presenting this vast experience in Order in Chaos.

Orwa Nyrabia, Artistic Director IDFA

Order in Chaos is the new book by award-winning film editor Niels Pagh Andersen, where he opens the door to his editing room and to his own story. Based on Andersen’s 40-year career, it offers a unique insight into his personal perspective on the art of editing and storytelling in documentary film. 

The book introduces the reader to the principles and methods of creative editing, and dives deep into the editing processes of 8 films that Andersen has edited. The focus is on the process of creation, and on questions such as: How do you find a story in chaotic material from reality? How does the film find it’s emotional expression and tone? How does the dialogue between director and editor affect the final film? 

Through the e-book, the reader gets access not only to exclusive clips from the 8 films, but also filmed conversations on the editing process between Andersen and the films’ directors, providing a rare look behind the scenes of some of the most significant documentaries in recent times. 

The 8 films are: 

  • Dying – a Part of Living (Dola Bonfils) 
  • The German Secret (Lars Johansson) 
  • Flying – Confessions of a Free Woman (Jennifer Fox) 
  • The 3 Rooms of Melancholia (Pirjo Honkasalo)
  • The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer) 
  • The Look of Silence (Joshua Oppenheimer) 
  • Mogadishu Soldier (Torstein Grude) 
  • Human Flow (Ai Weiwei) 
Niels Pagh Andersen
Danish Film Editor (B. 1958)
Dying - a Part of Living

Buy the book

Order in Chaos is available as e-book and in hardcopy. When you purchase the hardcopy of Order in Chaos you receive one complimentary e-book providing access to the visual material.

We only send out hardcopies once a month, at the beginning of the month. You can order anytime, but expect some wait before you have your book.