Behind the Edit: The Story First Post-Production Process

Editing, pacing, and sound design—all shaped to serve the story’s emotional arc and character journey.

Shoutout to The Marcs Studios for bringing another great story to the editing suite.

This was one episode in a 6-part series produced for Mobil 1 — and like any good collaboration, my first job was to listen, observe, and understand their creative vision.

The First Step: Study the Style

After hearing their vision, I studied the first completed episode to understand the nuances of the series.

I broke down the episode timeline, studying:

  • Storylines running simultaneously

  • The balance between interviews and verité scenes

  • Music tracks & how often they changed

  • Use of montage vs long-form scene work style editing

The Story Question: What Is This All About?

Racing may set the stage, but the story is about the person behind the wheel.

The edit needed to answer:

  • Why is this character interesting?

  • Why should the audience care?

  • What about this story connects beyond racing?

Story First in Action

The material they provided became the raw elements to capture Spike’s unique personality, his motivations, his struggles, and his goals.

The result: An episode that honors the series and elevates the character.