Hampe Response

1. Stephen King once wrote: "To write is human, to edit is divine." How might this belief hold true for documentary-making? How might it apply differently for documentary films rather than novels? [via Eric A.]

As Hampe says. the editor of a documentary can only work with what is there, and what can be represented visually. While a novelist can edit AND rewrite, it is nigh impossible for a documentary filmmaker to refilm a scene. Not to say that this kind of film editing is more difficult, but it definitely presents its own set of challenges and constraints.
I would also argue that, when it comes to the documentary, editing is divine in a further sense than King's play on an old saying. Documentary editing is what builds the storyline. It is the creation of art out of raw material. It is, is this sense, divine - as in the filmmaker becomes the creator. And as opposed to the novel, what is left out still exists. Its exclusion is as important as the next piece's inclusion. The divine quality of the filmmaker is his/her power over the raw footage.