How Premiere Pro and Frame.io helped “Black Box Diaries” filmmakers tell Shiori Ito’s powerful story

The Oscar-shortlisted documentary "Black Box Diaries " tells the powerful story of journalist Shiori Ito as she navigates an investigation into her own sexual assault and attempts to bring the prominent perpetrator to justice.

Directed by Ito herself and edited by Ema Ryan Yamazaki, the film follows Ito through her very personal journey and campaign to hold her assailant accountable. She not only becomes the face of Japan's #MeToo movement, but also launches a landmark case in Japan, exposing the country's desperately outdated judicial and societal systems.

Facing the unique challenge of making a film where the director is also the main subject, Yamazaki relied on Premiere Pro and Frame.io to help tell Ito's story, which unfolds like a thriller and combines secret investigative recordings, vérité shooting and emotional first-person video. With such a variety of footage to navigate, Yamazaki says Premiere Pro's customization options were essential: "Spend the time to customize the keyboard to make it work for you. Every second saved with a keyboard shortcut will add up over the course of a project."

We caught up with Yamazaki to get a behind the scenes look at the four-year process of crafting "Black Box Diaries."

How and where did you first learn to edit?

While attending NYU film school, I quickly realized I needed to learn a skill other than directing. I was drawn to editing, perhaps because I grew up as a dancer and was attracted to the idea of shaping stories using pacing and rhythm. I took a documentary class taught by Sam Pollard, who is a legendary documentary filmmaker and editor. I was inspired by him to pursue editing and ultimately became his editing assistant after film school.

How do you begin a project/set up your workspace?

The scariest thing is that blank timeline before anything is in it. Every time, I wonder, "Will we figure this out and be able to tell a good story?" I like to put all my clips in timelines organized by date and/or character, duplicate that master sequence and then make cutdown selects. These selects become the basis of my editing work.

Tell us about a favorite scene or moment from this project and why it stands out to you.

My favorite scene is when Shiori chases down Japan's national police chief who stopped her rapist's arrest warrant in an attempt to ask him why. She knocks on his window but the car speeds away. Moments later, Shiori says "I should have eaten breakfast, and I could have ran faster." There are so many moments in this documentary that are "better" and "stranger" than any fiction script, things that can't be written. I love scenes where it feels like non-fiction surpasses fiction.

What were some specific post-production challenges you faced that were unique to your project? How did you go about solving them?

I had never worked on a project before where the director was also the main subject. Moreover, the subject matter involves this director/subject Shiori investigating her own rape case. It took us 4 years with breaks in between to get the story right and I had to learn how to navigate working with a director who is also the subject. Shiori did an incredible job separating her roles as the director and subject.

What Adobe tools did you use on this project and why did you originally choose them?

I used Premiere Pro to edit because that's been my preference on single-editor projects for a long time. We also used Frame.io to communicate with our colorist/VFX staff, as it's very convenient to be able to write frame-specific notes.

If you could share one tip about Premiere Pro, what would it be?

Spend the time to customize the keyboard to make it work for you. Every second saved with a keyboard shortcut will add up over the course of a project.

Who is your creative inspiration and why?

Recently, I am most inspired by my 2-year-old son. Seeing your own child experience life and things for the first time gives me a new look on everything in my life too. The purity of his reactions to his surroundings and emotions are something I'm learning from every day, as ultimately, I think it's a huge part of the job of a documentary editor to create scenes, sequences and films that capture authentic human emotions.

What's the toughest thing you've had to face in your career and how did you overcome it? What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers or content creators?

Frequent rejections from industry gatekeepers like pitch markets and film festivals can really take a toll on your own belief of if your work is good or relevant. It's very difficult sometimes to be in an industry where your success depends on often subjective opinions of others. To keep believing that your work is important and keep going in the face of rejection is extremely tough, but necessary. Don't give up, keep going. That's my advice.

Share a photo of where you work. What's your favorite thing about your workspace and why?

I love my small editing room in the heart of a small Tokyo Neighborhood. Being the parent of an energetic 2-year-old running around at home, I cherish this space as mine where I can focus.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.