# Episode 270 | Charles Olivier on Editing "Surviving Ohio State" for HBO

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/documentary-first-1033526/episode-270-charles-olivier-on-editing-surviving-ohio-state-for-hbo
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/documentary-first-1033526/episode-270-charles-olivier-on-editing-surviving-ohio-state-for-hbo.md
Podcast: [Documentary First](https://stenobird.com/podcast/documentary-first-1033526)
Published: 2026-01-29T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://tinyurl.com/DocFirstPod
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/2a4cb809-f351-42f8-b3d2-01c0aa9e97c3.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/documentary-first-1033526/episodes/episode-270-charles-olivier-on-editing-surviving-ohio-state-for-hbo
Duration seconds: 3451

## Resource

Emmy-winning editor Charles Olivier reveals how he restructured HBO's Surviving Ohio State and what it's like getting notes from George Clooney. Charles has cut some of the biggest docs of the last decade—The Jinx, Magic and Bird, The Redeem Team. Surviving Ohio State, produced by Clooney and directed by Oscar winner Eva Orner, exposes decades of abuse in college athletics. In this episode, Charles breaks down how he pitched a new vision to the production team, why he structures documentaries like symphonies instead of three-act narratives, and his advice for editors finding their voice. What You'll Learn: How documentary editors get hired (the "fresh eyes" audition) The editor as "midwife" to the director's vision Structuring docs like music—themes, movements, dynamics Editing trauma narratives without losing emotional resonance Finding your film's "grain" (why the lead isn't always who you expect) What it's actually like working with George Clooney Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:00 What is Surviving Ohio State? 09:00 How Charles got hired 12:00 The editor as "midwife" 14:00 Career path: film school to HBO 17:00 Why relationships matter more than subject matter 19:00 The message of the film 24:00 Layers of betrayal: institutions vs. individuals 28:00 Structuring documentary like a symphony 34:00 Finding the emotional center 37:00 Trusting yourself as an editor 41:00 Collaboration: when to push back 44:00 Working with George Clooney 49:00 Advice for emerging editors 52:00 DocuView Déjà Vu: FYRE (Netflix) About Charles Olivier: Emmy and Peabody Award-winning editor. Credits: Surviving Ohio State (HBO), The Jinx, The Redeem Team (Netflix), Magic and Bird. Based in France. If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a review!

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