Editorial Policy

Cutaway Notes publishes guides for adult viewers of independent Canadian short and documentary film. This page explains how that work is made.

Sourcing. Each guide rests on published, checkable material: institutional educational writing, editorial guidance on discussion facilitation, and public descriptions of how sound and image are discussed in Canadian film education. Where we paraphrase, we keep the paraphrase close to the source and avoid implying more than the source supports. We do not claim measured search data, audience research, or first hand viewing of any title.

No fabricated experience. We do not write as though we attended a screening, met a filmmaker, judged a competition, or watched a specific film. Guides describe approaches to viewing and conversation.

Hypothetical situations. When a guide needs an example, it is marked as hypothetical. A hypothetical example illustrates a method; it is not a record of a real screening, audience or event.

AI generated illustrations. Images on this site are generated with AI tools and labelled as such wherever they appear. They are visual aids for editorial concepts. They are never presented as photographs of real people, real places, real films or real gatherings, and they should not be read as evidence for any claim.

Corrections. Readers can follow the method described on our Correction Notes page: identify the article, quote the passage, name the supporting source and the date checked. Adopted corrections state what changed.

Scope limits. We publish no festival, competition, submission, screening, ticketing or staffing information, and we do not give technical instruction for installation or repair work. Our subject is viewing literacy: choosing a question, noticing craft, and talking well afterward.