Transcript-First on Non-Dialogue Projects: Your Workflow?

Hey everyone,

I'm Raj, a focus puller by trade, and I’ve been trying to streamline my personal editing process for some side projects. I've heard a lot about the 'transcript-first' approach for dialogue, and it makes solid sense there. I recently shot a short, atmospheric piece on an ALEXA Mini with a couple of anamorphic lenses, a lot of it montage, and I'm finding the traditional transcript workflow pretty clunky for it.

I've tried transcribing the few voiceovers and then just scrolling through that doc, but it feels like I'm missing out on the visual cues I'd normally rely on. For more abstract stuff, like a music video I did with a V-RAPTOR XL and some intense lighting (LS 600d Pro, Forza 500 II), there's barely any spoken word. Thinking about experimental films, it's even less useful.

So, for those of you who've explored or adapted the 'transcript-first' philosophy for projects that aren't primarily dialogue-driven (think music videos, abstract shorts, visual essays) how have you tweaked your approach to make it work, integrate it, or even replace it with something equivalent that serves a similar purpose?