Post-production and Editing Phase in Filmmaking

Post-production is all the work done after the shooting of a film has been completed that results in exhibition-ready copies for cinemas. It may include further work for actors, recording dialogue to be dubbed, or for sound editors adding sound effects, both diegetic and non-diegetic. The director will continue to be involved because post-production is the culmination of the creative process.

Digitizing Film Post-production

From cutting room to edit suite has been the journey of post-production in the space of two decades. Random access editing from digitized rushes is the central benefit from non-linear facilities during shooting, but the traditional reels and bins of tape remain at the end of the day, however well established consoles, small screens and computers may be.

Far from the digital-cinema push resulting in the elimination of film prints, multiple requirements for exhibition add to the complexity of the post-production challenge. Dedication to detail characterises this part of the filmmaking process. The editor’s task is to bring meaning out of chaos, says Jay Ankeney.

Quality, Co-ordination and Synchronisation in Editing

The Post-production supervisor is the manager of the post-production phase. The supervisor schedules the work and keeps track of all materials, budgets for equipment rentals, use of labs etc.

Staff in the editing room go through all the work produced in shooting. Editors rearrange shots and put them together to ensure continuity and that the best work is preserved. Sound editors tweak the soundtrack and preserve intended background noises.

The editing task divides into three main areas known as online, offline and sound:

  • Offline edit involves elements of film being put together; images and sounds selected and tried out, and choices made. Editors may add and subtract detail, move clips, add special effects, modify sound. You can see more about visual effects with the Vfx Studio Los Angeles.
  • Online editing requires specialized editor and equipment colour correction, problem solving, enhanced images, best quality finish.
  • Sound editing is similar to online, but with audio, adding sound effects, assuring continuity of dialogue, adjusting music, mixing sound.

The sound supervisor also co-ordinates with the composer to complete the performance of the soundtrack composition in accompaniment to the final narrative structure and pace of the film. The editing process dictates the structure and pace of the finished product, so is integral to the narrative impact.

Post-production Special Effects and Animation

The motion graphics company and design team create visual effects that are overlayed on the film where necessary. They will overlay text or animation where required, extract stills required for promotion, and apply additional colour effects. This part of the post-production team gained a well-earned reputation as the most progressive in mastering new computer technologies.

James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) is the most technically complex movie yet produced, and its global release date posed unique problems, revealing the patchiness of available projection technologies, requiring 110 technically different versions of the completed movie, sound dubbed in numerous languages, Hollywood Reporter highlights:

“No studio has ever faced what we faced on this,” says Ted Gagliano, president of postproduction at Fox. “Jim wanted the best, most immersive experience possible. So he pushed us to have a multiple-version inventory that would give each theater the best experience it could possibly deliver for that given theater.”

The Avatar post-production process entailed employing hundreds of workers, millions of dollars, using lab facilities in several countries, and almost three years of labour to produce the highest-grossing film to date. Critics vary wildly as to whether it may more accurately be described as a product or commodity than regarded as a work of art, but meticulous post-production work gave a polished result and delivered on a long-term promise to the audience.

Continuing your Search Engine Optimization Work

Ways for you to monitor and continue work on the search engine optimization for your website.

There are some people that feel that search engine optimization is a lot of work, and likely is not worth the time and effort that it takes. If you are one of these people, have you tried to find your website in a search engine? If so, what page did you find it on? Page one, page ten or did you even find it?

Remember, when searching for your own site, you know where to look; your customers may not know how to find it either. This is where optimization comes in.

The general sequence is:

  • Brainstorm
  • Test
  • Refine

With this in mind, let’s look at how to implement each of these steps.

Brainstorm Keywords

If you have not had any optimization done on your website, this is the time to do it. Start by coming up with any words that you can think of that describe your site and the product that you are selling or providing.

There is no such thing as the wrong word while you are in this stage. The more words you come up with, the more likely the right ones will be found.

Select the Best Keywords

Once you go through these words, you will want to come up with the ones that you feel best to represent your site. These words then should be included within the Meta tags, titles and other descriptions on your website as well as advertising.

When using these tags in your copy, make sure that the descriptions are still readable. Some people get so focused on putting in the keywords that their content is longer legible.

Watch Results

Once this has been done, make the website live and see what results you will get. Watch the analytic tools that you have installed to see what is and is not working. If you are not able to understand the information in the activity reports, then you need to learn how they have lots of good and helpful information.

Be Patient

Do not react too quickly to the results, as only a day or two is not able to give you a good answer as to what is going on. Wait a few weeks and see how things are going. Make a few changes to try and improve your results, and then wait another few weeks and check the results again.

This gives the search engine spiders enough time to find your website, crawl it, report back to the search engine, and provide you with some rankings. If the rankings have not improved, then you will need to do more work.

Optimizing a website will never be complete, but it is something that you can work on at your leisure, as you make changes and then leave it for a few weeks to see what type of results you get.