Different Steps of a Post-Production Workflow on a Movie Set

Image credits – Vimeo Making a full length movie isn’t a piece of cake. Whether you are involved in the creative team, the designing team or holding an administrative/ managerial role, going is never easy especially on an independent movie where there is a constant crunch of talent and resources and despite the constant tussle between your urge to make cost cuts, you can’t compromise on the quality of the film. Steps in the post-production stage Here are the steps involved in the post-production stage of a film.
  1. Decide on the editing format: Although most film makers today use a digital editing format due to the easy availability of digital editing tools, many still use the old film editing format. They shoot a film and then edit it in an analogue format or by splicing different shots to create the final product.
  2. Hire a picture and a sound editor: Ideally, you should hire them or at least talk to them before the camera starts rolling. A picture editor can create an EDL (edit decision list) which contains the list of reel and timecode data that indicates where a particular clip can be obtained and how it can be incorporated in the final cut. They can also tell you which types of shots they would need during post-production to make the movie interesting visually. A sound editor can also mix sounds from different sources and create foreground music and background music that matches the mood and the tone of the film. They can also make the necessary sound corrections.3 Image credits – Vimeo  
  3. Complete ADR and foley: Your sound editor may help you with this. In the ADR or automatic dialogue replacement room, you will have to call back your actors and ask them to lip sync and loop dialogue sounds which couldn’t be captured with full clarity. Foley actors would help you recreate some background noises like footsteps, sound of wind flow.
  4. Mixing the sound: The sound editor will now have to re-record the sounds and mix different sources of sound. You can also include an M&E (music and effects) in your movie so that you can sell the rights of your movie to a country which speaks a different language.
  5. Have a dialogue list: In case your movie is redubbed, a dubbing artist will need a dialogue list with the precise timcodes for each dialogue so that the new dialogues can be used as replacements for the original dialogues at the precise moments in the film.
  6. Insert the titles: You will have to insert the opening title cards and the rear title crawls in the master track. This will complete the whole editing process. Get a DCP, which is a hard drive containing an encoded version of the film, so that it can play in the theaters.
You can end the post-production stage by creating a trailer that captures the mood of your film. A great response to your trailer from the distribution teams can really uplift the chances of success for your movie. Follow the steps and success in the post-production stage is guaranteed.
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