Cutting with production allows the editor to give feedback to the director about things that may not be working, so they can fix it while production is in full swing. Once principal photography wraps, the director will sometimes take a week off while the editor finishes a complete rough cut of the film. Then post production continues for a few months.
The post supervisor (post super) is over all aspects of post production. The director is in charge of story, and works with the editor (and others) to complete the film. The post super handles pretty much everything else. This includes working with sound designers, VFX, title companies and on and on. It’s insane how many people and companies are involved in post production on a studio film.
The range of post production tasks can change in drastic ways based on the scope and budget of the film. An AVATAR movie will require wildly different things than HOSTILES. However, there are common post production tasks that happen on pretty much every movie that’s shot today:
Media management might be taking film to a lab or more commonly handling digital files from a Cinema Camera. Regardless of how a film is shot, someone is in charge of handling the camera footage and audio files and prepping scenes for the editor to cut. Other items:
Every part of post production serves story. But editing affects story more than anything else in post. Editing is the final stage of story telling. It’s a craft learned primarily by experience. The editor must possess a keen understanding of story just like the director does.
From the tried and true Avid Media Composer (invented by George Lucas and called Edit Droid) to other NLEs like Davinci Resolve, films are “cut” in an NLE.
Did you know 98% of the sound in a film is added during post? Filmmakers who put the required work into their sound design will always stand out from the rest. Always. Post sound encompasses many tasks such as:
You would be blown away if you saw footage captured by the camera compared to what’s actually seen in a film. And color grading is where it happens. Directors who possess a solid understanding of grading can do it themselves when needed, or make better decisions when working with a colorist.
Even if a film isn’t STAR WARS or AVATAR, most still require some amount of VFX. Sometimes it’s manipulating geography. Adding muzzel flashes. Replacing green screen. The luxury of modern filmmaking is the ability to make a lot happen with VFX in post!
Studios and indie films alike will do test screenings during post to get audience feedback. Big changes often happen after such screenings. Reshoots also take place to fix things that didn’t turn out right. My final scene on RECKONING wasn’t working right. My story wasn’t being served by the footage I got, which is a FAIL. So I had to reshoot. Spielberg funded a reshoot himself on Jaws when the studio told him “no.” But it was so important, Spielberg did it on his own dime.
As an aspiring director you must understand post. Even if you have the money to pay crew, a knowledge of post will help you make better decisions. And if you’re a new director trying to push the needle on your career, sometimes you’re handling post production tasks solo.
The Write & Direct online film school teaches editing, sound design and color grading in a hands-on, easy to understand manner that’s better than training found in many traditional film schools! Enroll today and take an incredible first step in pursuing your dreams as an aspiring filmmaker!
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