Post-production is everything that happens after the recording is over. There are many steps included in this stage of movie-making, but ticking each step off the post-production checklist can bring your project one step closer to perfection.
It is a process of editing scenes, arranging them in order, and making them consistent with the rest of the video. Each scene needs to have its purpose, but they all need to be a part of one whole. As a result, post-production can take months depending on the type of project you are making.
Here, you will learn about the most common film post-production steps you will need to take, and these will apply to nearly any genre. Moreover, filmmakers usually follow the same path, and if you follow these film post-production steps, you will be able to do the same.
1. Organizing the Footage
Having all of your elements and footage organized is essential for smooth post-production. The earlier you start, the better. In fact, you should begin as soon as the first few scenes are recorded. That way, you’ll have an easier time executing all future steps in the process.
But even if you get on board only after the filming is finished, you will still need to do this first, or you risk chaos in the studio. You can organize all scenes in order, which will allow you to easily find them later. Don’t forget to back up all your files once you’re done. You never know what can happen. And it’s better to have a plan B than lose dozens of hours of work due to an accident.
2. Early Reviews and Creating a Schedule
As soon as you get your hands on a couple of scenes, you can begin post-production. You don’t need to wait for the entire shooting to finish, especially if you have a separate team working on post.
That way, you can spot imperfections quickly and address them. Reviewing footage early will also make creating a schedule easier, so your team can stay on top of the task at all times.
3. Review Recordings and Editing
The next step is to review recordings. You must go through the footage multiple times and choose scenes for the final version. Sometimes, you’ll need to reshoot some scenes if they don’t quite fit the plot and overall arc.
You will also start editing the recording now, and the movie will slowly start to take shape. The focus will mostly be on trimming unnecessary scenes, removing things that don’t work, and ensuring the movie has a natural flow.
Remember that editing doesn’t end in this step, though. You will be making tweaks and changes to the final cut throughout all stages of movie production. The more time you spend polishing the final product, the better your film will be.
Once you’re done with the initial editing, you’ll have a solid working version ready for the next step.
4. Color Grading and Color Correction
Color grading and color correction start after you have the first draft. The goal of color grading and correction is to iron out any inconsistencies based on different light sources. This step is particularly important if you have scenes both during night and day. The goal is to make the film look visually appealing and recognizable.
Editing colors will also allow you to restore colors and make each scene look as intended. You can’t always film a scene in perfect light, and this step will help you fix any imperfections.
5. Audio Post-Production
During this stage of post-production, audio engineers will polish the dialogue and audio recordings. If a part of the audio is unusable, they will rerecord it. ADR or automated dialogue replacement is common practice in audio post-production. During ADR, actors will return to the studio to dub scenes needing improvement.
Furthermore, Foley artists will start working on audio recordings and create subtle sounds that can’t be recorded during the filming stage. These can include the sound of leaves, creaking of doors, footsteps, and many more. Depending on your film’s genre, you might also need audio special effects like the sounds of spaceships, lasers, and others.
After all the grunt work is done, the engineers will mix the audio with existing scenes and work on improving its quality.
Music Scoring
A sub-step of audio post-production is handling the film score. Great music is crucial for movies as it is a fantastic tool to help you convey a certain feeling needed for your scenes. You can license music, hire a composer, or create a soundtrack yourself. You can also do this in parallel with the other activities in this step.
6. Special Effects
Recently, special effects have become an integral part of most movies. Most genres use them now because they can add so much to a scene. VFX isn’t limited to science fiction movies anymore.
Special effects can help with creating crowds, adding snow, and polishing minor imperfections in the recording. Once you have a working edit of the movie, you can polish it with special effects. Just make sure it’s not too far from the final cut so you don’t waste unnecessary time.
7. Transitions and Flow
When you’re done with special effects, it’s time to focus on the flow and transitions. Choppy editing can easily turn people off and make the entire experience non-enjoyable.
If needed, you can add transitions between some scenes, which will add a unique flair to your work. Keep reviewing the flow, edit as needed, and work on polishing those sharp edges. The end is in sight!
8. Subtitles and Closed Captions
Adding subtitles is not always necessary, especially if you are only distributing the film locally. However, most films will target broader audiences. Regardless of whether you’re going internationally with your film, having both subtitles and closed captions can make your movie more accessible.
This is especially important for scenes that include different languages from the main one you’re using in the movie. These scenes need to be properly translated so the audience can follow the dialogue.
9. Final Review
Once you’ve ticked all these boxes, it’s time for the final review. It’s when you will check how the entire project looks and ensure no mistakes managed to slip by.
Again, we must emphasize the importance of having a backup of your film, especially at this stage. If you have sufficient storage space, it would be smart to even have older, working versions too.
So double-check and back up everything before sending your movie for distribution. In case you are making a movie in different formats such as IMAX, 3D, or home media, you will need to ensure it is flawless on each type of movie screen.
Professional Post-Production for Films with Force Media
Completing the process of post-production requires a team. Everyone needs to know their place and work together to perfect the original recording. And not everyone has the manpower and resources for that. However, they can choose a different path!
Instead of creating a team to tackle film post-production, you can hire an existing one to assist you with your project. That is where Force Media truly shines. Our team can assist you at every step of the post-production process, including:
- Video post-production
- Audio post-production
- Music creation
- Dubbing
- Sound design
- Translation
- Subtitling
- And many more
Our team has over a decade of experience in the field, and we love tackling new, creative projects. Get in touch with us and tell us more about your next film. We’d love to be a part of it!
