Post production – its lasting impact on the success of the finished film
Post production is one of five phases of film and video production and includes a wide variety of work on the film material. In this important phase, the scenes are correctly lined up, visual effects are integrated, and image and sound are combined. The post production phase places high demands on the know-how of the experts and the technology available.
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What is post production? The most important steps
Post production is the phase in which recordings are post-processed according to requirements. This applies to photography as well as music and film recordings. It is an indispensable element for professionally designed and high-quality results. It should be noted that a film production for social media and other channels such as blogs or websites should be just as high quality as that for TV broadcasting.
Which work steps are required in detail depends on the medium. Post production in photography is associated with significantly less effort than the post production phase in film.
In photography, the desired result is achieved primarily through colour correction, retouching and other image optimization. In music and other sound recordings, mixing the soundtracks takes up a lot of space to create a harmonious sound image. In addition, the specialists work with special sound effects if necessary. The final stage is mastering to produce the master tape for duplication.
The post production for film is particularly extensive due to the combination of moving images and sound.
What is post production in film?
The post production phase is significantly more complex with film than with photography or pure sound recordings. This is not only due to the fact that images and sound have to form a harmonious unit, but also to the numerous design elements that are only incorporated in this phase, as well as other factors.
After the end of the shooting, the existing material is viewed and selected in the first step. This is necessary because more film material is produced in professional shooting than is ultimately processed.
Film editing
The next step is to edit the film to create the correct sequence of scenes. This is of secondary importance during the shooting, as the focus is on the optimal use of the available resources. For example, it would be far too time-consuming and expensive to constantly switch between the locations required for filming.
Depending on the desired result, the film editor uses different editing techniques such as the “acoustic bracket”, the “match cut” or the “split screen”. Alternatively, the “invisible cut” is used. Although this reduces the effort in post production, it requires significantly more effort during filming.
The result of this first processing is the rough cut, which, after acceptance, goes into the next phase, digital post processing.
Digital post processing
With digital post processing, the film receives its optical quality as well as additional expressiveness through visual effects that would not be possible at all or only with great effort during the shoot. Special effects already integrated during the shooting are only post processed in this phase of production.
Further work steps are the optimization of the image material through colour matching, colour correction, retouching and correction of image errors. The sound is edited parallel to the film. Scenes are re-spoken, background noises, music, voice-overs, and special effects are incorporated. This allows the best quality to be achieved here as well. The final result is the fine cut as a harmonious unit of image and sound.
After finishing the fine cut, only minor changes are possible, whereby you are so intensively involved in the individual work steps for the film production in Vienna by the team from Das R& that, thanks to their many years of experience, changes on the part of the client are rarely necessary after the fine cut. This is one of the numerous advantages of working with an experienced and professional film production company in Vienna.
The final version of the fine cut is exported in the desired final format, which you need for your company’s video content marketing for social media, blog, YouTube or for broadcasting on TV.
How complex is post production?
The effort required during the post production phase depends on numerous factors. If professional directing and camera teams as well as the appropriate professionals for sound and lighting are utilised for production, the effort for post processing is reduced. High-performance technical equipment operated by professionals with a high level of technical competence and experience delivers correspondingly high-quality results. A high-quality of the raw material reduces the qualitative post processing required.
Nevertheless, depending on the given concept there is a lot for the post production specialists to do. Especially when the film material is enriched with visual effects, special sounds, background noises or a voice-over is required. Many actors and actresses are perfect for the camera, but their voices don’t quite fit. In these cases, the scenes have to be repeated. All of this involves a lot of effort.
Examples from practice are advertising films used internationally and video productions for branded entertainment. These successful short films are often cast with well-known actors. Therefore, for an advertising film from Vienna used internationally, synchronization in several languages is necessary during the post production phase.
How long does post production take?
The duration of post production depends on several factors. These include, above all, the length of the film and the complexity of the theme. A simple and short image film goes through post production with professional planning and the appropriate equipment for the shooting within a few hours. For a thematically complex and artistically demanding advertising film from Vienna, as required for branded entertainment, post production can also take two weeks or more.
Why is post production so important?
The post production phase in the context of film and video production has a lasting impact on the success of the finished film. The edit, with its numerous editing techniques that give the video or film a certain character, is one of several elements of success. The edit is also indispensable to correctly depict the sequence of scenes specified in the script.
Post production gains additional importance in the creative design of the film through the reinforcement of special effects or through the integration of additional visual effects. The concept and the film shoot lay the foundation for the artistic design of a video and post production rounds them off.
Another important detail of post production is the technical optimization of picture and sound, which is only possible in post production to offer viewers a visually and acoustically perfect experience.
How does post production work at Das R&?
As with the filming, Das R& also relies on experienced and professional experts in their field of specialisation for the post production. This is the only way we can reliably offer our clients high-quality results.
Another important detail is intensive contact with our clients.
In this way, you can bring in your ideas and change requests during the entire production phase from conception to post production or you can consult with the team accordingly. This reduces the duration of post production and therefore also the project costs.
Conclusion: Post production completes the work that has begun
As the penultimate phase of the five-step process to produce film and videos, post production is of great importance. It optimizes the film material obtained during the shooting and literally stages it using the variety of digital design elements. As a result, you should place the highest demands on the professionalism of post production. This means both the various specialists as well as the equipment used.
As an experienced and successful film production company from Vienna, the team at Das R& will be happy to inform you about all the details that are important for a professional film and video production. Simply contact us by phone or email.
