Chapter 9: The Final Product: Postproduction

The producer’s job is to know as much as possible about everyone else’s job...

- What they do
- The tools of their trade
- Their rates
- The facilities in which they work
- The subtleties of their art

In producing for TV and new media, the producer usually...

Supervises the project from beginning to end, including the entire postproduction process

A more complex project might require a postproduction supervisor who acts as the...

Producer of postproduction

The postproduction supervisor keeps track of all the footage that has been shot as well as...

- All the numbered and organized tape reels or storage devices
- Screening logs
- Dubs
- Other log sheets

The postproduction supervisor keeps track of other visual images, such as...

- Stock footage
- Archival footage
- Animation
- Graphics
- Artwork
- Copies of any related legal release forms

The postproduction supervisor keeps track of all audio elements such as...

- Dialogue
- Background audio
- Special effects
- Original and/or stock music
- Cue sheets

The most common requirements for deliverables include: Audio format...

- This might include separate mono mixes and stereo mixes, or a 5.1 mix, an M&E mix, special tracking, levels that are constant or undipped, and often one mix in English and another in a different language

The most common requirements for deliverables include: Dubbing...

- Depending on the client’s requirements, you may be responsible for making protection copies, which are exact copies of your final master. These serve as backups in case of damages or loss in shipping
- You might need to provide DVD copies of the project to the client. The amount of copies and their format should be spelled out in your contract, as should any special labeling or packaging and related shipping costs

The most common requirements for deliverables include: Subtitling...

- Written text under a picture that translates only those words being spoken on screen from one language into another
- Song lyrics or sounds are seldom subtitled

The most common requirements for deliverables include: Closed captioning...

- Also called close captions, this method of supplying visible text under a broadcast picture is mandated by law to be built into all American TV sets sold after 1993
- These sets are designed with a special decoding chip that translates all the audio on the screen into text, such as spoken dialogue, and describes unseen sounds like a dog bark or a knock at the door
- Especially designed for the hearing impaired, closed captioning is also useful in loud public places, when learning a language, and when the dialogue isn’t clear
- The text usually appears in white letters in a black box at the bottom or top of the screen

The most common requirements for deliverables include: Abridged versions...

- You may need to provide an edited version of your project in which any nudity, violence, or offensive language has been removed or “bleeped out.” This version can be required by airlines, certain broadcasters, and foreign distributors

The most common requirements for deliverables include: Length...

- The required program length can be quite specific
- In most cases, PBS show lengths are six seconds less to accommodate a PBS logo
- Commercial stations may require a half-hour show to be 22 minutes, while premium and cable channels are less demanding
- Most nonbroadcast projects are more flexible

The most common requirements for deliverables include: Video format...

- If your project is being broadcast, it is usually evaluated by a station engineer to make sure it meets broadcast standards
- If it’s being dubbed, the dub house has technical specifications, too
- You may be asked to provide a clean copy of the show that has no text superimposed on it

You can speed up the editor’s job by providing him with...

Quality footage and sound, a variety of shots, shots for continuity, and a reasonable shooting ratio

Typical shooting ratio for web

4:1

One of the big differences between editing for web video and television is...

The length of the final product

Web video is typically...

Between 3 and 15 minutes long

Editors decide...

- What is essential to the story
- How to enhance the story
- How long it needs to be
- What to leave out

Sound can be used to...

- Alter the viewer’s perspective
- Create emotional impact
- Transition between scenes

Keep the following features in mind when deciding on a host...

- Quality of video
- Bandwidth
- Other hosted videos
- Storage
- Accepted file formats
- Codec
- Video player
- Customer support
- File organization
- Privacy settings
- Pay vs. free model
- Analytics

Some popular web formats are...

- MPEG-4
- H.264
- HTML5
- Quicktime
- Flash Video
- Windows Media
- Silverlight

To ensure better looking images also try...

Adjusting the brightness, contrast, and saturation levels throughout the process, since video signals and computers operate on slightly different RGB models

Pixel aspect

Ratio of the width of a pixel to its height, and is important to consider when taking into account the delivery format of the final video