3Y2T Post Prod Prelims

Post-production

• stage where raw materials from the production phase—such as footage, audio recordings, animations, and graphics—are edited and polished into a finished product. 

Pre-Production

• In this phase, everything for the shoot will be planned out and the general look of the film will begin to take shape through storyboarding and a shot list.

Production

• The shooting phase involves gathering live footage, with daily recordings sent to post-production.

• Shoot durations vary based on film length and footage requirements, ranging from days to months.

• Voiceovers and sound may also be recorded on location as needed.

Logging

To avoid losing footage, ensure it is saved and clearly labeled before starting the editing process

Assembling

begins by gathering all footage and removing sub-standard clips, such as outtakes or misreads

Rough cut

timeline is organized with final scene takes selected. During this stage, the post-production sound team enhances the film by re-recording voice acting, adding sound effects, and composing music

Fine cut

The film undergoes final adjustments, with scenes taking shape. It's essential to scrutinize each frame for consistency

Final cut

• where all the remaining work takes place, including colour grading and correction, motion graphics and visual effects work ahead of release.

post-production workflow

consists of a series of steps that begin after principal photography has wrapped and continues until the finished video is released

dailies or rushes

unedited, raw footage sent to the post-production team each day

Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks

RAID meaning

Networked Attached Storage

NAS meaning

Linear Tape Open

LTO meaning

Schofield’s Second Law of Computing

• states that if a file doesn’t exist in three places, it doesn’t exist.

Video Transcoding

• the process of transforming your video and audio media file from one format into another, for that new media file to better fulfill a specific purpose (e.g. proxies on premiere)

ARRI RAW

Video Codec that can capture a lot of high-quality data quickly but stores it in massive file sizes that require a lot of storage space and computing power

H.264

Video Codec that is commonly used for Internet posting. Delivers decent visual quality with relatively small file sizes and doesn’t require a lot of processing power to view.

file format

• A data container (e.g., .mp4, .mov) that holds data in a specific file type.

•  format for digital video data stored on an electronic device or computer system.

• container for metadata such as music, video, camera, date, name of creator, subtitles, and more.

Codec

• The software (e.g., H.264, H.265) that compresses (encoder) and decompresses (decoder) the data inside that container.

Video proxies

let you edit large videos without the lag and computational strain.

Proxy files

• lower-resolution copies of your original files.

Cut

• The point where one shot ends and another begins

• Most basic and common transition in film and TV

• Its goal is to move from one scene to another or to different viewpoints of the same scene

• A direct change from one shot to another without special effects or transitions

Jump cut

• Cutting out portions to skip boring or predictable moments and preserve visual interest 

• Used to show the passage of time or waiting

J-cut

Cut where Audio precedes the video

L-cut

Cut where Video precedes the audio

Montage

• A sequence of clips showing the passage of time, usually for a transformation or character development 

Cutting on action

• Cutting when the subject is moving instead of after each movement

• Creates interest and fluidity in a scene

Match cut/match action

Cutting together 2 visually similar shots or scenes

Cutaways

• Adding transition pieces that don’t include the main subject or action to show the surrounding environment and set the mood

• Can add meaning to a scene or aid in dramatic tension 

Video transition

• A creative way to move from scene to scene

• Used in a variety of ways, including:

  • Shift in storyline

  • Passage of time

  • Move the audience to the next scene in a smoother fashion

Organization

The most important tool in any video editor’s arsenal especially as footage builds up and workflows become more complex

Kuleshov Effect 

• The same video of a man looking at something has different meanings or feelings depending on the object shown before

Walter Murch

Created the “rule of 6” when cutting

Markers

indicate important points in time and help you position and arrange clips. You can use a marker to identify an important action or sound in a sequence or clip

nested sequence

a way to group a selection of clips together within a new sequence, essentially creating a mini - timeline within your main timeline, allowing you to organize complex edits by treating a group of clips as a single entity

Multicam editing

• the process of editing footage of a single scene or subject recorded from different cameras and angles.

Adjustment layer

preserves your original clips and lets you apply changes or effects to multiple clips at the same time

warp stabilizer

removes jitter caused by camera movement, making it possible to transform shaky, handheld footage into steady, smooth shots.

video editing

process of manipulating or rearranging video shots to create a new work

considered to be one part of the post-production process

ingest phase

moving your video and audio data from your camera onto your computer hard drive or storage system

organizing media

sorting clips into folders, naming clips, marking best takes, syncing external audio with video

assembly

first stage of the actual edit

editor places all the usable footage into the approximate order it will appear in the final video

very rough draft; does not have precise timing, but just making sure that the story makes sense

rough cut

editor starts refining the timing and transitions

in this stage, you will begin to see the pacing of the video

stage for feedback and major changes to the edit

fine cut

stage that’s all about precision

every cut is examined to ensure it’s as tight and effective as possible

“picture lock” - no more changes made to the timing fo the shots

finishing and delivery

involves the finishing touches like color grading, sound design, titles, graphics

Color Correction/Grading

Ensuring colors are consistent and creating a specific look.

Sound Design and Mixing

Adding sound effects, cleaning up dialogue, and balancing audio levels.

Titles Graphics

Incorporating any text or visual elements

Continuity Editing

the process of combining more-or-less related shots, or different components cut from a single shot, into a sequence so as to direct the viewer's attention to a pre-existing consistency of story across both time and physical location

It is a system of cutting used to maintain continuous and clear narrative action by matching screen direction, position, and temporal relations from shot to shot.

Main goal is to make editing “invisible” or “seamless”

180-degree rule

imaginary line called the “axis of action” is drawn between characters

the camera should stay on one side of this line to maintain consistent spatial relationships (left/right positioning)

Match on Action

Cutting from one shot to another view that carries over the same action, such as a character opening a door or sitting down

Eyeline Match

If a character looks at something off-screen, the next shot should show what they are looking at from an angle that matches their gaze

Consistent Screen Direction

If a character moves from left to right in one shot, they should continue moving in that same direction in the next shot.

Cut

The most basic and common transition. One shot instantly replaces another.

 the basic cut (also known as a hard cut) where you put two clips together. The end of one clip is followed by the beginning of the next

Dissolve

One shot gradually fades out while the next shot fades in, creating a brief overlap. Often used to show the passage of time.

Fade

A shot gradually disappears into a solid color (usually black or white). Often used at the beginning or end of a scene or film.

Wipe

One shot "pushes" the other off the screen. This can be a simple line moving across the screen or more complex shapes

Jump Cut

An abrupt transition between two shots that are very similar in framing. It creates a jarring effect and is often used to show a character's internal state or to speed up time

a cut that pushes the story forward in time. It's usually done within the same frame or composition, and many times it's used within a montage

Cross-Cutting

where you cut between two different scenes that are happening at the same time in different spaces.

Match Cut

a cut that joins two shots that have similar compositions or similar action.

Montage

technique that uses a series of short shots edited together to condense time, space, and information.

Cutaway

shots that take the viewer away from the main action or subject

used primarily as transition pieces to give the audience a view of what is happening outside of the main characters or to emphasize

Cutting on Action

This is when the editor cuts from one shot to another and matches the action of the shots

J-Cut

This is where we hear the audio before we see the video.

L-Cut

you are hearing the audio from the previous shot, even though we’ve moved on to another shot