Post Production

Post production was one our intensives this trimester. We learnt about the Avid s6 console and how useful it is when it comes to post production. We also worked on a short documentary and learnt how to import and use the sound that comes in from the camera. We were also shown how to best manage our time when given short deadlines. I was apart of the team that worked on the audio for a short web series called Grimdustries. We were given short 5 minute long episodes where were required to import the session data into Pro Tools and edit them to industry standard.

It was interesting collaborating with the film students on this project because it was the first time i had anything to do with a collaboration in video post production. I was part of a group of five audio students who all had a keen interest in post production so i was more giving my opinion and direction in these classes rather than driving and editing. The film students came into the last lesson we had and it was good to have them there to hear their opinion on what we had done. We walked through one of the episodes and they gave us feedback on levels and made sure what we did was on brand for the original intent for the script. One example was a scene where the reaper appears in front of the child it was going to kill. We added suspense to the scene through a low rumble but after the director saw it he told us that it was supposed to be almost comedic where the suspense is killed after a wide angle shows both the boy and the reaper and birds can be heard from location recording. This added depth and made it a more professional production. Some of the issues that can arise from group work is the constant balance of progress and listening to all opinions. I found that we were getting bogged down in small details too much, rather than thinking of the bigger picture. This situation is helped when you have a strong leader to make sure everyone is on track.

The fast turnaround that was required from us was an interesting thing to deal with. I think preparation is a huge key to making sure the turnaround date is met. If you do as much as you can before the project gets to you, you can implement these things faster. Having a worksheet template is important when doing post production. A template of tracks that has all of the correct bussing and erffects lined up so it can be quickly modified to fit the project when it comes from the producers.