Post-Production

https://youtu.be/jK_nYq4ZpgY?si=KxmueLMEf5Lnilcc

Ironically, I just read that Georgia has moved into the number one spot for film production! So much spin - hard to know what to believe. The industry as a whole is still hurting, but there is great optimism in Georgia.

Michael Cardillo You know, it's hard to believe anything about industry stats that comes out of the main trades or relies on MPA or union announcements. It's all political and often calculated.

Yeah especially since he was so vocal about not working in the past Amanda Toney.

Amanda Toney i couldn't agree more. I know I didn't see it coming. Prime example of "never let them know your next move." Vital Butinar I didn't know this. I wonder what inspired the change?

it will be a scary time when AI runs editing, but I still believe a human touch is going to be needed to turn a quick edit using AI into a film worth watching. because Artificial is never going to beat a human touch.

Timothy Miller there already are some tools that work as AI assistance, a good friend uses one to edit his podcasts. Honestly for a podcasts it's fine, but anything else that needs some nuance for holding a shot or cutting to something else, cutting a line because it just works better with just a reaction shot. Those AI can't and might not be able to do for a long time, same as with writing. It's a good assistant but its tendency is to go from A to B to C. The problem is that with dramatic storytelling you need A to F to C to B to Z. This hasn't change over the years, no matter how good some tools get.

Cyrus Sales Wonder how the recent suspension of Seedance 2., and the pulling of Sora might make Netflix feel now... assuming of course that they are thinking of generative AI and not just machine learning. The latter has been part of most of our current tools for a while...

Cyrus Sales Here is my take on color grading on DaVinci Resolve.

I hope this teaches in a simple step by step way.

Basic Node-Based Color Correction Workflow (DaVinci Resolve)

1. Set Up Your Initial Node

Think of nodes as layers in your grade. Right‑click in the node graph and choose Add Node > Add Serial (or press Alt+S). Use a separate node for each correction step—this keeps your grade organized and makes adjustments easier later.

2. Balance Exposure (Lift, Gamma, Gain)

In the Primaries panel:

Lift (Shadows): Lower the Lift slightly to deepen shadows until they sit just above the bottom of your scopes.

Gain (Highlights): Raise Gain to brighten highlights, being careful not to clip detail at the top of the waveform.

Gamma (Midtones): Adjust Gamma to set overall brightness, especially for natural-looking skin tones.

3. Correct White Balance

Still in the Primaries section, fine‑tune Temperature and Tint:

If the image feels too cool, push Temperature toward yellow.

If it skews green or magenta, adjust Tint until skin tones look neutral and believable.

4. Adjust Contrast and Saturation

Below the color wheels:

Increase Contrast slightly (around 1.1–1.2) to add depth and separation.

Raise Saturation (typically 50–70) to restore color, especially if the footage was shot in a flat or Log profile.

5. Create the Look (Creative Grade)

Add a new node at the end of the chain for stylistic choices:

Color Wheels: Use Offset or Gamma to gently push the image toward a desired color bias (for example, subtle teal or warm tones).

Curves: Apply a mild S‑curve—lowering shadows and lifting highlights—for a more cinematic contrast.

6. Match and Copy Grades

Once a clip looks right, select another clip in the timeline and middle‑click the graded clip. This copies the entire node tree, allowing you to quickly match shots and maintain consistency.

~Timothy Miller

---

If you want, I can also shorten this further for a quick Stage 32 reply or adapt the tone to be more beginner‑friendly or more technical.

Thank you,Timothy Miller ! This was super clear and easy to follow. I actually copied it into a note so I can do a step-by-step on my next project and put it into action.

Have you ever considered making video content for people? I feel like taking this and turning it into a visual step-by-step guide would be incredibly helpful for others to follow along.

I have but I have other priorities that I need to take care of. content creating has been a goal of mine for a long time but in order to do so I need financial security. taking care of my financial freedom has taken priority over securing a dream at the moment.

I do plan to make content some teaching others entertainment; showing the progress through the development utilizing my step by step progress.

Timothy Miller That makes sense, content creation is its own job. Focusing on financial stability first is real, and it’ll make it easier to show up consistently when you’re ready.

Cyrus Sales VFX is always a popular topic.

Having worked in both genres of film post production, documentary as well as scripted drama, I can appreciate your questions regarding the daunting task of creating a cohesive, dynamic approach to realizing your vision for your type of film production. Starting from your final point about lengthy interview footage, I strongly recommend doing a typed version of the full interviews, or at least a detailed synopsis, with subjects headed by topic, and using time codes from the picture content as markers, so that you can quickly and easily scan down to any section that you might need. I know this sounds like a time consuming and work intensive extra step to the process, but in the long run it will save you days of frustration, searching for things that you thought you remembered, but don't know exactly where it was. Also, having it all right in front of you in text can help you organize your thoughts and 'tell the story' that you want to tell.

The same can be said about the other miscellaneous footage. Having your footage catalogued with accurate, detailed descriptions that relate to the picture by time code will help you quickly access anything you wish to find.

Lastly, remember that, in the editing room your purpose is to TELL THE STORY. Every scene is a small story in itself, but in turn lends itself to the bigger story that you intend to tell. Treat it that way, with each scene having a beginning, a middle and an end. Decide what sections from your dailies most lend themselves to whatever portion of the story that you are working on. Separate out this material for each scene into separate bins (time codes will always help you to go back to the uncut dailies if you need it). Then concentrate on that one scene, one piece at a time.

When all the scenes are in first cut, then it is time to assemble the whole thing and see how it is holding up en masse. That is when you can begin to make those tough decisions about what to lose, and what might need extra work or additional material.

Best wishes on your project!

Thank you!

I am so grateful to have such an amazing community to add extra insight, this furthers the fundamentals and helps aspiring video editors learn skills especially organization!

I can not recall how many edits I've botched by forgetting the time codes and I thank you forRandy Jon Morgan & Vital Butinar!

early rehearsal also is a great method to include, thank you Robert D. Carver.

Xochi Blymyer they have provided alot of help to make this post more helpful than I could have imagined. but to help you further I include the following:

For docs with long interviews and tons of B‑roll, shift from “scene/take” thinking to a content‑driven workflow.

Transcribe interviews and do a paper edit—build the story in text first.

Create Interview Selects (best bites per subject) and B‑roll Melt Reels grouped by theme, not date.

Standardize metadata: consistent keywords and color‑coding so footage is instantly searchable.

Build a radio edit first—if it works as audio, it works as a film. Add visuals last.

Pro tip: Use ISO dates (YYYY‑MM‑DD) for folders and projects to keep everything in order.

I hope this helps you with your journey!!

Though I have pretty much hung up my editing cleats for now, I am always happy to 'weigh in' on any work in progress, if you ever find that yet one more opinion could shed some fresh light on your work.

Again, very wishes. Always.

RJM

I only work on low to no-budget productions (the joy of being stuck in Brisbane, Australia), yes, we have big budget films made here, but the industry only uses the same people (basically they are referred by the last production). So any new upcoming director or film has to work with no budget. This makes editing a mine hunt, looking for the right audio to match the scene. In a lot of cases, the audio and video are captured in the same track, but in a lot of productions, we also use a boom mic or the like. This used to be hard work getting the clean audio to match the film; in the last year, AI has come to the rescue, and it finds the content and matches it. This vastly improves production quality but still lags behind films that have a real budget. But if you're looking to produce on a "No Budget". There are now a lot of tools that help.... this is why Hollywood is freaking out and doing strikes, whilst my 0 budget films will never match real money, they can now at least stand with a level of quality that hasn't been available to budget film makers like me. Unless people are prepared to at least fund some of my expenses for their productions i am stuck producing and directing (And editing) in the backwater of "amateur" productions, but they are getting better by the day with "mostly" cheap AI tools.

Soon, I see a bunch of "mostly ok" productions coming to the likes of Netflix, whilst the real professionals are making incredible art that goes to cinemas, but the gap is closing every day...

I am happy to work on low budget fils to make them the best they can be, but unless they are my creation, I am looking for at least costs covered for credits.

A R Mavero. Totally agree! Editing is where a film really comes to life, it shapes the story, the emotion, and how we experience it, whether in a theater or at home.

A R Mavero. Cyrus Sales I am so happy to have others in agreement that editing is what makes a film comes to life.