Post-Production

A trailer automatically represents a film, and yes, it should sell it. But that isn't the interesting question, the interesting question is "what should the trailer look like?" Should it sell the picture with only big explosive scenes, or should it (try to) tell a story? Even a few film critics on Film Courage will tell you it is the first, and go in full length explanation "why?" ; that's fine, but I will never go and watch a movie seing a trailer with super cool images, but have no clue at all what those images should represent.

The trailer's job is to sell the film. That means that it needs to entice viewers into wanting to see it, but also to convey what audience the film is for. To do that it needs to convey what the story is about without giving away any major spoilers in order to leave viewers wanting more, but also it needs to reflect what type of movie it is. If "Backrooms" was promoted as a high-octane, action filled thriller it would have been hugely disappointing, when in reality is a very good slow-burn, suspenseful and atmospheric horror film... which is why it's doing so well in the box office.

A trailer is a hook but it has to also represent the film. Nothing is worse than a trailer that somehow misrepresents the film which misleads the audience.

Cyrus Sales No problem!

Walter Murch is most famous for editing "Apocalypse Now." He wrote a book called, "In the Blink of an Eye," in which he describes how he edits. The part I was specifically referring to was his "Rule of Six" which helps to codify his approach to editing in order to share it: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/walter-murch-rule-of-six/

I've even noticed shot-reverse shot dialog scenes where the key light flipped between reverses.

But when I'm engaged with a movie, things that like that don't bother me, and often I don't even consciously pick up on them until a second viewing. Films that don't engage me at all often feel like they're full of continuity errors, but that's in reality because I'm paying attention to other things besides the story and characters.

I'm not an editor, Rakesh Malik, but two things that are important to me as a movie fan are editing that makes sense and the right timing for the story (I've seen movies where shots/scenes are over too fast or stay on screen for too long).

I’m a stickler for the 180 rule. I’ve often flipped a shot in editing to avoid breaking the line.

The 180 rule is, like pretty much all rules in art, meant to be broken... sometimes. Breaking the 180 degree rule is very disorienting, so it's not something you should be doing often, but when done with intent, it can be very good at creating audience discomfort.

Of course, for the same reason, you should be careful to avoid accidentally jumping the line. I also try to be very careful to avoid jumping the line.

I think the most important thing in any creative endeavor is learning the rules so you know how to break them, and finding your voice. Once you’re experienced enough you can find your flow within your own rules. It’s such an amazing feeling being free of the classically trained chains you feel restrained by, once you’ve mastered your craft.

Michael Celender i'd be interested in learning more to see how we might align on this project. Just a little background, I'm an co-owner of an animation and post production studio based out of Dallas, Texas. I'll shoot you an invite and we can speak more about your project.

Hi Cyrus Sales I sent you a friend request

Hi Michael,

I hope you find the right collaborator for the project.

What stood out to me in your post is something many filmmakers underestimate: audiences often notice visual problems, but they feel sound problems.

As a screenwriter and story consultant, I've seen scenes with modest visuals become deeply immersive because of exceptional sound work, while technically impressive sequences lost their impact because the sonic storytelling wasn't fully supporting the emotional experience.

One of the most fascinating aspects of sound design is that it doesn't simply accompany a story—it shapes how the audience interprets reality itself. Tension, scale, isolation, wonder, danger, and even character psychology are often communicated through sound long before the audience consciously recognizes them.

Especially in science fiction, sound becomes part of the worldbuilding language. It helps convince the audience that an imagined reality truly exists.

It sounds like you've already built an ambitious project with animation, VFX, and an original score. Finding the right sound designer may very well be the final piece that transforms a completed film into a fully realized cinematic experience.

Wishing you and the team great success with the project.

Best,

Volkan

Thanks for your feedback Volkan Durakcay

Michael Celender Stage 32 has a free job board that you can use to post available jobs or search for any jobs in your profession. To find it, click “Jobs” on the top menu bar, and you can search by profession, location, and pay. Here is a link that you can use to go to our job board directly: https://www.stage32.com/find-jobs

Good luck with your project!

A still among the great redwoods.

The actual route

Krish Vasudevan Stage 32 has a free job board that you can use to post available jobs or search for any jobs in your profession. To find it, click “Jobs” on the top menu bar, and you can search by profession, location, and pay. Here is a link that you can use to go to our job board directly: https://www.stage32.com/find-jobs

Good luck with your project!

Aron Hoffmann Thank you for willingness to assist on projects. I'll send you a network invite. Do you have a demo reel we can check out?

In my Profile there are two Videos that I made by myself

Hi Aron,

Wishing you success in finding your next project.

One thing I've always found fascinating is that editors are often the last storytellers to touch a film before it reaches an audience.

As a screenwriter and script consultant, I've seen projects where the screenplay was strong, the performances were excellent, and the cinematography was beautiful—yet the story didn't truly come alive until the edit revealed its emotional rhythm.

I sometimes tell writers that scenes don't actually gain meaning from what happens inside them. They gain meaning from what comes before them, what follows them, and how long the audience is allowed to sit with a moment. That's where editors perform some of the most invisible and powerful storytelling work.

A great editor isn't simply assembling footage. They're shaping tension, controlling emotional momentum, directing audience attention, and often discovering connections that weren't obvious on the page.

In many ways, the edit suite is where a film has its final conversation with itself.

I hope your next project gives you the opportunity to do exactly that.

Looking forward to seeing what you work on next.

Best wishes,

Volkan

James Lagrimas Thank you for sharing! I notice this is for color correction, will there be a color grading course that piggybacks off this? I've been working on color grading and would be more than willing to purchase the color correction AND a color grading course together. Alternatively, I can email the edu team if necessary.

Our webinar just started now. You can jump in or leave your questions here for Alan.

Sandra Isabel do you know if they'll be offering color grading as well?

Hi Cyrus Sales, I don’t have that information, but James Lagrimas can check and come back to you. Thank you.

Color is so important and if you shoot in LOG, you'll have more options.

Josiah Cosgrove Do you have a link to your YouTube channel for us to view your previous work? Also, thank you for offering your service!

Cyrus Sales, here is the link to my channel: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8xt6EkW2jNjEEspRnRrDZQ

Josiah Cosgrove Thank you!

Hemant Pandya Saw your other post, wanted to drop a quick message to bump you back to the top, never know who could use this service!

Hey Hemant, this is Sandra from the Stage 32 team. I just wanted to let you know I moved your post from Producing to Post-Production, as it fits much better there. Let me know if you have any questions, and all the best to you!

Hemant Pandya Thank you for offering your service! Are you able to post your demo reel link in the comment section?

Aleksandr Vinogradov Thank you for sharing! i like that you put the before and after to give the audience a better understanding of what they are seeing.

Having spent

Having spent several decades in the editing room, slaving over first a hot Moviola, then the various incarnations of tape, then digital editing systems, finally to settle on the AVID system, and having gleaned numerous numerous nominations and awards for my efforts (EMMYs and American Cinema Editors EDDIEs), I can say that to me, the whole purpose of 'editing' is to TELL THE STORY. Whereas a screenwriter has all of the English language (and sometimes even more than that) as their vocabulary to tell a story, the picture editor has the film that has been shot by the director, with the aid of the cinematographer and actors, and the collaboration of the producers and sometimes the writers themselves. This film is the editor's 'vocabulary', if you will, and their first and only responsibility during the editing process is to tell the story that the script gives you, in visual terms. In doing that, the editor might 'cheat' shots, or even 'steal' them from some other part of the scene, or even another part of the show., to make a scene work. Every scene tells a story, and that small story in turn makes up a part of the bigger story, which is the movie itself. This is for me an all engrossing process, where the editors have to constantly keep in mind the overall effect a particular performance or how to handle a given scene, might effect the overall story that is being told. My approach is always to CONCENTRATE ON TELLING THE STORY AT HAND, and don't waste precious time trying to cover up an inferior job of cutting the picture with loads of extraneous sound jobs. LEAVE ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES such as elaborate sound effects and music to the professionals who do that for a living, They are always going to be able to do it immeasurably better than you can, and they have better tools for doing it. I can understand when there might be occasions when certain effects, such as a gunshot or a door slam might be necessary, or a particular piece of music, to help create a certain mood for a scene, but to me it is best to leave this kind of dressing up the show to the people who know how to do it, are trained and dedicated to doing it, and have far better resources to do it.

Revisions and a lot of research before using the ideas.

Hi All - depending on how big a production or how small of a production - getting quick close-ups of someone making drugs or making their bed - yes, it's great to have those shots preplanned. And move the story telling forward. That's kind of setup from the director, DP, etc. or request from an editor... but maybe it's a one stop shop where the filmmaker is the dp, writer, director, editor etc. where they do everything including color grading. On one scripted tv show I worked on - we always did the best of everything we could SFX, MX, VFX even though it's all temp...I definitely hear Randy also that the sound folks will totally create a brilliant listening palatte in protools, foley...so, if you have the budget for it....

BTW - Italianamerican - way to go Randy! Lots of great projects you got to cut on. I could learn a lot from you!

Hi Paul. And thanks for the plug. You re right, of course, in your assessment of what it takes to make a film work, and the lower the budget, the more hats everyone has to wear. And in today's high tech world where studio execs have long forgotten how to view an 'editor's' cut, the more razzle dazzle that you can add to your cut can help the powers that be 'understand' and appreciate the show.