Post-Production

Nela Ruiz I was watching the Lord of the Flies mini series on Netflix the other day and the first episode was really tough to watch. Not because of the content, but because the composers didn't leave room for much silence and it made it a little overwhelming for me to watch. I wished they let it breathe a little more.

Vital Butinar I love doing foley! Whenever I do foley, I always think about the people who did all the foley at the silent movie theaters behind the screen live.

Michael Teisan yeah, it was so much fun! Granted I still might need to shoot some more stuff if needed but it was fun. Oh man, that must have been really interesting because not only did they have to do things live, but there had to be a lot of them. But the more times they did a movie, the more practice they had and got better.

Vital Butinar thanks for sharing! I haven't done too much foley post graduation but i'd like to do more of it.

Cyrus Sales oh you should do it when you have a chance, it's so much fun. I now see when I added the Foley to the timeline how much of a difference it makes.

@RichardBotto ☝️

Tommy Luca Thanks for sharing and encouraging members of Stage32 to look further into adding a lounge. I've been hearing more about art department over the last 12-15 months however I don't think I have a full grasp at what it is. You mentioned it starts in pre-production and goes down the pipeline and can often have several subcategories. What exactly is the "art department" and what roles does it play in pre-production? Thanks again for sharing!

All that you see in the pic is worth a fortune Tommy Luca

Art is a very integral part of film production as depicted in your photo Tommy Luca! With the proper public relations it most certainly can be beneficial

I myself is into art!

Still waiting...

Abidoye Ezekiel I agree, the storyboard makes budgeting and scheduling easier as it gives direction on which way things need to go. I'm in both the film and the animation space and it honestly depends. I know some smaller budget might not require it however I know we do at Creative Station and haven't worked with any productions in the last 2 years that don't use them.

Abidoye Ezekiel For an animation piece or one with lots of CGI or action, it is useful and in some cases required. But it's still artificial until you get into production bids etc from outside houses, which normally doesn't happen until you are in preproduction - ie. AFTER the budget is approved. However, it's more or less irrelevant otherwise because the director is going to have to get their shots within financial realities. Unless the director is able to pull the weight and money from the XP in advance to do what they want in painstaking detail, which is only the case where the director and XP are the same person. At that point, the budget itself is irrelevant,

Adding to what Shadow said, I've seen studios hire storyboard artists, and then when they hired a director, all of the were tossed out. Why? Not what he wanted. You don't storyboard talking head scenes unless there's a reason for it (adding VFX, etc.).

Michael Teisan I really appreciate you breaking down the reality of the assistant editor track. It’s an incredibly important role and skill set, but you’re absolutely right that it can lean heavily technical. Your advice to start editing immediately and consistently build a reel is so important. At the end of the day, editors get hired off of what they can show, and the more you’re actively cutting, experimenting, and putting work out there, the faster you’re developing your voice and proving your ability. This is a great reminder that there isn’t just one “correct” path, it’s about being intentional about where you want to go and making sure your day-to-day work is actually supporting that goal.

Is there anything from your time as an assistant editor that you feel gave you an unexpected advantage once you stepped into a full editor role?

Ashley Renée Smith I wouldn't say unexpected, but there definitely are advantages to starting out as an AE. I've worked with editors who couldn't even transcode a file. So yeah, having some technical chops is really helpful, but the odds of you being promoted to editor within that company are pretty low for the first couple years. That's why I recommend just taking editing jobs from the start if that's what you want to do.

Great guidance! Thanks for sharing this Michael Teisan.

Assistant editor is a technical role, not a junior creative one! You learn systems, not storytelling. If editing is the goal, just edit. Shoot anything, cut anything, post constantly. The pigeonhole risk is real. Build your own reel, not someone else's assembly.

Yes, in the past assistant editors were working with film and sitting right next to the editor, they would learn all the tricks and learn to become an editor from that. Now everything is electronic and so many post positions are remote these days that you aren't even working in the same room as the editors anymore

Rakesh Malik Great question! "Fix it in post" is every editors favorite phrase! Just kidding. Was your first skills of focus VFX? If not then what? Just curious. I have so much respect for a great VFX artist. It's never been my forte, but I was around a ton of those types of artists while I was going to school for post production. I took a few classes for After Effects so I have a small picture of what it takes. There's so much to it and so much more than just After Effects.

Rakesh Malik To your question, we just launched Aerith Corp and we're developing a VFX suite called Avé that uses quantum computing to solve VFX. We're developing the applications within feature films, the first two being Slayer and Dark Veil. Avé wsoft ill create much faster and more accurate simulations and renders than currently possible, due to the quantum processes. Initially, we'll be working on increasing path tracing and shadow denoising. After that, Avé will go into a public beta testing phase. To your note about post, "fix it in post" is something you hear on a megabudget set just before the person uttering the phrase is fired. I hear it a lot on mid and lower tier productions when the people saying it just assume it's an easy thing to do later and don't have the money to reshoot something.

As someone who isn't well versed in VFX, this is useful info. The "fix it in post" mindset sounds like a trap. Planning ahead makes sense even if you don't know the technical side. Good to keep in mind for any project!

Michael Teisan I started in photography and migrated into cinematography before diving into VFX in a serious way. I've never used AfterFX; the VFX industry globally is almost universally based on Houdini, Maya, and Nuke, FYI.

Sam Rivera A lot of indie filmmakers fall into "fix it in post" mentality because they don't plan ahead, and a lot of megabudget filmmakers fall into it because they don't have to care about the budget -- or about the artists who have to make up for the executives' lack of planning.

I agree. That said, not all 24 or 48 hour film challenges are equal; for example, Vancouver's Run n Gun fest allows filmmakers an additional few days after the submission deadline to complete sound design, color grading, and VFX provided that the locked edit is submitted on time. And they do check the updated versions; if the edit changes at all, the new version is disqualified.

Rakesh Malik How much time do you think is best? Would a month be a good amount?

For a quality short film? Yes, I think a month is a good target. The secret to pulling it off is to learn to scope the film to the target timetable; don't try to make a 30-minute short from start to finish in one month, target a 10-minute short. The other area where a lot of newbie filmmakers drop the ball is post, because they skip the planning part entirely and quite often don't account for post. I've run into directors and producers who didn't heed my advice to buy hard disks before shooting, so it took days just to get them the footage in order to even begin editing. A lot also drop the ball on workflow; if you don't know how you're getting your edit to your colorist, you will run into problems. If you don't know how you'll be sharing your work with your VFX artists, you're going to run into more problems. And don't pretend that your editor is your colorist; most editors "color grade" using LUTs, which is putting creative decisions for your film in the hands of someone making generic LUTs for influencers and wedding videographers and podcasters.

Taking it back to the classics, I think the editing and VFX of the original Star Wars trilogy are pure mastery. The combination of practical and special effects, mixed with the rise of the technology at the time, created a monumental shift in the industry and paved the way for modern storytelling. The editing subconsciously tells the story while letting the characters and themes shine, which, to me, is what good editing is all about.

Look out for our VFX work on "HACKS S5" HBO. Very challenging work. "F1", "Sinners". where high on my list this year for VFX execution.

Amanda Toney it was one of my least favorite movie in years too. You're not the only person who admits this.it was disappointing big time.Great period sets and lavish wardrobe budget but it does not work.

Amanda, I always find it interesting how editing defines the audience’s sense of tension and immersion. Quick cuts can create urgency, but it’s really the control of rhythm and timing that shapes how a scene is felt.

It mirrors how I approach tension in writing — not just what happens, but how long a moment is held before it shifts.

I've only heard good things about the movie. I'll have to watch it.

Timothy Miller I love how you framed VFX as the fixers and colorists as the painters. That distinction makes it immediately understandable, and it really highlights why the order of operations matters so much. If the image isn’t clean before it hits color, you’re asking the colorist to work around problems instead of focusing on shaping the emotional tone. Also, calling out the workflow inside Resolve is great, because more and more teams are navigating that balance between keeping everything in one ecosystem versus handing off across departments.

I later discovered that "invisible VFX" is more commonly known as paint or a paint fix in the post world. Gaining a better grasp of that process, along with color correction, has really heightened my understanding of the workflow. I'm looking forward to broadening my video editing skills for the future!

Ashley Renée Smith

The field of Invisible VFX is huge. Paint effects is, to be honest, only a small part of it. Set extensions, sky replacements, matte paintings, virtual environments... the list is nigh endless.

Workflow wise, I composite in Nuke mostly.

Good breakdown. Invisible VFX fixes what the audience should never notice—cleanup before grade. Color is for emotion, not fixes. What's the most surprising thing you've had to paint out?

Thank you so much for sharing, Pat Alexander!