Photo courtesy of Between a Rock (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44743850@N00) under CC BY 2.0

Post-production is the catch-all term for all the steps in the production process that come after filming. By the time most projects get to post, the crew is long gone, the set is taken apart, and the gear is stowed…but a lot of hard work remains. Post is where all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle must come together to form the final product.

These days, the post-production team has to deal with a lot of issues that didn’t even exist just a few short years ago. The transition to HD and the trend toward shooting with ultra high-resolution digital cameras (like the RED ONE) instead of film have really changed the acquisition process. On top of that, the proliferation of final delivery options (theatrical release, SD and HD television, DVD, Web, mobile devices, etc.), has dramatically increased the need for editors, animators, visual effects artists, and colorists to understand and work with a mind-boggling array of digital file formats, aspect ratios, frame rates, resolutions, codecs, and workflow processes.

Not only do today’s post-production specialists need to understand all these variables, they have to be able to figure out the best possible path from initial acquisition format to final delivery method without any quality loss, data mishaps or extra expense…sort of like tip-toeing through a minefield. Add to that the ever-increasing capabilities of computers and software, and the ability (and desire) of filmmakers to push the envelope…to do things that were completely impossible only 10 years before…and you have a recipe for confusion, escalating costs and blown deadlines.

Even with the power of today’s computers and the speed of today’s networks, storing, moving and manipulating high-resolution digital media files is very challenging. A frame of 1080p HD video contains about 2 million pixels…roughly 6 times the information that a frame of standard video contains (and remember that every second of video is comprised of 30 of these frames). Meanwhile, a frame of uncompressed “4K” video from a RED ONE camera can contain about 12 million pixels…roughly 6 times the information that a frame of HD video contains! This is so much information to manipulate that the accepted method of working with the RED data format today requires converting the full-resolution files to “proxy” clips that are at a lower resolution. The program is put together using these proxy files and then “conformed” at the end of the process to re-assemble the final program using the original high-resolution files. This requires a complex and convoluted workflow to say the least! At each step of the process, the people involved have to know exactly what they are doing, because there are many potential pitfalls and speed bumps.

With the arrival of the RED SCARLET camera in mid-2010, the incredible RED data resolution and technology will be available to filmmakers for well under $10K. That could potentially increase the pool of RED users by a factor of 100, and only accentuate the need for the new generation of editors, effects artists, and animators to understand how to properly work with these formats. The rapid pace of technological development and the proliferation of affordable, high-quality equipment means that today’s students will need to work hard throughout their careers in order to stay on top of new developments in formats, workflows and techniques. Hang on tight! It’s going to be quite a ride!

- Tom Greenberg is a 30-year veteran of the film/video industry. He began his career in broadcast equipment sales and training; worked as a sound editor in the late ‘80’s; and moved into video editing, animation and motion graphics in the early ‘90’s. Tom has worked on hundreds of different projects during his career…ranging from feature and indie films, TV commercials and documentaries to non-profit fundraising and corporate marketing videos. A self-described “serial entrepreneur”, Tom owned and operated several post-production businesses in the Detroit area before relocating to West Michigan in 2005. Since moving, Tom has produced a series of instructional DVDs on Great Lakes’ fishing, worked on various outdoors-oriented web and video projects, and is currently in pre-production on two documentary films.