Post-production refers to the end stages of production for projects that can include films, television productions, music productions, and photography. In photography, post-production often refers to loading raw images into software, cutting objects in the images, and cleaning the images. In music, post-production might include the process of compiling several takes into one quality take (comping), adding effects, and pitch correction. In television, post-production processes usually include sound and video editing, visual effects, and animation. In filmmaking, post-production involves editing visual and audio materials.
Film post-production is extremely popular because there are so many aspects of the process that require professional input. Also, films often promise longer-term gig opportunities since their processes can last for months and sometimes years. Stages of film post-production typically start with picture or film editing then move on to sound editing. Next, the film is scored with original music or existing music for which recording and publishing rights must be secured. Other stages in post-production include sound mixing, adding visual effects (VFX), color correction or grading, and adding titles, credits, and graphics. Before a film is finalized, it usually undergoes distribution preparation, film advertisement, and trailer creation.
Individuals interested in working in film post-production have plenty of opportunities to choose from. Here is a short list of job opportunities:
Music composer
In the film industry, the music composer is responsible for creating the score – or music written and produced specifically to accompany the film. The composer ensures that the music aligns with the plot and is able to enhance the mood of each scene in accordance with the director’s wishes.
Film/video editor
The editor, particularly for films, takes on the role of condensing what could amount to thousands of hours of footage into less than two hours of story. Since scenes in a film are typically shot out of sequence, the editor’s job is to put them in chronological order. The editor also plays a major part in choosing the appropriate camera angles and deciding which footage to keep or scrap. In most cases, editors for modern films are skilled at using professional editing software like Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro.
Sound editor
When a film wraps, the sound editor takes on the role of adding audio. An editor known as an automatic dialogue replacement (ADR) recordist might replace dialogue that has become unusable due to microphone placement or other technical issues. In film, sound effects editors are also used to include noises like the sound of a zipper, a car driving out of a scene, or explosions.
Foley artist
A foley artist is a person who works with the sound editor during the post-production stage to recreate sound. In the previously mentioned example of unusable audio due to microphone placement, a foley artist will come in and re-record the original sounds to make them clearer for the film.
Other positions in the world of post-production can include motion designer, technical manager, production supervisor, photo editor, digital video colorist, color assistant, and junior editor.