Taking care of your post production needs.

Post-Production Tips: 2Editors X 6Qs By Jessie Pickworth   We asked the same 6 questions to 2 editors that frequent the 16:9 Post bays…here’s who they are:   Sergio Villa Years editing: 22 Genres: Documentary film , scripted/doc/reality television, commercials Current Project: The Florida Man Murders (Oxygen Network) Recent Projects:  Backyard Envy, Rhythm + Flow Hoa Mai Years editing: 10 Genres: Documentary film Current Project: Untitled Bryan Fogel Project Recent Projects:  Seduced, Inside the NXIVM Cult, Shut Up and Dribble, The Defiant Ones, Sonic Highways   Here’s what they had to say:   What is your editing software of choice?   Sergio: Avid Media Composer is my go-to software...been using it for so long I feel like Han Solo flying the Millennium Falcon on it. I like Premiere as well, but sometimes I feel like I'm piloting the Flying Winnebago from Spaceballs when working on that platform.   Hoa: Avid. For no other reason than that's what th...

Post-Production Tips: Keeping the Workflow Flowing Despite COVID  By Michael French With so many health and safety limitations on production these days, a lot of the onus to bring a project to life falls on the post-production staff. Making something out of almost nothing is not an easy task, but we need to find a creative way to do so if we want to be working these days.  With this in mind, we have outlined 8 tips to help you keep the lights on and your output at top notch. 1.      You still need high quality equipment, so you have two options if your team doesn’t already own a workstation at home: One, find a post house that takes the COVID situation seriously and allows your team to come in to a safe, distanced space (ahem…we have that covered at 16:9 Post); Two, rent high-quality, customized workstations (we have that covered too). 2.      Map out team communication protocols with regular team calls/video conferenc...

POST-PRODUCTION TIPS: 10 TIPS FOR WRITING DOCUMENTARY NARRATION   By: Jessie Pickworth    When images can’t tell the whole story, narration adds depth and completes the picture. If narration isn’t executed well, it can kill a documentary. Below are 10 tips from the 16:9 Post team for making sure your VO elevates your project instead of dragging it down. 1.      Know how you plan to use narration before you shoot. Common uses include: introducing subjects or featured talent, imparting info that is not obvious to the viewer, bridging segments of the story, highlighting what is important, and summarizing key points. 2.      Don’t let preconceived notions dictate your direction. Plan for how to use narration at the onset, but not what to say. Theories created during pre-production may get altered by the reality you shoot. Watch and listen to the edits to make sure you are narrating the truth of your project. 3. ...

POST PRODUCTION TIPS:  Building Your Communication HUB  By: Roberto Cardinas When the director shouts “That’s a wrap!”, it’s only just the beginning for the post production team. Post has a ton of moving parts and deliverables that need to happen efficiently and on time, so it the project can stay on budget. The best way to make sure this happens is to have a solid communications plan and tracking method in place. Here’s a breakdown of the key ingredients of your hub: Deliverables Schedule It’s a tedious job, but someone’s got to create a calendar of ALL of the tasks and deliverables for the project. Every scene, every sound mix, every visual effect, every graphic, every…you get the picture. Be meticulous, be all-encompassing, and be  realistic  about the timeframes needed to get each task accomplished. Roles & Responsibilities Make sure to assign a team member to each task, so you know who is responsible for its forward progress. It is a...

POST-PRODUCTION THOUGHTS:  Do You Foley Around With Man Or Machine?  By: Roberto Cardenas Tech is ever advancing, but still ain’t perfect. Mics can’t pick up everything, so we still need foley to make up the sounds we miss. The question is…with the advancement of technology, do we still need foley artists (the human kind), or can we use digital foley to fill in the audio blanks? Foley artists have been crucial to television and movie making since the end of the silent picture era, when people like Jack Donovan Foley (name sound familiar?) created techniques to replicate the unheard sounds they saw in the “talking pictures.” Over the past couple decades, the innovation in microphone, audio recording and editing tech has given foley artists the tools to be more precise, creative and speedy with their work. But it is also giving them a run for their money. Now there are digital sound creation tools and digitally created sound libraries that film and tv makers a...

POST PRODUCTION QUICK TIPS:  Color Grading Do’s & Don’ts  By: Roberto Cardenas  Now that you have finished your color correction, it is time to make some more stylistic choices with regard to the coloring of your film/video project. That is where color grading comes in. The phase when you set the mood and create an environment that is unique to your vision. Whether you are embarking on this process hands-on or directing your team to your visually mind-blowing end goal, here are 6 tips for success.      1.     Don’t Move! First, only do work in a dedicated color grading room. These rooms are designed for color grading and are blacked out (sorry, no windows and scenic views for you, friend) to ensure that the only light effecting the color of your screen is coming from your screen. And, if possible, stay in the same color grading room in which you started. Any changes in environment can alter your perception of the light an...

POST PRODUCTION TIPS:  Getting Color Correction Correct  By: Micheal French  Color correction is a visual art, but with the below guidelines it can be effectively mastered. If you are embarking on a new project and need to take color correction into your own hands, or just want to better understand what it takes for your team to get the job done right, check out our 4 tips for executing excellent color correction for your video project. 1.     Start with a Properly Configured Camera. While it may look nicer right away to record using a normal or default color profile, you are not doing yourself or your color corrector any favors by shooting in anything but a flat color profile. (If you have a camera that shoots RAW footage, it will already be in a flat color mode.) This mode gives more latitude to work with color in post. 2.     Work on a Good Monitor As I mentioned in my open, color correction is a visual art, and y...