Post Production 'Let the Games Begin'

Post Production on your project begins the moment you stop shooting...

If you shot on film:
A) Take the film to the processing place.
B) Transfer the film to a digital format.
C) Input the footage into your computer for editing.
D) Edit
E) Edit some more.
F) Add music and EFX.
G) Export out of the computer.
H) Online

A) Take the film to the processing place.
No way around this one. Unless you have a last name of "Kodak", you are going to have to fork over the dough to get this film developed. You can shop around on rates a little bit, but the bottom-line is the bottom-line.

B) Transfer the film to a digital format.
Once the film is processed, it has to be transferred over to some type of digital format like mini-DV in order for you to work with it. This happens at a place called 'telecine'. This is also the place where you can color-correct the footage and make it look spectacular. However, that is another hard cost and you little flexibility here as well. But Pickle Head has been able to get a favor or two in his day. Try to fit the color correction in if you can. The difference between okay and poppin' is a good color correction.

C) Input the footage into your computer for editing.
Depending upon what you transferred your footage to, you'll need a deck or camera in order to import the footage into your computer for editing. This is time consuming but unavoidable.

D) Edit
Most every slob in town has Final Cut or Avid on his/her computer. Get a copy or borrow a copy or find an apprentice. Editing takes forever so favors are hard to come by unless they are really desperate and you are very persuasive. You can learn to do cuts on your own very, very fast. Learn how to do cuts and do as much as you can on your own.

E) Edit some more.
Edit. Let it sit. Show it to people. Revise. Edit again. There are a million ways to edit anything. Pick a direction and go. If it doesn't work, start over.

F) Add music and EFX.
After you are satisfied with your cut, find a cat to score it! Music is the spice of life. Keep efx to a minimum unless you are shooting a space epic. And why are you shooting a space epic?

G) Export out of the computer.
Once it is done, it needs to leave your computer. Get it out and save at least two copies. Disk drives go bad so have at least one copy on something more permanent.

H) Online
If you've shot film, you export your EDL and send it (along with the film) so that you can get your final piece.