What is Post-production?
Post-production is the final step of the production process, it’s the editing of visuals and audio materials. During post-production, there are several tasks that occur such as cutting raw footage, assembling the footage, adding music, dubbing and sound effects.
Post-production is a collaborative effort that can be anywhere from a few months to a year depending on the size of the project.
Before the project is released to the public there a set of steps that needs to be taken to ensure a successful workflow, these include Retrieving raw footage, storing and organising raw footage, building the rough cut, refining the rough cut, visual effects, sound effects/mixing, final approvals and fine tuning then distribution.
Getting your foot in the door:
There are numerous ways you can start a career in post-production you can get an apprenticeship, go to university or start networking! Some entry level roles are:
- Post-Production runner – The role of the post-production runner is to assist everyone in the office or studio. Tasks could range from problem solving, admin or making sure you have a coffee and tea ready for staff. All you need is to be great at communicating and even better at taking instructions.
- Sound Assistant – The role of a Sound Assistant is to assist the sound department, they will aid the sound editing team and help with any tasks, such as sound recording, tidying the studio, greeting guests into the studio etc.
- Grading Assistant – A grading assistant assists the grader or colourist on a film, tv programme or commercial. The main task of a grading assistant is to prepare and load the files for the colourists to grade, in addition to assisting with the technical tasks, grading assistant will prepare the edit suite for the production staff who are attending the grading sessions.
Diversity issues in Post-production Sound:
Since Black Lives Matter (BLM) in 2020 the TV industry have had continued conversations on the diversity issues across the board, but there is a higher need for improvement in post-Production.
The UK Screen Alliance, Animation UK and Access VFX published a report highlighting the diversity issues within the industry specifically VFX, post and animation and although there are improvements in comparison to previous reports, there is still a lot of work to be done.
Please read the full report here: https://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/UK-Screen-Alliance-Inclusion-Diversity-in-UK-VFX-Animation-and-Post-Production-2019.pdf
In an online research study conducted by Emma Butt, a Freelance Dubbing/Re-Recording Mixer with over 14 years of experience. Emma wrote ‘We have to ask why emphasis in recent years has been put on diversity in front of the camera whereas post-production sound, which accounts for 50% of a TV show or film and is an integral part of the storytelling process, is forgotten about?’
If you would like to hear some more information on Post-production, Black Women in Post-production is an emerging network that has an informative podcast to keep you updated on the ongoing effort to support black women in post-production.
https://www.youtube.com/@bwippnetwork
More resources on post-production:
ScreenSkills is a hub of information on all things post-production and the TV industry, here you will find information on various postproduction roles, tips on improving your skillset, and where to start in post-production.
https://www.screenskills.com/training/skills-checklists-for-film-and-tv/post-production-department/
Post-production house is also a great starting point for beginners to gain a hands-on experience, if you follow the link below, you will find a map of the 78 post-production houses in the UK.
https://www.eleanoradler.co.uk/post/post-production-houses-in-the-uk-interactive-map