Secrets of successful PPS
Making a film or drama production involves a large number of people working together, each with their creative best to contribute, without hampering the efforts of the other departments, and all within the framework of the Producer’s budget. My approach to Post Production Supervision involves good communication with key people in a number of departments both before principle photography, and throughout the project. The other ‘secret’ I employ, is systems developed over numerous projects for optimising workflow, and for tracking and serving vital information to those that need it.
Pre-production
It’s a busy time during pre, but its essential that the technical and systems ‘framework’ be thought through. I generally sit down with DOP, Location Sound, Sound department, Continuity, Editor, Editor Assistant(s), Special Effects department, Production Management, Composer, Telecine House, Post Production Facility, and of course Producer. The intent of each contact is to listen to specific requirements each may have, and ensure that the product of each dove-tails together into the most effective overall workflow to ensure that the end delivery schedule can be most efficiently fulfilled. A sampling of areas on the ‘framework’ agenda include:
End delivery schedule
Shooting format
Aspect ratios
Shooting speed
Slating system
Location sound record system, timecode, sample rate
Telecine process
Rushes syncing technique
Rushes workflow, turn-around time, and screening / digitising schedule
VFX identification system, schedule for locking and pulling / approving effects
Picture lock and Sound and Composer completion schedules
Significant points of new technology being used, with optimisations and efficiencies that these bring (refer my comments about technology).
And of course Schedule and Budget.
Producer support
I like to think that if I do my job well it will mean that the Producer need worry much less about Post.
During pre-production I would schedule the interaction of Editorial, VFX, Sound, Composer, and Picture Conforming through to final delivery. This schedule can be regarded as a living document because it will be worked, refined and reworked every couple of days to cater for the pressures and challenges that occur in any production. It’s the central document that endeavours to keep the project’s timeframe on target and from it I can produce reports for Producer, various departments, post facilities and even the Completion Guarantor.
If the schedule was thought of as being the right hand, then the budget could be considered the left. During pre-production I can translate the post workflow with its Digital Intermediate and multiple deliveries into a meaningful cost spreadsheet, and then work with the Producer to reconcile this against what the budget allows. Depending on the approach, I can implement tightly tracked purchase orders for Post Production costs, and can follow planned-vs.-actual with the Producer throughout the project. I believe in ‘early warning’ where problem areas are identified when there’s still time to do something about them. I also know that pacing a process against a target will always end up closer to the target than if working blind.
Workflow optimisation
The main post production workflow describes the steps from footage leaving the camera through rushes syncing, editing, picture lock and delivery to sound and composer (also of elements to and from the VFX department). The stages of ‘online’ picture conform are also an essential workflow element, and great efficiencies can be achieved by planning the QC, grading, and sound layback stages at the optimum points in the process. I’m a big believer in charting the workflow on paper – it makes discussion and optimisation much easier. (I also have numerous workflows from previous productions stored away, which form a great point of reference).
It’s not unusual for a dozen or more master tapes to be produced from the various stages along the way to the final variant masters. These can be quite confusing when lined up on a shelf, especially in an episodic production where they’re duplicated for each episode. Using a clearly documented workflow and ‘stage’ names, together with a media tracking library system (which we’ve also developed), eliminates the ambiguity and the chance of mistakes being made.
In these days of non-linear editing, any timecode-in-picture dubb (given to an executive or preliminary output given to composer or sound post) will be out-of-date with non-matching timecodes after just an hour of further editing. Yet the world runs on timecode numbers, and to make sense of this I’ve used a ‘milestone’ system on many productions, where output dubbs (with corresponding timeline and EDL) are numbered and documented in the media library. It’s then easy to make sense of a timecode reference, and frame accurate changes lists can also be produced if ever its needed.
Some other areas where I’ve been able to see improvements in workflow in previous productions include:
Posting of daily rushes on a website enabling instant review anywhere in the world.
ADR recording while a key actor is still in the country (even though the cut hasn’t been locked), or alternatively overseas ADR recording, coordinated and even directed by remote, with session information returned by FTP site.
Development of good temp audio mixes and output of mix-minus versions from the Avid suite optimised for overseas executives / test screenings, sound department, and composer respectively.
OMF preparation so the sound department can work efficiently.
Facilitating textless versions of masters, audio M&E (and in the 5.1 world various sub-mix stems), also of EPK material.
VFX coordination
VFX are expensive and take a comparatively long time to complete. Often they become the critical path to whether a production can be completed by deadline. Yet because they’re so expensive it is dangerous to begin work arbitrarily before the film is picture locked (you don’t want to invest money in an effect then cut the scene!). On many productions the middle ground is a very careful decision process about which effects can be considered ‘locked’ even while the main picture cut continues, and to organise multiple ‘pulls’ and delivery of efficient documentation to the VFX house.
Other keys to good VFX coordination include:
Unambiguous identification of each unique VFX, (which are also costed and reconciled against the Producer’s budget).
A well developed and documented approval process which attempts to ensure each decision is made once, no problems are overlooked at each stage, and the need for stages to be repeated is minimised as a result. The best documentation systems are internet based allowing efficient collaboration between facilities across the world if necessary.
Delivery, QC, and integration into the picture cut in an efficient way that doesn’t slow the schedule, and minimises double-handling by the Video Post Facility.
Quality assurance, risk management
QC checks at key points in the process are essential, as is getting the right balance. Too many onerous checks take too much time – and annoy people. Too few checks means problems can remain undetected until the later stages, thereafter requiring inefficient reworking of several previous stages to achieve repair. The workflow chart generally gives the best overview from which QC points can be chosen.
It is the fear of every Producer that the final release dubbs will fail overseas QC checks and be rejected. I find that by thoroughly studying (and negotiating if necessary) the delivery schedule, and by doing our own careful QC checks, rejections are minimised. But if they do occur I have seen enough QC reports to be able to advise the path to most efficient remedy.
On some projects it is possible to defer the standards conversion to NTSC stage until the PAL delivery has been accepted and given QC clearance overseas. This reduces the risk that this expensive process will have to be completed. A similar consideration applies at numerous stages throughout the post process.
Team building
There are many ways that post production can be structured.
On some projects I’ve given some consulting advice before principle began, and nothing further, leaving post to the Producer’s own team.
On other projects there’s been the requirement of a number of hours or days involvement per week to augment the efforts of a production person who is fulltime on staff with the production company.
On other projects I’ve looked after all details of post, and have often involved other members of my own staff with key processes. This generally affords cost savings, and can increase speed of turn-around.
I have worked with a lot of Editors and would be happy to make suggestions if you are looking for the right person. I also have a lot of contact with Assistant Editors and can sometimes put names forward.
Training and oversight of Assistant Editors and VFX Assistants is also something I’ve done in the past.