10

 

POST-PRODUCTION

The Role of the Producer During the Postproduction Phase

 

 

Reaching the post-production stage is a huge milestone for the producer. At this point in the process, what remains to be assembled are the final visual and audio elements needed to create and deliver the finished product. The project's schedule, variety of delivery formats for the final version, and its audio requirements determine the post-production steps ahead.

The role of the producer during post-production is diverse. Activities that take center stage during this phase include overseeing the tracking and the completion of all retakes and acquiring notes and approvals from the buyer/executive in order to lock the picture. The producer works in close collaboration with the Post-production supervisor, who sets up post-production sessions and monitors their progress. If the project has an acquisition arrangement with a buyer, the producer has the sole responsibility to complete all of the “deliverable” items as stipulated in the contract. If the arrangement is a partnership with the buyer, the buyer or studio typically has its own post-production department that will be very involved and supportive of this stage. In the case of an independent film, the deliverables must be finished off in the specific format(s) specified or the producer could be in breach of contract. In all of these scenarios, there are a variety of items to be completed during post-production in addition to the completion of the final sound and picture deliverables, including compilation and completion of documents such as legal contracts, purchases, and work-for-hire statements from crewmembers and voice talent; audio-visuals of “behindthe- scenes” segments for the preparation of electronic press kits; and materials for online marketing efforts such as the project's website, viral campaign, and social media sites to name a few. The producer also focuses on finalizing credits and main and end titles, which can be very time-consuming and must be maintained throughout the production process. Working with the legal department, the producer must get legal signoff on the credits as well as clearances on the final visual and audio elements of the production. In television projects, depending on the number of episodes produced and the schedule, the producer may also be managing episodes in the pre-production and production stages at this time. The flowcharts in Figures 10-1 and 10-2 show in detail the steps that the producer must take in the post-production of both features and television projects.

Prior to the commencement of post-production, the producer and post-production supervisor should assemble a crew and set up deals with post-production facilities. (See Chapter 2, “The Animation Producer,” and Figure 2-1 for more information on this topic.) Following is a list of possible staff members and elements that should be in place by this stage, depending on the project's requirements:

• Delivery specs
• Picture editor and assistants
• Post-production supervisor
• Composer
• Music editor
• Sound supervisor
• Sound editorial crew
• Facilities: audio, video, post-production labs to create digital/ film outputs (if applicable)
• Draft of the final credits
• Final/locked picture to length as per the delivery requirements

Working with the Post-production Supervisor

The role of a post-production supervisor is all-encompassing in terms of being responsible for delivering the many elements of a final product. Therefore, this key person needs to be hired long before the start of post-production so that he or she can set up this portion of the process. In animation studios that produce a significant amount of projects, the post-production supervisor may be on staff and be assigned to the project as it nears postproduction. Depending on the studio, a feature post-production supervisor can start as early as pre-production. In this capacity, this person typically coordinates efforts with the production and editorial team in organizing dailies, color or stereoscopic test sessions, and various story reel/animatic screenings. The post-production supervisor can also be responsible for scheduling recording sessions to do dialogue pickups. This role oversees film processing, video tape recording, editing, transferring, and dubbing during production. He or she frequently interfaces with ancillary groups and provides them with digital media and/or audio and video elements needed to put together trailers, publicity images, website content, game development materials, or television spots, for example. Throughout the production, the producer or studio will need to show parts of the film to potential promotional partners in order to market it effectively. The postproduction supervisor has to make sure that all elements needed for these presentations are ready.

Figure 10-1 Post-production flowchart: features (digital and film completion).

Figure 10-2 Post-production flowchart: television (video completion).

Before post-production begins, it is the supervisor's responsibility to prepare a schedule for the producer as well as to obtain bids from the various facilities, including video houses, audio houses, labs, digital film printers, and duplication facilities. Once facilities are selected, the producer and post-production supervisor negotiate the various rates and deals. Most post-production facilities have standard hourly rate cards for services. It is common practice for the post-production supervisor to negotiate for a reduced hourly rate or possibly a package deal to include all services. In the case of a large studio, this negotiation process may be taken out of the hands of the producer and handled by the post-production department. Deals may already be in place with a studio because they can negotiate in bulk and offer the post-production facility work on a number of shows. The schedule can play a significant role in a deal negotiated with a postproduction house. If you are involved in the negotiations as the producer, before signing a contract, be sure that the facility has reviewed and agreed to your schedule and delivery requirements so that no surprises come up later. It is important that the producer ask questions regarding the amount of work a postproduction house already has at the time their project is going to go through the facility to ensure that they are treated as a priority client. In making the final selection for the post-production house, the producer must determine the “all-in” cost for services to be rendered in order to allocate the appropriate funds for all remaining steps.

The post-production supervisor will also work with the producer and director to identify a project's sound team. If the project is a large one, a sound supervisor will typically be hired to find and manage the sound team from both a creative and operational perspective. If a sound supervisor is not in the budget, the post supervisor may hire a sound designer early on in the process who will drive the overall creativity of a project's audio needs. Unexpected hurdles are part of the reality of post-production. The producer and post-production supervisor must be both flexible and proactive to allow for these challenges and overcome all obstacles posed by the typical reshuffling of the schedule. For example, on a television series, it may be that a particular episode delivered by the subcontractor has a very high percentage of retakes and cannot be completed according to the original schedule. Executive or studio notes may involve creative retakes that affect the length of the picture. In such cases, locking picture on the original date may not be possible. In order to accommodate the need to do fixes, it is necessary to delay and revise the schedule. The post-production supervisor aids the producer in determining priorities and rearranging the schedule to accommodate them. He or she needs to be on top of coordinating and communicating these changes to the director and the buyer/ executive and must update all applicable vendors on scheduling changes in order to avoid costly fees due to late cancellations.

During post-production, the producer and post-production supervisor continue to be involved with the ancillary groups, providing all required materials. They also need to oversee that screenings are set up for executives and marketing, the licensee, and promotional personnel. Finally, it is the producer and Postproduction supervisor's job to oversee that all audio and picture materials and final artwork are archived. This archiving effort might also include original materials from subcontractors shipped back for possible retail purposes. All digital files also need to be catalogued and stored in case there is ever a need to go back to the source materials.

The Post-production Process

This chapter covers basic post-production steps involved in taking the project from work-reel to final delivery. This part of production is ever-changing due to advancements in technology: as such, this overview will provide a general understanding of the process.

When it comes to post-production, picture editing is automatically the first step that comes to mind. In animation, however, each shot begins and ends in the editorial department and is preedited down to the exact frame before start of production. (See the section “Slugging/Animation Timing” in Chapter 8 for more detail.) It is therefore an anomaly to describe the picture editing process of an animated project as strictly part of post-production because it shapes the project starting in pre-production, with the story/pre-visualization and editorial teams building reels right out of the gate.

Locking Picture

Starting during the storyboarding phase, the animation editor plays a central role in constructing the project and ultimately in locking the picture. The editor's primary objective is to help the director realize his or her vision as the show gets developed, from its germinal stage through final color. Casting the right talent for this role is critical because it requires editing skills in addition to an understanding of animation timing and storytelling. After all, the editor's timing sensibility dictates how the show is going to be paced. The editor's job also entails conforming or syncing of the audio to the picture. He or she matches the temp soundtrack to the picture, starting with storyboard panels through animation and final color.

Much of the editor's and his or her team's time is spent on maintaining and keeping track of all picture and audio elements as the project goes through its many evolutions. Internally, as the hub for the production, the editorial department is where each shot is sent for review and approval in sweatbox after all key production steps. As shots are approved, the story reel/animatic is updated to include the latest iteration. (See Chapter 8, “Pre-production,” and Chapter 9, “Production,” for detailed information on shot creation and progression as well as the role of the editor.) Externally, this department is responsible for all picture showings while the production is in progress. For example, when there is a test screening or a picture presentation for the buyer/executive, the reels are locked in order to facilitate a temp mix, which is essentially an early digital output. A temp mix or a temp dub is a rough visual cut combined with a rough soundtrack mix created for preview screenings that serve as a barometer to measure the project's progress and effectiveness. After each screening, the frenzy of notes in regard to “footage changes” ensues. At this time, the picture editor makes the required fixes and documents all revisions. All dialogue and effects tracks, temp music scores, and exposure sheets (if applicable) need to be conformed or updated to match the picture as well. Ideally, a robust production tracking system will instantly and automatically inform all appropriate crewmembers of such changes. Additionally, numerous file transfers and outputs will have to be made in order to update in-house staff, ancillary groups, and external contractors (if applicable).

As the project begins to wrap up and the final color shots are cut in to the reel, a feature editor's job shifts to making sure that the tracks are ready for the pre-dub stage. During Postproduction, the editor is a valuable resource because he or she knows what “takes” have been selected as well as the sensibility of the director, who may be busy with other responsibilities or projects at this point. The editor will often stand in for the director in guiding the final mix or be there for the director as a sounding board.

On projects handled by a subcontracting studio, the producer must determine how production art, rough animation, and final color can be securely transferred between the domestic studio and satellite studio(s). Taking strong measures protecting the project against any form of piracy is critical and must be handled as early as possible. For shows that have been outsourced, Postproduction begins when the picture is returned. This version of the show is referred to as “take one.” The subcontractor deliveries may take place via hard drives, DVDs, and electronic or digital delivery methods facilitated through the use of an FTP site. The shots are transferred into an offline editing system such as an Avid or Final Cut Pro, where they are assembled. Next, the producer, director, and the editor view the picture and call retakes. Although a number of retakes may be fixed quickly and efficiently in-house by an editor, others may be better addressed at their source and are therefore compiled as a list of retakes to be sent to the subcontractor. While they wait for these retakes or shot fixes to be completed, the editor continues to edit the picture. As revised takes are received, they are viewed and upon approval, are cut into the picture. If the shots are problematic, further retakes are called.

Monitoring the calling of retakes is an important area to manage. An up-front agreed-upon percentage of iterations allowed by key decision makers is essential. That way everyone is on the same page as to how many changes can be made based on a project's fiscal parameters. The production tracking system is an excellent tool for the line producer or production manager to keep a close check on the retakes called and maintain control of the budget. This system should be structured to track the percentage of changes made on each shot in order to identify and avoid potential overages as early as possible. Now that instant fixes in the Avid or Final Cut Pro, and efficient digital deliveries from subcontractors make the turnaround of a retake faster than ever, some executives or directors may think that gives them more freedom to call out additional retakes. For example, if a note is called to speed up a cut by taking out every other frame in a shot, this is much more easily achieved digitally than if a negative cutter were assigned such a time-consuming manual task. But even if they are faster, retakes still cost time and money and should be carefully managed.

As time and resources are almost always limited when postproduction commences, the team may decide to agree on a “could be better” (or a “cbb”) list in which the shots are prioritized to be fixed based on their significance in the story. Although the ideal scenario would be to retake all shots as many times as needed until they are perfect, budget and schedule restrictions do not allow this option. Sometimes the producer may have to lock picture before all of the final shots are received, due to time limitations. In this configuration, the editor can replace an incorrect shot with a corrected one as long as the duration of it has not changed. It is important to establish a coding system in order to make sure the proper version of the shot progresses through the production pipeline and makes it into the final cut. Either a new shot number can be assigned to the corrected shot or letters of the alphabet can be added to the numbers for the purposes of efficient and consistent identification.

After all of the approved shots are cut in, the picture can be locked. A locked cut or a “locked picture” technically means that the length of the show is set in stone. However, “locked picture” takes on a different meaning pending the project's format, budget, and timeline. Theoretically, it should no longer be possible to change a single frame. Realistically, however, most directors try to do fixes on shots up until the final moment: it is therefore critical that the producer and post-production supervisor collaborate with the director to agree upon and balance which fixes are necessary. On feature productions, for example, both music and sound effects spotting take place before picture lock in order to prepare the film for test screenings and also to give the composer and sound effects editor ample time to tweak and perfect their work to match the picture. On television series, in contrast, it is common for audio post-production steps to follow once the picture has been officially locked.

Test Screenings

For film projects, there are usually a few test screenings scheduled. The purpose of these screenings is to get feedback from a targeted audience about the clarity of the story and character arcs, for example. In the case of a comedy, it is also important to check that the humor is playing well with the audience. Depending on the results, additional test screenings may need to be scheduled to allow for feedback on revisions made based on the initial response, which can include adding and deleting shots.

Determining the best time to schedule a test screening is very challenging on an animated project as the average audience member may not respond well to “work-in-progress” shots. Since they are not accustomed to seeing a rough cut of the film, it is important to explain up front that the picture is accompanied with temporary music, voices, and sound effects. As a general rule, the first screening should ideally take place after at least 50 percent of the animation has been completed and enough color shots have been cut in to give the audience a sense of the picture's look. With that said, it is best to have as many completed shots in the reels as possible. At the same time, the longer you wait, the more expensive the potential changes are, because the shots have gone farther down the production pipeline and are therefore are more costly to revise.

Music

Music plays a central role in animated projects. It creates mood, atmosphere, pacing, and momentum. On feature productions, the first foray into the project's requirements for music takes place when the picture editor builds temporary music track to complement the intention of the show. By hearing the choice of music or the score, the viewer should be able to define the picture in terms of its genre (thriller, musical, comedy, etc.). The score is realized by the composer. As early as the script stage (if possible), it is helpful for the director to meet with the composer and share his or her vision in order to get the composer thinking about the project's creative needs and how the music can serve them. The composer's primary goal is to capture the essence of the project and create an original score to match.

Producers have to take into consideration three elements when the time comes to selecting a composer: talent, budget, and schedule. On lower-budget productions, they can contact music agents, who submit sample reels of their clients. Up and coming composers—especially those who work on the team of more established composers in the business—are also good options to consider for lower-budget projects. The producer and director choose the best candidates and forward their names to the buyer/ executive. Depending on the experience level and style of music sought, they may decide to test a few composers in order to determine the best match for the project. On productions with higher budgets, the producer—in collaboration with the buyer/executive and the director—makes contact with agents representing wellestablished composers. Some studios also have a music department in place to handle such communications with composers. The advantages to selecting “A-list” composers are the quality of their work and the potential revenue on soundtrack sales. This level of talent tends to be very hands-on throughout the course of production. Due to the lengthy schedule of features, however, these composers have limited availability, as they can work on only a few projects in a year, and a deal should be put into place as early as possible to ensure that they can be involved. (For information on the role of the composer in relation to producing songs, see Chapter 8, “Pre-production.”)

Once the composer has been selected and the negotiations have been completed, the composer meets with the director and producer to go through the project's key sequences using the script or storyboards as the basis for their discussion. Articulating musical needs is very difficult. Thus, the composer must function as a detective in search of clues. He or she has to understand the director on an instinctive level. The director, on the other hand, should refer the composer to other pieces of music and freely share his or her emotional reactions. It is up to producer to do everything in his or her power to keep the communication line between the director and composer as clear as possible to ensure they are both in sync. It also falls on the producer's—or, more likely, the post-production supervisor's—shoulders to inform the composer of the project's specific needs, such as the date by which the score needs to be completed.

On higher-budget projects, it is common to hire a music editor. The extent of the music editor's role varies from project to project but is typically focused on creating a temporary music track. This “temp” track then serves as a solid guideline for the composer with regard to the tone and emotion that the director is trying to achieve. The official music spotting session takes place when the director and composer review the film together, going through shot-by-shot and discussing where cues start and stop and which parts should play without a score in the background. On feature productions, both the picture editor and the music editor also participate in this meeting. Ideally, the next step for the composer is to put together a full mockup/synthetic orchestration (also called d) for each cue or key sequence. The producer and the director hear and sign off on each cue until the entire score has been generated and approved. Depending on the extent of the involvement of the buyer/executive, final approval of the score may or may not require their input.

For orchestrated projects, far in advance of the completion and approval of the score, the producer, the music department (if applicable), the post-production supervisor, and the composer set recording dates. Time must be allotted for the composer to work with an arranger to prepare the score for performance by an orchestra. The composer will often have a scoring stage of preference, and the music department or post-production supervisor will then book the stage and coordinate all other details. He or she will communicate the required number of sessions, the number of musicians per session, the picture playback format, and the recording format to the individual responsible for setting up the stage. The composer then employs a contractor to assemble an orchestra based on the project's allotted budget and schedule. (For more detailed information on this topic, see Chapter 6, “The Production Plan.”) An average orchestra can range anywhere from 60 to 100 musicians. The studio or producer may opt to hire world-renowned orchestras based in cities such as London, Los Angeles, and New York. On the other hand, due to budget restraints, some productions may choose to go non-union or travel to other places where costs are lower and they can “buy out” the talent in order to avoid paying union rates or residuals. This method can result in substantial cost savings, as typically a buy-out is a one-time fee.

For projects with limited budgets and time, such as television shows, the composer will write a score but cut costs in areas such as orchestration. Under these circumstances, the composer may choose to create the score by combining an electronic score mockup produced with a computer or digital audio workstation (DAW) and augment it with some live recording. Often, before the show is returned from the subcontractor, the composer compiles a library of original musical themes and character cues. Portions of the score, or cues, for these kinds of productions are frequently reused in order to have full musical accompaniment for the entire show.

After the score has been recorded, the music editor oversees the music mix under the guidance of the composer, creating music mixdowns and then editing the score to picture. Musimixdo are the process whereby all the instrument recordings are mixed down to a manageable number of tracks. In this process, the instruments in the same family are grouped together and referred to st, such as the brass stem or the woodwind stem. Stems represent the individual pre-mixed groups that make up the final music mix. The use of stems allows the re-recording mixers to emphasize—or if need be, to remove—certain instruments during the final mix.

Once completed, the final recording is delivered as a Pro-Tools session to the dub, or final mixing stage. At this point, the score is ready for the mix, which combines the music and audio in the final audio track for the project. For more information on how the music track is integrated with the picture, see Figures 10-1 and 10-2.

Audio Post-production

Spotting Sessions

In the sound spotting session, every shot is evaluated from the point of view of how audio can best enhance or add clarity to the storytelling. During this session, the director and producer determine specifically where music and sound effects should be placed. Usually, there are two different spotting sessions—sound spotting and music spotting; however, whenever possible, combining the two sessions to ensure that everyone is in sync is highly recommended, as everything needs to work together sonically in the final mix. In either case, the producer must facilitate opportunities for as much cross-talk between the groups as necessary.

During a spotting session, the project's creative needs, technical issues, and the schedule are discussed. In television, a sound spotting session is usually held once the picture is locked because the budgets are very limited and there is usually no money or time for the sound team to put their energy into reconforming the audio to a revised cut. It is typical for this session to include the producer, the director, the supervising sound editor, and other key members of the audio team. On a feature, sound spotting can take place at various times during production, depending on the project. If time allows, sound spotting may take place before a preview screening. Otherwise, the spotting session takes place several months before the final mix. The director, the picture editor, and the post-production supervisor or producer go through the show with the supervising sound editor and key members of the audio team such as the dialogue editor and sound designer. As early as the creation of the story reel/animatic, the picture editor builds a working “temp” audio track that contains the original dialogue, a temp music score, and temp effects. This track is all done to timecode, which is an electronic indexing method that denotes hours, minutes, seconds, and frames (00:00:00:00) elapsed. While the sound spotting session is in progress, the working temp track is used as a template to guide the direction of the audio. The temporary effects and music helps provide a sound designer with a more rounded view of the project's requirements.

After the sound spotting and music spotting sessions have been completed, the music track and sound effects/dialogue tracks are worked on concurrently.

Sound Effects Design and Editing

Sound effects can range from animal calls to spaceships zooming by to the ambient noise made by an air conditioner running in a shot's background. They play an important role in conveying the overall tone and emotion of a project. They also help place the viewer in the story's setting and time frame by adding the applicable atmospheric ambience. The key person on this team responsible for the overall sound style of a project is the supervising sound editor. Once the spotting session is complete, the supervising sound editor goes through the show and cues the various sounds to be created and/or taken from a sound effects library. On shows with a large enough budget for original sound effects, the supervising sound editor works with a sound designer to develop the sound style for a project. It is this person's job to create original and unique sounds that do not exist in a sound library. On some productions, the term “sound designer” is used to describe the person who is responsible for the overall sound of the final track.

Once designed sounds are created, they are combined with sounds taken from a library and are then edited to picture. Using the cue sheets as a guideline, the sound effects editor selects sounds and synchronizes them to picture. It is the sound effects editor's job to cover all sounds, including the backgrounds. Backgrounds or atmospheres (also known ambience tra) are ongoing sounds such as room tones, freeway noise, a refrigerator hum in the kitchen, or an underground rumble.

Dialogue Editing and Automatic Dialogue Replacement

Dialogue editing takes place throughout production as lines are recorded, re-recorded, inserted into, and deleted from the picture. As a project nears completion, the director and the picture editor in partnership with the dialogue editor or automatic dialogue replacement supervisor go through the picture to determine what lines need to be edited or replaced. New dialogue is acquired through automatic dialogue replacement (ADR), which is the process of recording new dialogue or re-recording old lines that have poor audio quality. This process is also known looping. In preparation for the final mix, the dialogue editor adjusts the sync and cleans up audio (deleting lip smacks or pops, for example) on each shot. In order to do this, he or she looks for alternative lines, replaces syllables within words to correct pronunciation, or fixes audio glitches.

The dialogue editor works with the director to assess what additional dialogue will be required for shots that can't be fixed, in addition to off-camera lines needed to clear up plot points, for example. These select lines are then compiled and put to timecode in order to generate the ADR cue sheet. Meanwhile, a studio is booked and the voice talent is scheduled to do the recording work to “pick up” their various lines in what is known as an ADR session. Depending on the number of actors needed, this work is usually handled over multiple sessions, as it is not always easy to schedule the talent. The rule of thumb is 12 to 18 lines per hour, depending on the actor's abilities. It may be a single actor required or loop group, which is a collection of voice actors hired to do miscellaneous character voices, crowd noises, and other wild sounds as needed. During the ADR session, the cued line is played for the actor to provide timing and tonality. The actor is then recorded while performing the line in sync to the picture. Next, the dialogue editor takes the ADR lines and edits them in sync with the picture.

Foley Sessions

Foley is the creation of those sounds that involve performance in sync with physical movement. Foley work is created in a studio that offers many different props and elements specifically developed by Foley artists for generating sounds in sync to the picture. Sounds that would emanate from actions such as footsteps, cloth movement, and punching are all examples of audio elements that are recreated during a Foley session. After the appropriate sounds are selected during the spotting session, they are cued to timecode by the Foley supervisor. On the Foley stage, the sounds are created according to the cue sheets by the Foley artist(s) and are later edited into the picture by a Foley editor.

Pre-mix

The purpose ofpre-mix, also known aspre-mix, is to combine like sound elements to reduce an extreme number of tracks—a streamlining effort that helps expedite the final mix. This step is specific to high-end productions that include a very full soundtrack chock-full of dialogue, effects, music, and Foley. In this scenario, because the number of tracks far exceeds the capabilities of a mixing board, a pre-mix session is in order. On features, for example, the tracks are often organized into 5.1 splits and pre-mixed to save time. This process is handled by rerecording mixers and is usually done prior to a director reviewing the sound during the final mix. If this mixer is not also one of the editors on the project, it is usually the first time he or she has had the opportunity to preview the audio. By doing a pre-mix, the mixer can become familiar with the sound track and is more easily able to control the different audio elements during the final mix, making the process much more creatively efficient and costand time-effective.

Final Mix

The final mix, also referred to asfinal club, is where the dialogue, Foley, sound effects, and music are combined by one to three mixers, each having different specialties. Depending on the talent and studio, there will typically be a music, a dialogue, and an effects mixer, or some combination of the three. A final mix can take as little as a day and as long as a month, depending on the resources and the format of a project.

During the final mix, the mixer has the option to use the pre-mixed tracks or, if necessary, can return to the original elements of that section provided by the editorial team and adjust the levels accordingly. Separate dialogue, music, and sound effects (including Foley) stems are created in this session. These stems are used to create the final audio deliverables for a project. In addition, 6-tracks (also called a 5.1) and 2-tracks (LtRt track) are created. According to the buyer's delivery requirements, the producer determines the mix format for the show (Dolby Digital, DTS, or SDDS) and handles all license fees and legal agreements involved with the chosen format or formats.

Once the show is mixed, there is usually a final playback of all reels in which key people, including the director, the producer, and/or the buyer/executive review the material and give final notes. Fixes communicated at the final playback are handled during additional mix sessions scheduled as a part of the plan. For theatrical releases, final mixes must always be approved in a large auditorium in order for the audio levels to match the bigger venues.

Audio Deliverables

Every project has a predetermined set of deliverables. The producer must take into account all such items during the budgeting and planning stage of a production, as these requirements directly affect a budget. There are various formats and multiple release mediums for a final picture: for example, domestic 6-track, domestic 2-track stereo, and 5.1 channel music and effects master (M&E). Additional deliveries can include 7.1 audio, a “near field” mix designed for home entertainment such as DVD and Blu-ray releases, and vision-impaired tracks, which describe the action.

Printmasters

Once the final mix is signed off on, the various final mix stems are combined to create the finished audio tracks including what are called tprintmast; the M&E; and the mono or stereo dialogue, music, and effects master (DM&E). Printmasters are created based on the final delivery format requirements for the project. For television, typically the domestic 2-track stereo master is “layed back” or placed on the master tape output. For film, a soundtrack negative is created from the appropriate printmasters. This negative may contain more than one printmaster format and is used to make the composite print (sound and picture) as well as the release prints using different digital audio formats (for example, SDDS, SRD, or DTS).

Music and Effects (M&E)

In order for a project to be sold worldwide, M&E master must be created. During this process, the music and sound effects stems are used to produce a mix that does not contain the original dialogue because it will be replaced overseas. This version is used in foreign countries that in turn translate the original dialogue into their respective language and hire actors to ADR or loop the lines to match the time code of the picture. These lines are then mixed together with the M&E.

Dialogue, Music, and Effects (DM&E)

The DM&E is used in the creation of ancillary needs and products in the domestic market. Video game production, trailer creation, and other marketing and licensing needs can draw upon this master, using all of the materials or separating them as needed.

Picture Post-production

Conform

The final editing session in which the locked master picture is created is known as the conform, or online assembly. The items needed for an online session are as follows: all source material, the deliverable technical specifications from the buyer/executive, and the edit decision list (or EDL) based on the offline cut.

The EDL is a complete notation of every final edit made on the project. The online editor uses the highest-quality original elements to match the low-resolution editorial cut through an EDL assembly process. The conform can be a much smoother and more efficient process if the materials come into the session with consistent naming conventions through all phases of work. The producer should oversee the establishment of such a system from the earliest story reel efforts through all versions of the updated reel throughout production to facilitate this consistency. Another important delivery detail to ensure is that the EDL frame rate is consistent with that used in the post-production process. Technically, the merge of sound and picture for video material is 23.98 frames per second (fps). If one element is running at 24 fps, while the other is running at 23.98 fps, the picture and sound will lose sync almost instantly. If the rate specification is not set up accurately from the start, it can mean a difference of a slow week versus a few efficient hours of conforming effort required by the post-production team.

Once all of the visual elements are properly assembled in the online system, color grading can begin.

Color Grading/Color Timing

The adjustment of color on film or video in terms of its contrast, hue, tint, brightness, saturation, and density is referred to color grading, color timing, or color balanc. This process of finding the right balance of color elements is complicated by the many possible end outputs required for an animated project. One of many playback options that can affect this process is whether it will be viewed using mono or stereoscopic projection. The size of the screening rooms and differing screen materials and various powered projectors can also play a role. When it comes to television broadcast outlets, it could be viewed in either high or standard definition or stereo. This process must also take into account whether the final format is DVD, Blu-ray, or other home entertainment options, or—most challenging—some combination of the aforementioned outputs. On a high-budget theatrical release, there can be as many as 20 color gamuts that encompass various continuity and balancing efforts in order to accommodate all of the possible screening options.

Color continuity work involves checking that transitions from one shot to another are contiguous and making sure the frames do not appear too light or too dark while in the same setting, for example. Color balance is the practice of getting the neutral colors to look neutral. This step can also be callwhite balanc. It is often helpful to use a waveform monitor and vector scope to help adjust the pure white elements in a scene to be white while making the pure black elements in a scene black. These scopes are calibrated to help see exactly how the colors are represented. Once these two extremes are set, it generally forces all of the colors in between to fall into place fairly closely, thus providing a great place for the start of color timing. Hue correction is needed in order for characters and objects to have a consistent appearance throughout a project. Shrek looking the same color green from start to finish is an example of where hue correction is used. All of this work should be completed under the watchful eye of the project's director and art director.

The type of projection system that is to be used for a stereoscopic or 3D show should also be factored in the formatting of the project's final output. Otherwise, technical glitches that may appear include ghosting, floating windows, or vertical misalignment, all of which must be addressed appropriately. For exampleghost—a slight offset of an onscreen image—can take place when a bright object is set against a dark background and appears to have a double image because some of the light that is intended for one eye is also registered by the other. This artifact is more likely to happen when there is great contrast within an image, and it can be eliminated by darkening the lights or lightening the darks of the image onscreen. In general, the edges of the image will always appear to “fall off” the screen, and the projected images will appear darker overall because of the polarized filters on the projection device, or the audience's eyewear, or both, in some systems. Care must be taken to make sure that the proper convergence is used within a shot, drawing the audience's eye to clearly catch the desired focal point and not giving the viewers a sense of motion sickness in the process.

Now that digital finishing has replaced a good deal of traditional lab work, the whole process is much faster and less expensive. For example, with digital finishing, post-production facilities can utilize color look-up tables (also known as LUTs) that have a strong influence on the appearance of the final piece, by creating a color space that is appropriate to and remains consistent within the desired output. Special 3D LUTs can be generated to help map any color to another color automatically without the use of a color timer. These efforts are far more manageable than when working with film, as there are many other factors that can play into making film color inconsistent from the start. These include the film's temperature, age, exposure, and stock.

Knowing your required deliverables and trusting the advice of the post-production supervisor will help you make wise decisions as to what will serve your project as the most adaptable and efficient color space target(s). Your budget will also dictate whether you have the means to color time to seven different grades or just two, for example.

The Element Reel

In the case of a television series, element reel should be created. This reel is a master videotape or digital storage device upon which various repeat elements are placed. These items include: the title sequence (both the standard and the textless version, which is used in international distribution), main and end credits (if they are the same per episode), studio and distributor logos, union logos, and so on. As the show is assembled, the element reel helps the editor use his or her time efficiently. Rather than having to work from different source reels or needing to go back to the Avid, having all these materials on one tape is a far better organizational approach. When the series is complete, the element reel is archived with all of the master episodes.

Credits (Main/Opening and End)

The credits list all talent and production staff who have worked on a project. They can typically be seen at the beginning and end of a show, depending upon the agreed-upon style and format. The placement and size of the main credits and some end credits are based on deals negotiated with key talent prior to the start of production. Main credits typically include a show's producer, director, and celebrity talent. The end credits include everyone else. There is a standard order and hierarchy that closing credits follow, with key talent at the beginning and departments following in the order of production process.

The producer collaborates with the legal/business affairs department as they generate the credits and send it to the buyer/executive for approval weeks in advance of the due date. A list of names, titles, and facilities used with the correct spelling is compiled and kept up to date throughout the course of production by the associate producer or production manager. On television episodes, the producer has to adhere to a specific time allotment for credits. Feature and direct-to-DVD credits have more flexibility in terms of the number of people listed and the pacing of the credit roll. The size and font of the credits are chosen or designed by the producer and director. The visual style of the credits may be influenced by the color and font of the main title sequence of the project. In the case of a film, the credits may have to work around outtakes or other special footage created specifically for the closing of the film. After final sign-off, credits are often sent to a title house to be timed out for a crawl if that is the chosen style of presentation. They are returned to the post-production team digitally to be assembled with the rest of the final visual elements.

Closed Captioning

Closed caption refers to the display of text on the screen that provides the viewer with audio related information. It includes dialogue, the name of the speaker(s), and description of music and sound effects. This process typically takes place as the last step on a television series after the episode has undergone final quality control and before delivery.

Textless Versions

Any content that has written material within it requires that a textless version be created, which is necessary for foreign distribution, as each country/territory has very specific distribution regulations and specifications. Key areas of concern are the main and end title sequences and possibly the credits. Depending on the situation, additional shots may also need to be provided. If subtitles or burn-ins have been used in shots or sequences, a textless version must be made so that theatrical exhibitors or TV broadcasters, for example, can create their own translation of the description in the non-English-speaking countries. In addition, certain countries may require a neutral version of shots that include any written signs integral to the story, such as “Danger,” in which such signage is blank. Neutral versions would utilize a symbol or icon instead of a written word, so that its intent can be recognized and understood by a wide range of audiences across the world, thus eliminating the need to make specific translations for every country.

Final Delivery

On a feature project, once the picture has been color-timed and the soundtrack negative is created, they are combined to produce the first married check print. A check print is created to make sure that all the elements are lined up as intended and that the sound track is in sync with the picture. After that, there are a series of answer print sessions, where color is judged and corrected by the film color timer. Each time a note is made, a new print has to be processed and judged again, until it is finally approved and deemed ready for release printing.

A similar process occurs when creating a video master for television broadcast or digital cinema projection. Depending on the budget and the number of prints required, a digital negative can be created from the original digital intermediate (DI) files. From this negative, an answer print is struck and approved. Once the answer print is approved, the negative is used to create an interpositive, which in turn is used to generate an internegative. In the past, release printing was done using the internegative, but more recently, the internegative and interpositive technique has been used for archival purposes and release printing in foreign markets; domestic release printing is done directly with the original digital negatives. For digital projection theaters, the DI files are tweaked to the appropriate color space and used to create a digital cinema package (DCP), which is then sent out to the various theaters on hard drives, loaded onto their servers, and unlocked using a special electronic key that tells the server how long the package can play for. The key is an important element of the DCP playback, as it helps thwart piracy by allowing the content to play only at specific times. The same DI files can be further color corrected and used to create high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) masters for home entertainment formats that include Blu-ray, NTSC, PAL, and Internet downloads, as well as a 4 × 3 version that is frequently used by airlines.

Throughout the post-production stage, there are numerous review phases that are referred to quality control (QC). This procedure is necessary so that it can be determined whether all audio, video, or film materials meet the delivery requirements from a technical standpoint and that there are no errors in any of the master materials. In the case of a film, if it is to be released in a variety of outputs (SDDS, DTS, SRD, SR, etc.), it needs one review for visual, another for sound, and a third for sync quality for each different output version. Typically, the post-production supervisor is responsible for overseeing this process. In the case of the audio QC, a sound supervisor may handle this work. It is usual for final QC to include all principal stakeholders such as the director and the producer because this is the last step before the project is delivered to the client/buyer.

Final Deliverables

At this stage, the project is finally ready to be aired, massproduced on DVDs, released in theaters, or digitally delivered on hard drives as an option. Formats for delivery of the final product vary from project to project, such as the composite answer print or 35 mm release print for film; a DCP for digital projection; an HD CAM with (8-track) split-track audio for broadcast distribution; an NTSC digibeta CAM, PAL, or SECAM masters, or other digital data tape for the creation of international transfers, other various masters, and archival needs. In the case of the Internet, it may be as simple as a QuickTime file. Other deliverables include some or all of the following: the final conformed script; final credits; the original negative, the interpositive, and a low-contrast print; the textless background; the work print; the magnetic master composite mix; the music and effects track; music cue sheets; song lyrics; the composer's score; a compilation of all original deals; and clean DVDs for ancillary partners.

Some studios and distributors may accept all elements digitally; others require film outputs and hard copies of other materials. Again, all of these items should be clearly delineated with the releasing studio, production, or distribution partner far in advance to avoid any surprises to the budget or schedule this late in the process.

Archiving

The producer and post-production supervisor should make sure that the following elements are archived properly for future reference and reuse:

• Omitted scenes
• Checkpoint and preview screenings (saved on tape)
• Visual elements (masters)
• Audio elements (masters)
• Logs from ADR and original voice recording sessions
• Subtitles (also foreign language elements)
• Closed captioning
• Pre-dubs
• Custom sound effects library
• Digital delivery elements (digital masters on data tape; LTO-4 or LTO-5 are the current standards)
• Publicity stills
• “Making of” videotapes, still photography, screen captures, published articles