Your video post-production phase is where everything comes together for the finished product you envisioned at the start. To ensure that your final video is indeed what you set out to create, you should optimize post-production processes for the best results. Here are some expert tips to get the most from your post-production workflow.
Get organized and stay organized
We always recommend that companies preparing to shoot a video get super organised long before they turn on the camera. This will leave you with documents that help tremendously in post-production, such as:
- Full script
- Storyboards
- Beat sheet
- Shot list
All these help build a sense of what you want the video to look like and how it should build emotionally or engage your audience.
Also, being in an organized frame of mind will carry over throughout the project, which is extra important the more people are involved.
You want to decide in advance the type of files you will use in editing, how assets will be stored and labeled, etc.
Make storage options simple
Avoid the trap of winding up with too many different file types or having your assets scattered all over the place when you hit post-production.
If you work for a sizable enterprise, you probably have the advantage of large hard drives and servers or unlimited cloud storage. Use them!
Consider also how many videos you intend to make in the future. You’ll need more storage space than just for your current video, so plan ahead.
Pro tip: Don’t forget to make backup copies of everything, just in case.
Use the fastest connectivity you can find for efficient post-production workflow
For data offloading and transferring, you want speed. Otherwise, your post-production period will drag on and on when you want to get your video to market as soon as possible.
To improve your connectivity, you’ll need:
- Fast output ports
- The right cables (e.g., USB-C to USB-C, without an intermediary)
- The ability to offload as much media simultaneously as possible (vs. one asset at a time)
Embrace cloud technology and remote resources in post-production
Like many other aspects of business, cloud technology has revolutionized video making.
Now you can store files and access them from anywhere, and collaborating with other people on your video has never been easier, including remote editing.
To optimize post-production workflow when working together from separate locations, you want to clearly delineate who is working on what and who is responsible if questions arise.
You also want to sort out how multiple editors will stay in sync with each other if working far apart. Usually, locking sequences keeps editors from accidentally overlapping with each other’s work.
Assemble a rough cut first
Just like with films you see in theaters, you’ll put together a rough cut of your video first before creating the finished product.
This lets you see if your desired timeframe matches up with reality and ensures your story is progressing logically or building emotionally for the marketing impact you crave.
You should timestamp spots where you need to make changes or add elements like special effects.
Some software even lets you collect commentary from multiple sources at different time points so you have feedback all in one area.
Make VFX communication straightforward
If you are adding special effects, communication with your VFX person is essential. First, mark places where effects go so your VFX team knows exactly where to place them.
Sometimes a place card needs to be inserted, especially if you are adding animated sequences. Additionally, wait until you have a rough cut available before adding effects, as your VFX folks will need context for the best results.
Check color and lighting
Hopefully, you’ve already optimized your shoot with the best lighting and lighting filters to begin with.
But post-production is your opportunity to get color and lighting perfect. Depending on your unique video, color correction or effects may be done either simultaneously with VFX or separately.
Fair warning: doing this in-house can be tricky and time-consuming if you don’t have the right equipment — hardware, software, and plug-ins — and experience.
This portion of post-production is often outsourced for this reason. The wrong colors can affect the entire mood of your video.
If you’re aiming for specific tone ranges for emotional impact (the color is highly correlated to different goals in marketing), having the wrong color correction can be disastrous.
Add audio and mixing last
This part of post-production lets you really create the mood or message you’re going for with music, sound effects, and the like.
And, of course, this is where you make sure your audio — recorded separately — is perfectly synced up with your visuals. A few expert tips for you here:
- Don’t forget to secure the rights to any music you use.
- If your video will be shown globally, you need international music rights.
- You can purchase inexpensive music and sound effects from multiple online platforms.
- This is your opportunity to choose between subtitles or dubbed audio if your video will be available in other languages.
Review, evaluate, tweak, and document
Finally, you want to give your video the once-over to make sure it’s what you want and your team is on board.
Make any changes before your release, ensuring the quality is up to your corporate standards, which viewers will expect from enterprise-level companies. It’s helpful to have a fresh set of eyes here to check for things like continuity errors, misspellings in graphics, and the like.
If you document this and the steps before it, you’ll be much better prepared for the post-production of your next video.
Let Shootsta Pro optimize post-production and streamline your video creation
If all this post-production workflow sounds overwhelming, finds you out of your technical wheelhouse, or seems beyond your budget, there’s an easy solution. Shootsta Pro is the happy medium between in-house post-production and complete outsourcing. Our professional editors, local to your area, can turn around a video in as little as 24 hours. You get to have as much or as little input as you like.
Partnering with Shootsta Pro, which is a cloud-based subscription service, is more cost-effective than buying all the equipment you need for post-production or sending your video out for editing.
And with multiple integrations and options, the sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity.
