Post-Production

Hey, Cyrus Sales. Congratulations! Incredible job on the music video! It's creative!

Silence can be important/scary in a Horror script, Behnam Hojati. And silence can be important in an Action script, Adventure script, etc. I usually don't plan the silent parts in scenes. I come up with them when I write the script.

You're right, Behnam Hojati. This makes my scripts scarier, and it makes the movies I watch scarier. And using sounds instead of monsters can save money when filming a movie.

Maurice Vaughan "Absolutely, that’s a great point. Sound not only heightens fear but also stretches imagination; it forces the audience to fill the unseen with their own dread. In a way, the best monsters are the ones we never actually see, only hear. Appreciate your insight, my friend."

Behnam Hojati Could not agree more. Horror is all about tension and anticipation, and sound is the invisible hand guiding the audience’s fear. That subtle undercurrent, the quiet before the chaos, is where the real dread lives. It’s fascinating how a single, well-placed sound can trigger more emotion than anything visual ever could.

Exactly. The best horror I’ve ever seen is invisible felt, not shown. That quiet dread that creeps in before you even know why. Lately, especially post-COVID, a lot of horror feels rushed or overexposed, showing too much too soon. It takes away the tension that beautiful discomfort of being fully in the moment, waiting for the unseen to strike.

So excited for this one!

Hey, Cyrus Sales. You're right. Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is step back for a second and just breathe. I'm on page 53 of a feature script I'm rewriting. I started rewriting the script earlier this week. Finishing the script is my main goal for Stage 32's November Write Club.

That’s exciting to hear you’re in post production. I’d suggest making a post in the Job Offers section here on Stage 32 — it’s a great way to connect directly with post-production houses and talent who are looking for projects like yours. Wishing you the best as you bring your short film to the finish line!

Thanks. I was able to land one. Cheers..!

Congratulations on landing a post-production house, Kerson Raymond!

Totally agree a good transition, whether in film or script, carries the rhythm of the story. Appreciate your thoughts, Maurice.

With the technical and financial barriers to entry into the film industry all but dissolving, we are experiencing a natural and unavoidable dilution of accomplished work, and an increase in the mediocre and unsophisticated. When I got into the industry, a 35mm camera could cost a quarter million dollars (for real!) and it took a decade or more of experience on set in a camera department before anyone would trust you to light a scene on a real film. Editing was no different - a very specialized skill done under the direction or collaboration with an accomplished director who, by definition, was a superior storyteller. You learned by working with very experienced people in a very elite industry. Now, anyone with a cell phone and editing app thinks they can be a filmmaker. That lack of experience - and a lack of knowledge and respect for what has gone before - is what you are seeing, IMO. It goes all the way up to the top producers in the major studios. So often I see and hear "new" ideas - visual or technical or plot or structure or theme - that were masterfully done in the 1920s or 30s or 40s, as an example.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg I completely agree with your point, Shadow. From my perspective too, classic films achieved a stronger balance between industry and art.

Audiences back then could feel that balance — they paid for a story that truly delivered both craft and emotion.

Nowadays, especially in horror and action, many films follow the same formula: a group of people goes somewhere strange, chaos starts, and there’s nothing new to offer.

Even worse, they often use up all their tension and spectacle too early, leaving the rest empty and predictable.

The real masters knew how to pace emotion, rhythm, and creativity so the story stayed alive until the end. That balance is something we’ve almost lost.

I get what you’re saying, Behnam Hojati. There’s something about raw, intentional edits that really let the emotion breathe — imperfections can actually make a scene feel more alive. While technical precision is important, I agree that chasing flawless transitions at the expense of tension and feeling can sometimes drain a film of its soul. I’d take an edit with heart over perfection any day.

Cyrus Sales You’re absolutely right,

Those intentional imperfections the ones that carry a bit of unpredictability are often what make a cut feel human. I think when an editor embraces rhythm and emotion over technical polish, the story starts to breathe on its own.

Perfection might impress the eye, but imperfection touches the heart.

Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful take — it’s great to connect with someone who values that same pulse in editing.

7stcut

That was fun to watch, Ashley Renee Smith. I write scripts that'll probably have CGI in them. The effects in Interstellar are some of the most satisfying I've seen.

Ashley Renee Smith This looks so fun! I love how satisfying VFX can combine technical precision with pure visual delight. It’s the kind of work that makes people stop and just appreciate the craft. For me, some of the most satisfying effects are perfectly timed simulations or transitions that feel seamless yet impactful, where every little detail just clicks.

Caught this the other week. One of the best VFX breakdowns I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

This is dope. Love seeing a compositing supervisor break down the craft — always inspiring to learn how these techniques push creative boundaries.

I have sometimes spent hours cleaning poor sound. Yes, there are is software to do that. But it takes time. And sometimes you have bad luck. So better try to record in the best possible way. Besides, if you want those who are in front of the mic to behave in a professional way, you should show that you are professional. So it can save you trouble to spend money on entry level professional equipment.

Ashley Renee Smith I haven’t experimented with A.I. yet, but I made it a goal at the beginning of the year to get more familiar with it and see if it’s something I’d be interested in adding to my workflow. Thank you for sharing this — it’s a great starting point, especially with how fast everything in post-production is evolving.

Wow! That's incredible, Pat Alexander! It looks so real! This technology is a game changer.

Thanks for sharing Pat!

Pat Alexander Great share. In truth though this has been done for several years, integrated even with Unreal Engine and other apps, as well as projections. The cost of high-pixel density LED screens has been dropping drastically over the last decade. This has given rise to many "virtual studios" large and small. The main difference I see here is the robot controlled platform, which is very specialized tech. But without it, it's still completely convincing, so long as you plan your shots accordingly. They talk about advantages over green screen, which is true. But the real advantage is in production costs. You don't need to have your cast and a big road crew on location for days and weeks - you can have a small b-unit take your background footage and then your talent comes into studio for one day. That's the production advantage.

I am developing few graphics/poster for some upcoming shorts

Ugo Cavallo this is exciting! How are the posters coming along? Are you planning to share on stage 32 so we can get a glimpse on the final product?

Working through the last few cg plates on an indy fantasy movie (perhaps episodic shorts, TBD) shot on the other side of the country. Four months of blood spatter, limb severs, and the occasional decapitation by sword. It's been... interesting.

Peter Bowdidge That sounds wild — definitely a lot of intense work. Congrats on pushing through those final CG plates. Indie fantasy projects always come with their own kind of creative chaos, but they make for some of the best stories afterward.

Hello Cyrus Sales thanks for asking! I shared something in the lounge "anything around" and "your stage". I wish I could find a propoerly place to share without feeling "out of the water" if you know what I mean. ^_^

Meanwhile let me attach here my version of an Halloween Classic ..