Post-Production

Whether you’re an editor, sound editor, Foley artist, compositor, VFX specialist or work in any profession related to the post-production process, this is the place to discuss, share content and offer tips and advice on your chosen craft of the business in general

Hello Everyone! This is my first post to Stage 32, and hopefully the first of many. My goal is to post at least one sizzle breakdown a month because I have commitment issues, but I'll be sure to post more frequently if I can.

The goal of my Cinematic Sizzle Breakdown Series is to share some of my wo...

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The goal of my Cinematic Sizzle Breakdown Series is to share some of my work in the sizzle reel market, and hopefully provide some valuable insights into what goes into these pieces. Furthermore, if you're in the market to have a sizzle reel made for your event, advertisement, or your own personal reel, please feel free to reach out. I'm particularly interested in working with brands such as Peacock, Max, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Netflix, and Hulu.

THE BREAKDOWN:

The Beginning: I was honored to have the American Cinematheque reach out to me as they were looking to have a short sizzle made to open their inaugural Tribute to the Crafts event. This event is designed to celebrate all of the crew that put their hearts into each project but don't always get the recognition they deserve. They wanted something that did their honorees justice, while providing an energy to start off the show that would sustain throughout the entire event.

The Parameters: The client was looking for a 2 - 3 minute sizzle that featured 11 titles specific to the award winners.

The Process: The majority of titles for this event were powerful dramatic projects, which was suited well for a dramatic music piece to go along with it. The music is arguably the most important part of the process in any sizzle video. This was one of my earlier sizzle projects and I used this opportunity to experiment with cuts matched to heavier beat hits. Perhaps the best example of this is at the end of the sizzle. Many trailer music type songs have a building effect and land several heavy hits towards the end. It can be challenging to decide exactly how many cuts to implement for beat hits such as these, but I believe I found a nice balance on this one. I was also pleased with how the end card turned out by masking the text with footage behind it.

The Result: The client was thrilled with the end result, and shockingly no adjustments were requested after the first draft (very rare). Normally text for the title name is placed in these sizzles, but the client agreed that this one worked well without titles and because there weren't that many honorees. It was on this sizzle that I received perhaps my highest praise thus far when Joe Walker (Dune: Part One, Arrival, Sicario) mentioned that I have "Amazing milkshakes" during his acceptance speech. You can find the full event on the American Cinematheque's YouTube channel. We were also lucky enough to receive a Bronze Telly Award for this sizzle.

Thank you for taking the time to watch my sizzle, and I hope you found at least some of the information helpful. Subscriptions to my YouTube channel as well as shares are greatly appreciated. If you or anyone you know is in need of their own sizzle, please feel free to reach out to me at ben@bmoregrand.com. I'll see you at the next post!

Hey, Post-Pros!

There are 2 FREE Stage 32 in-person networking meetups coming up next Thursday, October 17th! I'm including links to the meetup pages for you all below. If you live in any of these cities or are nearby, be sure to RSVP and seize this opportunity to meet with other creatives in person...

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Kerry Kennard

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3 people like this
8 months ago

Yes - I can, Cyrus Sales . As a performing musician, I’m also starting composing and making a few dollars Recording Drums / percussion.

I was mixing / mastering a tune late last night; sometimes it’s...

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Cyrus Sales

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2 people like this
- Kerry Kennard
- Maurice Vaughan
8 months ago

Kerry Kennard I'm familiar with burnout myself, I'm still learning new ways to navigate career and personal life but it truly is a enjoyable experience being able to help people in the music world and...

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
8 months ago

Other things to expect- … more ongoing education, and editing your own contracts - ie Split sheets - my own Work for hire contracts.

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Sam Sokolow

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4 people like this
8 months ago

This is great work. Found footage can be such an exciting way to convey tone and intention. Everyone should watch this.

Allen Lynch

Very nice work.

Benjamin Mehr

Thank you Sam Sokolow & Allen!

Ashley Renee Smith

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2 people like this
- Benjamin Mehr
- Maurice Vaughan
8 months ago

This is fantastic, Benjamin Mehr! I'm so glad that you shared this and provided such detailed information for us all!

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2 people like this
- Ashley Renee Smith
- Maurice Vaughan
8 months ago

Thank you Ashley Renee Smith!

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3 people like this
9 months ago

Sayantan Adhikary, I would say some great qualities to have a DI Colorist (or in general) is being ahead of time, simple concept but easy to overlook. Even if you are virtual, being even 5 minutes ear...

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2 people like this
- Pat Savage
- Maurice Vaughan
9 months ago

Ashley Renee Smith I didn't know about these, thank you for sharing and keeping us in the loop!

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1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
9 months ago

Absolutely, Cyrus Sales!

- Tips for Properly Navigating the Stage 32 Platform!

- Pitching Essentials & Resources on Stage 32, Including Upcoming Labs!

- Elements to Include in You...

Sydney S

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2 people like this
- Cyrus Sales
- Benjamin Elliott
9 months ago

Very interesting, will be checking this out for sure! Thanks Sam!

Rebecca James

WOW! Yes! Looks sensational!

Sam Sokolow this was a fun read. I believe if the film is as the article says it will be then you're in for a truly inspiring, thrilling and historic viewing.

It was amazing to read and learn Shackleto...

Sydney S were there any new things you learned or found interesting about the article?

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2 people like this
- Sydney S
- Maurice Vaughan
9 months ago

These meetups are such an amazing opportunity to meet, form deeper relationships, and find collaborators from the Stage 32 community. Flagging this for my network peeps in Phoenix and Austin.

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2 people like this
- Florin Şumălan
- Maurice Vaughan
9 months ago

I skipped to the scoring the film section.

It’s good - some stuff I know and a few good tips.

Yes - I agree Jazz is the more intellectual for corporate , using for corporate. Some scenes, though some scoring may work. / depending on the scene.

I followed Kerry Kennard and skipped to sound design (audio guy). It was fun to watch you all do your foley work. I usually use a sound library however when I do get a chance to do foley, it's always...

Cyrus Sales - do you use real Foley sounds, or any from Logic / ProTools libraries ? Logic has some really interesting sounds. You should check out the Drama piece I did in school - I used a lot of di...

Kerry Kennard I haven't used ProTools library, I have used real foley sounds. I was also given (included in tuition maybe) a pretty extensive library my third semester of college for a post-production...

9 months ago

Thank you for sharing Ashley Renee Smith . I for the most part haven't done much research into AI however in more recent weeks I started using chatgpt more and more (now it's almost daily) so it was n...