Post-Production : Ask Me Anything (AMA) Wednesday 7/31 to Thursday 8/1- How The Post-Production Industry Is Evolving and Changing by Brad Carpenter

Hi, Brad Carpenter! Hope you're doing great and having a great summer! Thanks for having this AMA. My question is your question: What does a Post Production Producer do in relationship to the other producers on a project?

Thanks for being here Brad. Post always amazes me. I look forward to the questions and answers of your AMA.

Hey Brad Carpenter - thanks a ton for having this AMA and spending your day with us. Question: how has post production changed in the last decade? Also, at what point does the job of post begin? Thanks in advance!

Hi Brad Carpenter, thanks for doing this AMA. My question is about AI: A major exec told me that animation is going to be heavily impacted, with a large chunk of animation jobs being replaced by AI in the future. Is something similar going to happen in post-production, or is it already happening? Are there any other ways post-production will be affected?

Hi brBrd,, i deal with post peoduvtion but have recently done deals with studios for video games, do you think when deashows are cancelld by the network that others will tke them.i eam at the moment i am hearing of alot of content being cut also,.

Maurice Vaughn, There are many different types of Producers on a TV show. You have Executive Producers, who would include everyone from the writer/showrunner, to directors who work across the season, non-writing/directing EPs who help manage the overall process, as well as lead cast, who often get EP positions so they can have a say in how their character is written and directed. The Line Producer manages everything on the Production side. The Post Producer, naturally, manages everything on the Post side, from figuring out the vendors for the Lab, Picture Finish and Sound, VFX, Composer Score, Licenced Music, working with EPs to put together a Main Title, and of course Editorial, the heart of the creative storytelling, where we piece all of those dailies together. The Post Producer is a crucial role that works in tandem with all the other departments. It's a leadership position that can make or break a show if it's not executed properly.

Leonardo Ramirez, Over the last 20 years, we've evolved from shooting primarily on film, to a complete digital workflow that carries through final delivery. We've gone from Standard Def (SD), to High Def (HD), to Ultra HD (4K) to High Dynamic Range (HDR), all in the name of giving the viewer a better viewing experience. TVs used to only give you stereo sound, but that gave way to 5.1 surround sound, which eventually improved to 7.1, a truly immersive experience. You know longer have to place speakers all around your apartment A great sound bar can create that experience by carefully bouncing the sound around the room. All of that is made possible because of the advanced way we prepare sound and picture. Even though the name "Post" implies we handle things after filming, that couldn't be further from the truth. Post is involved from the very beginning, when the initial script is broken down in a Concept Meeting that determines how each department is going to pull off the desired effects. Often the trickier stuff is a combination between SFX (Special Effects) done practically on the day, then extended with VFX (Visual Effects), done in Post.

Fahim Hamid. I can imagine that AI will affect animation first, but it hasn't yet made its presence in my world. As per the recent contract negotiations for writers and actors, we are extremely cautious about involving AI in our process.

Catherine Mercer, I'm not really sure how to answer your question. You might need to rephrase (and retype) it for me so I can better assess how to answer it from a Post Production perspective.

Thanks for the answer, Brad Carpenter. What does figuring out the vendors for the Lab mean?

Brad Carpenter Thank you for your generosity in doing this AMA. I imagine post-production takes many steps and more than one eyeball making decisions on what hits the cutting room floor. Who makes the ultimate decision as to what to keep and what to cut or is it a collective group effort? Also, how do post-production rooms differ on each project (in general)?

Brad Carpenter - are there parts of Post Production that are not under your supervision? For instance, once I get funding for my documentary's post production, I don't want to assume a post production company will have everything the movie needs - music, sound design, graphics, etc. Would it be better to have a post production producer to start who would oversee the movie? Or would one of those companies assign a Producer? Does that question make sense?

Maurice Vaughan, There are a number of New York based Post Facilities that handle finishing for Picture and Sound. The term "The Lab" is a holdover from when the film used to be developed, before it became digitized in a process called Telecine, then married up to Sound. We still refer to the vendor handling digital dailies processing as "The Lab." Then there is the DI (Digital Intermediate), which is when we take the offline locked picture and upres it to full resolution. At that point in the process the high res sequence goes through color correction, with VFX getting dropped in for final color as they become ready. Meanwhile the Sound Facility works on a parallel path for sound design, which includes at team of Sound Editors who manage Dialogue and SFX editing, ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement), Foley design. Once all of those sound edit days have been completed, we begin mixing all of those elements, along with Composer score (which requires a Music Editor working with the Composer) and licensed music (with suggestions coming through the Music Supervisor). At the end of the process, final picture and sound are married up together, at which point a list of Deliverables are generated to send to the Network so the show can Air. As you can imagine, all of these teams require intense skill sets and various artistic sensibilities, so part of my job as a NY-based Post Producer is to recommend the colorists and sound teams I like whose facilities also balance the technical acumen necessary to handle the entire complicated process from beginning to end.

Thanks for the in-depth answer, Brad Carpenter!

Debbie Elicksen, The Editor cuts the dailies, then presents their Editor Cut. The Director gets to do their pass, deciding which coverage to cut in, and which coverage to leave out, then the EP/Showrunner does their pass. (Episodic TV is much more of a producer's medium, because Directors come and go throughout the season, but the EPs are tasked with maintaining consistency through the life of a series.) Once the EP is happy with their cut, we send it to the Network, then there's usually a number of cuts with notes and adjustments before we land on a Locked Cut, at which point (hurray!) we move on to Picture and Sound Finishing. As you can see, it's very much a collective collaborative effort. The process does vary according to the tastes of every show, and how much latitude the Network allows the individual EP/Showrunner.

Thank you as always for sharing your time with us, Brad Carpenter! What tips or suggestions do you have for how post-production professionals can better organize their workflow? Do you use specific programs or systems that you prefer?

Ashley, Excellent question! Some simple tools like Google Doc can work wonders towards keeping a live updated list of VFX shots, ADR lines and Post Production Scheduling. Since the pandemic my team has been using PacPost for remote collaborate editing. It's similar to Zoom, with boxes for each participant, but there's a main window that represents the Client monitor. The Editor can work on cuts with creatives overseas (for example, Japan for "Tokyo Vice" and the UK for "The Diplomat) and we use PacPost when spotting for sound, VFX and music. There's a Zoom component to every Production meeting, and we even use Zoom for ADR sessions, both locally and overseas. The editors can work remotely from just about anywhere by using Jump to log into their main systems. My EPs still prefer working live in the editing room, whenever possible, so those room rentals have not disappeared, but when the EPs are overseas, or the editors are cutting dailies unsupervised, they can simply work from home. The hybrid work mode is one of the great things to come out of the Covid pandemic. It helps bring people together across the world, allows everyone more time with loved ones, less time on the road, and keeps them safe from Covid, as that's still out there.

Xochi, Your question makes perfect sense. Production companies may have Post Producers they've worked with that they'd prefer, and would recommend, and of course, you'd want someone with Doc experience for your type of project, but in my opinion it's best to start with a solid Post Producer who can help you put together all the elements for your film. I supervise everything in Post, and in the beginning I offer up companies, composers and such that I've had great results with in the past. Being able to build a project from scratch, or at the very least, offer advisements about those creative and technical choices choices is pretty key.

Brad Carpenter, I'm an emerging artist who's looking to create a new martial arts animal movie, but I could use a solid producer like the ones you've worked with to help with certain things. What does a Post Producer do on a film project?

Cee Whirx, If I understand your question correctly, you're looking for someone who can help pull all of your departments together, not just Post. On a feature, the Post Producer's role is pretty straight forward, bring together the picture and sound vendors, set up editorial, perhaps recommend editors, composers, etc., but it's different than episodic, because your creative team is all together at each phase. Many Post Producers in Features set everything up, then head over to other projects before returning once shooting has finished. On a Television schedule, we have several one hour mini-films all in the works at various stages, all at the same time. It's a bit more complicated, and a lot more fun! What I think you'll need is a strong EP or at the very least a strong Line Producer to help you pull everything together.

Thanks Brad! I'm already in talks with a production company called Atomic Cartoons, but yes, I'll need an EP to put together my team. Do you have a strong EP in mind?

Cee Whirx, That's great to hear. I'm not able to recommend EPs for projects. Hopefully Atomic Cartoons can help you with that.

Thank you for providing such wonderful answers and clarity, Brad Carpenter!

Hi Brad,

Thanks for being the AMA host this week.

From reading one film music book, (see attached),

Your question below makes me wonder how many producers are needed within the composing/audio part of post production. - within the larger scope of Universal or Paramount.

Ok - even smaller Indie composer companies like ours. I see and know a lot of one man ‘bands’ / composers out there.

Thank you for your insight and support.

Kerry Kennard

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"What does a Post Production Producer do in relationship to the other producers on a project?" Post is often a mystery to people, so I'm here …