Postproduction is a detailed process and the more detail and quality that is put into the post process, the better the film will be. In the last tip we focused on picture cut which is a very important and major first part of postproduction. Once you have a fine cut of the film, the director is now ready for the  further detail in the postproduction.

Colouring: There is so much latitude with the cameras we use these days. For example the Ursa 4.6 k camera shoots wonderful native raw 4.6K files. This means that the ability to colour and manipulate the visual look of the image, is significant these days. You can make your film look like a Hollywood blockbuster provided you have shot on a professional camera in raw format.   I always hire a really good colourist and direct them to get what I want, for the look of the film. The film genre will determine what the look of the film will be. Is it dramatic or an action film or a supernatural film. Colouring will be  different for different genres.

VFX  ( Visual Effects )
CGI (Computer generated images) has come very common these days. If you are on a budget, it is much better to shoot your practical SFX ( Practical Special Effects) on set. This means creating the magic for real on set. This is fun and it is amazing what you can achieve with practical on set special effects.

Sometimes you will have no choice but to use VFX. Hire the best VFX Artist that your budget will allow. Make sure that you have a VFX supervisor on set. He or she will set up the best Green Screen shots for you.

You need constant advise if you are shooting green screen. Budget will be needed so only use VFX if you absolutely need it. We shot for 14 hours on green screen with Tabernacle 101. We limited our VFX to one long day of Green Screen at studio in Sydney. We  did everything else practical SFX (Special Effects on Set)

Titles ( Credits and other titles on your movie) Self Explanatory. Just like typing in on a Word Document. There is some software options to use. Makes sure you spell everyones names right and get everyone credited.

Sound Design and Sound mixing:
We spend one whole day of the 3 month film course on Sound Design and Sound Mixing with our experience sound designer John Hresc.  It is so important to take this all important step and complete your film professionally. Sound is so important and if you want to make your films look and sound Hollywood, you really need to spend time on Sound Post.

Sound Design involves ADR, Foley, Sound Effects, Atmospheres music and a mix of all the above elements. This area requires a trained professional and when film makers skip this area, generally speaking, the film seems amateur.

My advise is hire someone really good and your film will benefit from their work. Obviously, anyone who enrols on the 3 Month Film Course will learn how to make a film professionally and will also have contacts with Sound Designers that we recommend.  Once again the Director always works closely with an expert sound designer to get the best possible sound for the film.

Music:
On very low budget films, many directors will use Stock Music sites such a stockmusic.net.   There is an amazing selection of tracks for movies at $40 per track. This is great if your budget is micro.

With a bigger budget, it is more advisable to hire an experienced film composer who can compose music for your film. This way, you will have the original music for your film that is composed directly for your film.

All you would have to do is watch your favourite movie without music to realise how important music is for you film. Learn this process on our 3 Month Film Course.

Deliverables:  If you are working on a short film, all you have to worry about is your master file which will be at as a high a resolution that you can manage, A DCP ( Digital Cinema Print) if your film is screening at A+ or B+ film festivals and promotional materials about your short film.  This will not cost too much but will be needed if you are serious about your film attracting the best audience.

If you are making a feature film and have a Distributor attached, you will have  list of deliverables that a distributor will require. This can cost $5 -10K depending on this list.

To summarise, a filmmaker needs to put extraordinary effort into Postproduction. Your film will benefit from this and become the movie that you want your audience to see.

The Three Month Film Course is the best way to learn how to make a film professionally. Check out our film courses here and feel free to talk to us anytime about our film courses and services.

Colm O’Murchu Director Australian and International Film Base.