Our Post-Production Process (and the Creativity That Emerges From It)
For decades, the process of editing a motion picture was a physical one. Editors quite literally sat with with scissors and tape, cutting and splicing celluloid film strips together. It was far more mechanical than creative, and was limited by physical constraints and the time required to manage the process. We’ve got it a lot easier as a video production company today, with non-linear editing software and AI tools available during post-production making the video editing process a different game than it used to be.
In fact, the edit bay has become one of our most creative spaces. Post-production has evolved far beyond a cleanup phase where we simply chop footage together and deliver a finished file. While working on many videos over the last 15 years, we have often found post-production to be the process during which a narrative truly finds its pulse. All of our tools are in front of us here, from raw footage to music libraries and from brand assets to animation software. Ultimately, the post-production process is about ensuring we deliver a strategic business asset.
But a lot of creativity can come out of the process, and it’s where you can really start to see why professional video production knowledge matters more than ever.
The creativity that emerges in post
While a script provides the initial map for a video production, the true destination is often discovered once we’ve captured all of the footage and have had some time to sit with it. In the quiet of our edit bays, a deeper and more resonant story often emerges, one that isn’t always so obvious on paper. In many of our edit sessions, we’ve found that spontaneous reactions in an interview or a specific sequence of b-roll creates an emotional gravity we weren’t anticipating. These are opportunities to inject authenticity and sincerity into a video, and we try to do so whenever a project can benefit from it.
While our primary goal in post-production is to ensure we deliver a video that meets the expectations we’ve agreed upon with a client, it can also be a liberating discovery phase for a video production. This is often seen when working with a brand’s visual assets. Ideas for logo animations and ways to incorporate the visual aesthetic into lower thirds and other transitional graphics always arise. These are the kinds of creative detours we always pursue. They aren’t just opportunities to keep your audience engaged with the video, but to make something that truly incorporates and expands your company’s voice.
Post as production
Because we’ve spent so much time helping clients build out their content libraries over the years, we’ve seen repeatedly how post-production can act as a creative springboard. This is particularly true when a client wants to create a new video but doesn’t necessarily want to commission a full video production. The post process allows us to dive into older footage that can be incorporated into a current video, or to outright script an entirely new video using footage that already exists in your content library. This is where a previous video production shifts from an expensive one-off project to a reusable investment.
The mastering process
Not only have we become familiar with post-production as part of the creative process, but also as one of the most technically demanding parts of the video production process. It requires significant knowledge regarding video formats, sizing, and codecs. Not having experience with any one of these things can result in poor video quality, regardless of its final destination. We do a lot of heavy lifting in the edit bay, including mastering audio levels, cinematic color grading, and even visual effects work. We are currently mastering our videos in 4K, which allows for immense flexibility during delivery.
We’re able to create high-quality exports from a single 4K master. That’s true whether it’s a cinematic video for a keynote, a commercial, or a YouTube channel, or for a punch vertical video being posted to social media. This is precisely why we always advocate for professional camera footage and a planned video production. The mastering quality is far superior to what mobile devices capture, which allows your content to live across multiple platforms without losing visual quality or its premium edge.
Ultimately, the work we put into a video edit isn’t likely to be noticed. The better we do our job, the more engaged your viewers are and the less likely they are to notice what’s gone on behind the scenes. We see post-production as the final bridge between you and your audience, but it also acts as the first bridge toward your next video production with us.
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