Editing
Some say that this is where the story really comes together. Even if you’ve shot to a well-planned set of storyboards or gotten the exact answers to interview questions you wanted, things often change and get better in the edit suite. Beyond story, this is where the pace and the tone are often defined for the final show. It’s an exciting phase that leads to many creative opportunities around music, style, structure, composition, etc. It’s where you start to feel what the audience will feel. Since our projects range from feature docs to comedy spots we work with the best editors to capture the story, pace, and tone of each piece. Our facilities consist of a fiber-connected SAN with support IT staff to allow for several HD/4K projects to run at once. We have established solid post workflows using every camera format out there to ensure that our projects are delivered on time and on budget.
Music
Music is HUGE. It can be the anchor to a piece that drives the pace and emotion. Choosing great music can make or break a video. There are many routes to pairing a fantastic tune to your show: needle-drop, composing, paying known artists. We guide you through the options that best fit your budget to give you the best bang for your video buck. There are countless music libraries that offer decent tracks that can accompany your video for a reasonable price. We’ve also worked with some amazing composers who can cater a track to fit perfectly with your visuals — this is a wonderful option that will cost more but is often well worth it. If budget allows, bringing a known popular song can give it more punch than anything else. It’s the most expensive option and, again, is worth it if you can manage it.
Motion Graphics & Animation
Once we have a rough edit, that is when the motion graphics and animating phase usually begins. Because motion graphics and animation are costly to produce, it’s best to have the overall edit defined as much as possible. When we are compositing graphics into live-action footage, we ask for a cut to be nearly final before we begin the process of incorporating graphics. We can always develop assets and even animated separately from the cut and then composite as one of the last steps to be sure the scene will not be changed or removed. It is during this graphics phase that we begin to really hone the style and look of the video.
Color Correction
Color correction is a sometimes overlooked craft but it can often make the difference between a nice looking video and a stunning final product. There are two main goals in color correction: normalizing the look and stylizing. Normalizing (or primary color correction) is the process of matching shots with each other in both color balance and contrast. Since things are often shot at different times, different locations, and sometimes with different cameras the footage can be noticeably varied. This brings all of the clips in-line with each other visually. The stylizing phase (or secondary color correction) is where you get to make creative choices based on how you want your audience to feel. This phase works scene by scene as well as across the entire show. By playing with color, contrast, blur, and vignettes you can help evoke reactions in your audience to each scene. Color correction can also be an opportunity to “brand” your video so that it works visually with your other marketing materials.
Sound Mix
Some say sound is even more important than picture. If you have gorgeous picture but the sound is poor then it drops the perception of quality by a huge percentage. Whether it’s just getting a professional mix done or intricate sound design, this is an area not to be taken for granted. From cancelling the room noise in a shot to the most subtle design elements, good audio will also help make your message more memorable and meaningful. This is one of the final touches to a video that, along with color correction, is part of the “finishing” phase.
Sound Mix
Some say sound is even more important than picture. If you have gorgeous picture but the sound is poor then it drops the perception of quality by a huge percentage. Whether it’s just getting a professional mix done or intricate sound design, this is an area not to be taken for granted. From cancelling the room noise in a shot to the most subtle design elements, good audio will also help make your message more memorable and meaningful. This is one of the final touches to a video that, along with color correction, is part of the “finishing” phase.