Post Production ... creating the final cut

You're nearly there ...you've planned and shot your film so now its time to throw yourself into Post Production which basically means everything that happens after filming. Don't get complacent though, this can be an extremely time consuming stage in the development of your film and you and your group will need to stay focussed.

Post Production can make or break a film. You may have captured some fantastic shots but if your edit isn't up to scratch all your hard work could be wasted. We've included lots of helpful video tutorials and useful info in this section.

Post Production Kit
Capturing
Editing
Music & SFX
Titles & Credits
Copyright & Creative Commons
Compression
Copies

Post Production Kit
You will need a DV desktop edit suite which is a fancy way of saying a camera, a PC or Mac and a firewire cable. You will also need to have some film editing software. If you are using equipment from VOMO's Filmbank our laptops have everything you need to start editing your footage. If you want to purchase your own software then consider Avid Express DV, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere and iMovie.

Capturing
Once you've set-up your edit suite you will need to transfer all your footage into your computer. This is often called capturing or importing. Just capture the clips you want to use or alternatively import all your footage into your software at once and then create sub clips. This is where you turn long clips of video into more bite-size, workable pieces.

It's important to organise and label your clips otherwise you will spend a lot of time searching through your entire footage over and over. Initially it's a bit boring but in the long run you'll be glad you took the time.

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Editing
Editing is where you choose the best shots then weave them together to produce a polished and concise story. Every second of your finished film counts so if you find that some of your footage doesn't quite measure-up when played back, don't be afraid to cut it out. It's far more important that your edit holds your audience's attention than it is to make sure you use every piece of film. There's a golden rule in editing, if a shot can be removed and the story is still clear then take it out. Less really is more.

After you have imported, or captured, all your film onto your computer start placing it in the right order. It doesn't matter at this stage if it is a bit choppy; you are just trying to loosely assemble it. Once you have roughly laid out your film you can then edit it more closely. Here are a few tips:

• The Cut
  Where the action swaps from one shot to another. Make sure the shots are not too alike or the effect will look jumpy. For example, they shouldn't be the same size or taken from a similar angle.
  
• The Dissolve
  Where the action changes from one shot to another by a slow blend. Check out the transitions section in your editing software.
  
• The Fade
  Where a shot appears or disappears slowly from or into a blank screen.

Check out our video guides and helpful info on the right.

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Music & SFX
It's strongly advised that you do not use pre recorded music on your film unless you have received written permission from the copyright/performing rights holder which will probably work out very expensive. Even if you play or sing the song or music yourself, you still need permission. If you do not have the proper permission it is unlikely you will be able to enter your film into competitions or festivals.

However, there are alternatives like commissioning a musician to create some music for you. There are also a lot of websites which specialise in royalty free music. This is where you pay a one-off fee and you can use the music as often as you like. The prices vary but you can expect to pay about £15 for a track. Some sites allow you to download content to use for free so it's worth shopping around.

Copyright rules apply to TV and film clips as well. For example, if you were making a film about Dr Who and wanted to include scenes from the programme in the background then you will need to get permission from the production company who makes it. A video tutorial to help you remember all the legalities can be accessed to the right of this page.

Your group might benefit from Creative Commons ... find out more by scrolling to our copyright section beneath.

Titles & Credits
The titles go at the beginning and usually announce the name of your film and possibly your production company. The credits run at the end of your film and list all the people who have been involved in the production process. Make sure you remember to include everyone's name. You should also add the logos of your sponsors and funders to show your appreciation of their support.

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Copyright & Creative Commons

If you've created something and want people to know that you're happy to have them share, use, and build upon your work, you should consider publishing under a Creative Commons license. CC's legal infrastructure gives you flexibility (for example, you can choose to only pre-clear non-commercial uses) and protects the people who use your work (so that they don't have to worry about copyright infringement, as long as they abide by the terms you have specified).

If you're an artist, student, educator, scientist, or other creator looking for content that you can freely and legally use, there is a giant pool of CC-licensed creativity available to you. There are many millions of works - from songs and videos to scientific and academic content - that you can use under the terms of CC copyright licenses.

Watch a film on how Creative Commons can help your film project. Check out our links on the right.

Compression
If you want to upload your film onto the web you will need to compress it. Uncompressed film files are far too big to go on the Net. The more a film is compressed, the greater the loss in quality so you need to find a balance. Check out You Tube's compression and format guidelines to help you. See our "Upload a Film" section to find out more.

Alternatively you can select the "Export to DVD" tab in your editing software. The software will automatically look at the size of your film and the available space on your blank DVD and adjust its settings accordingly.

We've included a film on compression for you to watch.

Copies
Whenever you make a copy of your film always use the master to gain the best quality. If you have a small quantity of copies you can run them off yourself. However, if you are needing to create large quantities of copies you will save a lot of time and effort commissioning a professional DVD duplication company. Shoparound on the Internet or get in touch as we might be able to give you a few ideas.

Now your film is ready to receive it's world premiere ...

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