“Let’s fix it in post” is a ubiquitous slogan in the video creation industry that makes wrap-ups less appalling for directors and cinematographers.
Especially in an amateur production with a small budget, things never go as planned, and the post-production always becomes the last ray of hope to make things right.
But that’s no good news for editors. More the times the very slogan is repeated during the production, the more will be the expectations put on their shoulders. Although the final cuts are worth the effort, some minute tweaks can make post-production less dreadful for editors.
So here are seven recurring problems during post-production and the ways you can fix them with ease.
Table of Contents
Not Planning Before Editing
Even if your plans for pre and in-production fail, there are a lot of things you can do to reduce their impacts on post-production. And that is planning how to edit the footage. This may sound like a cliché for many, but almost every amateur forgets to plan the edits.
Before starting, you need to have a crisp idea of how exactly your final draft should be. It is always a good idea if you can take some time to reflect on your video’s purpose, and most importantly, the audience it is intended for.
Write down every point that comes to your mind; they don’t have to align with the intent you had for each scene during the writing or storyboarding process. Movies like American History X underwent significant changes in the editing table to take the shape of the narrative as we know of it today.
Missing Important Clips
When you are creating an interview video, the need for extra clips might be minimal, as you will probably be editing linearly, exactly as how the interview progresses. But for documentaries, movies, or music videos, you will most likely be following non-linear storytelling.
In such cases, chances for missing out on important clips are higher as they will be spread across a heap of footage files. The best thing to do – take some time to play each file. As a pro tip, you can play each file at 1.5X speed and save time.
Organizing clips into folders will not only cut down the editing time but will also help you find those hidden gems that can be used in your promo videos or montages.
Using Low-Quality Audio Files As BGMs
Let’s face it. Background music has a crucial role in setting the mood of your video. A well-thought-out BGM placement can make or break your movie.
If you are planning to compose the BGMs and include them in the video during the post, you will surely use the high-quality audio files. But if you are planning to use royalty-free music from YouTube, you have to make sure you use the highest quality audio files.
For that, convert youtube to mp3 in high-quality audio files using an online YT to mp3 converter and offer an unmatched listening experience to your viewers.
Not Considering Screens With Low Color Saturation
In the earlier days, editors and colorists had to deal with the least number of screen types. But now, they must prepare for every kind of screen: mobile phone screens, TVs, computer monitors, projectors, and so on.
The problem here is that the saturation of screens of different devices dramatically varies. While color grading the video, special care must be taken to ensure that the final output is never over-saturated in any of the screens.
Exporting small scenes while editing and viewing them on multiple devices will give you a fair idea of the best saturation levels to follow.
Relying On Digital Zooming
Although most productions rely only on optical zooms, if some unintended props get into the scene or you want to draw more attention to something, editors may have to use digital zooms as a last resort.
But by doing so, you will be spoiling your video’s viewing experience, especially in high-resolution screens. If you have the needed budget, try using VFX to morph out the unplanned elements from a screen.
If possible, try using multiple shots from different angles or L-cuts and J-cuts to make the scene look less abrupt.
Too Many Jump Cuts
Having footage filled with jerks or characters out of focus? We feel you.
In such cases, nothing other than jump cuts may seem feasible. But by doing so, you may spoil the viewing experience, or leave your audience feeling confused, unless it is an action scene.
Instead of making jump cuts, trying using the J-cut or L-cut, which will add more meaning to the video and make the transitions more natural.
However, if you are making a promo video, jump cuts are a great way to show an overview of your movie, without giving away its entire plot. If your production budget is tight and can’t afford a promo video, you can use a free promo video maker like InVideo to make a jaw-dropping teaser that can make viewers go “wow.”
Not Exporting In The Right Format
Even if you are planning to release your video on YouTube, Instagram, or in the form of DVDs, choosing the right export format during the end of the post-production process is essential. Otherwise, there are chances that the audio goes out of sync, or the displaying device may fail to render the video file.
As a best practice, it is advised to look up the formats that are supported in specific platforms and export your final draft only into those. This will make sure your audience sees your video in the right way you intended them to.
It’s A Wrap
So there you have it – the seven recurring problems that can arise during post-production and easy solutions for it. Do give these easy fixes a try, and you will see significant improvements in your output video’s quality.
Make sure you try to avoid these problems with ingenious post-production planning and also ensure you don’t entertain the “let’s fix in post” slogan on your sets. Editors are poor souls that have the least say during production, as in most cases, they won’t be there to oversee it.
