Editing is one of the most important parts of the filmmaking process. One could have an amazing script, great actors and a wonderful shoot. Then a terrible edit and postproduction. The net result is a terrible film.

It is so important to get this part right. I believe the most challenging area in filmmaking is not the shoot. It is in Postproduction that the emerging filmmaker falls down time and time again.

So how do you get great Postproduction?

• Hire an amazing editor and work closely with them.

  This is how everyone works at the top end of the film world. The Film Director works with an incredible editor and directs the cut that he or she wants. Needless to say, you will need to check their previous work and also get references from three sources.

  You will need to work off intuition and feel that you are going to have an easy time working with this person. Working with an experienced editor is a good solution, if you have a budget that pays for an experienced editor. They do not come cheap and you will have to pay thousands for short film and tens of thousands for a feature film.
  This is not a great solution, if you are an indie filmmaker working on a micro-budget. 

• Find an up and coming editor
  This can work but generally the editor will listen less to you and will be more concerned about cutting the film the way he or she wants. This will be because they may be working for chump change or for free and want this edit for career advancement.

  There is a danger they will quit half way through and also the danger that the edit could be a disaster or nothing like what you want. Once again, check out the editor’s work and feel intuitively, if you are going to work well with them. It can be a great solution if you get on with the person and you are creative collaborators.

• Learn to Edit yourself on our Four Month Flagship Course.
  This is the best option if you are an emerging or indie Filmmaker. Once you get the editing software, there is very little cost involved and you can spend as long as it takes editing, to get the perfect cut that you want.

  You can work at any hour such as the middle of the night, at lunch-break or when ever.   When you start to edit your own films, the hours go so fast.

  I would advise you to go down this track.

  Make sure you learn how to edit professionally on a very good Course. We teach via our 11 Tutorials how to edit on Adobe Premier Pro. We supply the clips of a scene and you learn to edit by actually editing a real scene step by step on the Flagship Four  Month Film Course. This will save you thousands to tens of thousands of dollars in edit fees over the next few years. Also you all have three live editing classes where you will learn to edit the actual course film. As homework you will edit the 4 Month Film Course Film.  This is the best way to learn Editing and Postroduction 

Editing is a wonderful part of the filmmaking process and once you get good at it, you will be able to make your own movies or travel videos for next to no money.

Postproduction is one of the most important areas of filmmaking. So many emerging filmmakers rush or place very little importance on postproduction.

A Film is made or broken in this part of the filmmaking process. You could have had the very best shoot with an amazing script and awesome cast and still destroy your film, with lousy postproduction.

I worked out recently how much time I or one of my team spent on postproduction on Tabernacle 101 our one hour 40 minute movie

• 800 hours on Editing 140 hours of footage to the final version. Did this all myself and loved doing it  
• 8 Weeks Sound Postproduction – ADR – Sound Design and Final Mix ( With a Good buddy of mine – I paid him a Fee)
• 8 Weeks Music for the film. – Sourced Music Myself and I will show you how 
• 10 Weeks VFX (Visual Effects  (talented up and comer)
• 4 Weeks Colouring.  ( I did it myself)

I have chosen purposely to place time and effort into postproduction. It is so important to do so fastidiously, as this will give you the best return on your movie.

Tabernacle 101 is  big project with a micro budget. It is a Supernatural Film that requires great craft in postproduction to make the one hour forty minute movie. It still cost me $50 K Cash Budget. But I wanted to Make the Film Big. 

On a ten minute short film, postproduction will be so much quicker. For a possible 10 minute short film, postproduction could take the following.

• 40 hours editing over 4 Weeks 
• 1 Day Colouring & Titles  over 3 Days
• 3 Days Sound Postproduction 
• 2 Days Music.

You need to learn the postproduction process in detail. Too many beginner or emerging filmmakers think that post production is several hours of editing and spew out a result. 

This is inviting failure

One of the most important reasons to enrol on our Flagship Course is to learn specifically about postproduction and learn once and for all how to edit, source music title and colour your film.

Learning this invaluable skill is truly worthwhile and will be a skill that you can sell as well as use for making your own film. 

Postproduction makes your film into a movie, like you see in the cinema.  Learn everything you can about the process.

When I edited Tabernacle 101 the movie. I got up at 5am every morning and edited to about 11am and in that time I would edit about 1 – 2 scenes per day. There are 150 scenes in the movie, so it took some time.

As I have edited films for years, I would like to help you with the most important advise.

There is quick editing and there is slow editing. Rarely is quick editing any good. On my film courses,  I always do my very best to teach, up and coming filmmakers to slow down. and let the creative process take over.  

Be fastidious and detailed with your edits and the result will be so much better.

You can learn how to Edit for real and source music and colour your film and title it.  This is an amazing valuable skill that is worth money to you in the future in work opportunities and not to mention tens of thousands of dollars saved when you can edit your own films. 

There is big need for great editors and post production experts. 

What is involved in Post Production 

• Data Management, labelling Clips and Syncing 
  Learn how professional Editors do this.
• Watching the footage.
• The Rough Cut
• The Fine Polished Cut
• Colouring 
• Titles 
• Sound Editing and Post
• Source music and score for your Film
• Mix the Sound and Music for the 
• The Final Film 

Learn how to do the above,  now on our five month film course.  Please see Video.   We supply 11 tutorials along with the footage and sound  on the Sydney and Melbourne   Four  Month Flagship Course