1. Introduction to Post Production
This section covers the process of taking shots (‘rushes’), audio, graphics and other media assets and compiling them into a completed programme. Post production and editing is both a technical and creative process. It is not just about editing out poor material, but is the stage at which your production takes form and establishes pace and mood.
The power of editing lies in combining images and/or sounds in a sequence. If we view a happy face, then a shot of a cup of tea, then a sad face, our natural inclination is to assume the person does not like tea. By simply reversing the first and third shots, the story is changed – the person likes tea. Editing can take words and images out of context and reassemble them into a new meaning – and because meaning can be easily changed, editing requires a degree of responsibility in conveying the correct message to the viewer.
This section will not only outline the technical aspects of post production, but will also concentrate on the ‘grammar’ of the edit. It will explain basic editing techniques and where they are used to best effect. Like cameracraft, there are many aspects of editing that are subjective and enable the editor to break the rules and still create an aesthetically pleasing, logical and technically correct sequence or programme.