Speaker 1: A well-planned post-production workflow, even as a zero-budget filmmaker, will save you a lot of time and prevent any hiccups during the editing, sound design, VFX, and color grading. Once you have a picture lock, it's time to share the edit and work on sound, music, VFX, and color grading, and for some, this can be done all at the same time by a team of collaborators. Today we're going to share with you our next part of the post-production workflow. Welcome to the filmwork. Last time we spoke about organizing sync, first picture assembly, initial feedback, re-edits, and picture lock. There's a card in the corner and a link in the description if you need to get caught up. So now you've made the decision to lock the edit, you're happy with the cut, and any other edits will be strictly for emergency changes. You've already gauged feedback from other filmmakers, you've made those changes, and now it's time to move on. This is where we can branch out. If you alone are the sound, music, VFX, and color grading department, you can follow these in a linear fashion. But if you're a team of people, it's time to conquer these tasks. First, let's talk a bit about VFX. This is the only department which may need access to footage before the picture lock. The visual effects in the film will influence the sound design, music, and color grading. So if it is at all possible, visual effects should be the first to get their hands on the edit. If you already know which VFX shots you're going to use, you can do this during the editing process. But just remember that the final cut might not include some of these VFX shots altogether. So try to find a balance between getting in early and not wasting your time on shots you'll never use. Next, we've got sound design. With an export of the edit, the sound department can start a work on Foley art. Foley can be a long process as it includes re-recording all of the run-of-the-mill sounds in sync with the edit and experimenting with sound effects libraries. We've covered Foley in a bunch of episodes in the past, so I've put a card up in this corner and a playlist in the description if you want to learn more. In the meantime, a colorist can be working on the color grade. Just as sound design only needs the edit for sync points, color grading doesn't affect the sound in any way as it's all visual. So these two can easily be worked on at the same time and brought together in the end. Then you've got music. A locked picture will give the composer the exact timing to create and tweak the music throughout the film. Having the edit in front of them while they compose will give them inspiration in the images. There might be something in a scene which they want to harness and use as a musical device, so giving the composer the edit will let them work their magic to its full potential. If you have visual effects in your film, it will make this whole divide and conquer thing a bit more complicated. VFX is the only department that will cause other departments further changes. If you're working on your own, I would suggest working on the VFX before sound, color or music. Once the VFX have been produced, extra sound effects will need to be added in sound design, say gunshots, explosions and spaceships for example. The color grade might also need tweaking once the VFX have been applied also. Basically, every department will produce another version of their work with VFX in mind. Once all the departments are finished, it's time to put everything back together. This brings us to quality control. Device testing and volume referencing are key contributors to a great looking and great sounding film. We've covered these topics in another video if you want to check it out. There is a card in the corner and we've put a link in the description. Once you feel you've done everything you can with the film, it's time for one last feedback stage. The 99% feedback stage. Don't say you're finished just yet because you might jinx it. Show the film to as many of your filmmaker friends as possible or at least the ones who give great critical feedback. You've already asked them but there may be something which they point out which nobody has before, so it's worth doing one last check. Make any last minute tweaks if the feedback requires it and then hit export. After this comes the hard part. Convincing people to watch your film. Let us know your post-production workflow in the comments below. We know everyone does it a little bit different so it'll be interesting to hear how you go about it. You can vote with your thumbs if you liked or disliked this video. Subscribe by hitting that orange lens cap and remember to achieve it one cut at a time.