Video Process | Professional, Prosumer Production and Post Production

Prior to shooting, we discuss the client's requirements. Developing this further, we often give consideration to any music content as this dictates the pace and feel of the project.

The selection of the correct music is extremely important as music evokes an emotion of its own - a texture - pictures and sound should empathise with each other. Music should be as important as the pictures. Careful thought is needed.

During recording, we will shoot to a general story-board of ideas which the project might follow. In this way, we anticipate many of the editing requirements - how we can transition from one scene to the next in order to give structure to the final product. This is one advantage of having someone who is an experienced video editor shoot the project too. It is possible the direction reveals itself before the shoot, on the shoot day, or even later, with the project taking on a life of its own becoming a genuinely creative process.

Our process often progresses in the following way:

• Shooting Day - the camera is an intimate observer. Although we remain physically outside the circle, we are friendly, considerate and sensitive to personal issues. We often shoot hand-held as this gives the best flexibility in recording real life moments. We use no artificial lighting. Sound is generally well catered for using the natural audio enviroment without additional coverage. In more acoustically difficult environments we use hidden radio microphones - no cables.

• Post Production (often a 3 or 4 day process) consists of capturing and logging all the footage recorded. A first review will take place at this stage. Following this, and if applicable for a sequence, a music track is laid or edited if required. Footage is then laid against this. Other music can be laid as incidentals, for bridging or effect during sound dubbing.

• After a rough edit (the rough cut) is completed providing us with a basic structure, we then complete a fine cut - tightening the images and natural sound overlaps. Once this is complete we undertake a sound dub, which smooths out all the natural audio across edits, adding sound effects, changing audio levels and fine blending the music. Correctly editing and adjusting audio levels in relation to the edited pictures is extremely important.

• Next comes the colour balancing. This is a process where scenes or frames, if needed, are adjusted for colour matching. Varying lighting conditions - interiors, exteriors all change the colour balance, if this is left, visible differences will detract from the overall visual quality. Most inbalances are correctable, provided there has not been any significant change in conditions or camera exposures. We colour match to a professional monitor of known reference. However, there might be occasions where balance cannot be achieved easily due to location lighting conditions, especially involving mixed daylight and filament lighting. In such circumstances balancing can often be a compromise in order to achieve the best overall effect.

Having completed all these tasks, and probably having seen the production many many times over, the project is then burned to DVD using the correct codec (data conversion) for the audio and video standards being applied.

A DVD menu is created with associated graphics or images from the project. We find it's often better, especially for weddings, to divide the project into 4-6 chapters or sections. This makes the viewing much more manageable and often more entertaining (especially if you're showing it to friends).