Post-production Update for Pera-perahang Lata

To update everyone, I have just finished the offline editing and we are about to work on the sound requirements for the film. It took quite a while as I had to schedule it within the busy work days for a number of productions I've been working at. I did the whole editing work. :) While my sound engineer and musical scorer will be the one hands on with the sound requirements, I'm going to manually edit the EDL file of the offline edit at FCP by putting the correct time code in's and outs' for every shot for the whole film. Yes, that's a little tedious but it's the best option I have given my available resources.

I edited the offline of the film using a Macbook Pro with the downconverted footages from the HD tapes transferred to mini DV tapes with superimposed time codes on the visuals to help me out with the preps for the online editing. And since this is the best option laid down for my resources as approved by Engine Room (I have no available files from the mini DV tapes as it couldn't keep such needed files in the said format; a betacam SP tape could, but I need resources for a betacam SP player to capture the footages using firewire connection to the Macbook Pro - which I don't have, and it would entail great cost if I push through with it) to keep up with the right EDL file which shall serve as the "cut list" of the film for online editing (it's like having a cut list for a film then the negative matcher will follow the said list to come up with the matched negative ready for printing). On this note, I will produce the EDL file from FCP (which will turn out to be a text file in a certain format with the needed information for online editing), then edit the part of the time codes since the ones determined during digitizing are not accurate anymore from what the mini DV tapes could offer, put the correct time code in and time code out for each shot for the whole film - along with this, I also have to transfer the edited elements to 1-2 tracks only (ideally 1 track, and the 2 tracks would be for parts with such transitions/effects as superimpositions and cross dissolves which shall only be possible with at most 2 tracks) at the timeline of FCP (as an EDL produced is in a per track basis). After which, I shall provide the EDL file and the master DVCPRO HD tapes of the rushes and the overcranked shots to Optima for the online editing.

In between, the additional dubbing for certain lines, foley, sound effects, musical scoring, music lay-in, and sound mixing shall be done at Hit Productions. Most likely, I shall also give a copy of the EDL with specifications for the audio to help out the sound engineer to doublecheck the source files from the DVD of the master WAV files of the sound elements - the file name shall appear at every event (every shot) provided by the EDL file and will guide the sound engineer in cases that he would opt to use the master files from the DVD of all the sound elements, primarily the live sound elements, than the originally provided sound elements from the offline edit.

The colorgrading will be done at Optima. And after this, the mixed audio from Hit shall be laid in to prior to the release of the final cut of the film.

The film shall have two versions: one in HD and one in SD. The HD copy will have a master in a DVCPRO HD tape. I still have to inquire about the possibility of an HD copy in digibeta. Otherwise, the masters in digibeta, betacam sp, mini DV, and DVD shall be produced in SD. I am yet to inquire about the blu-ray disc if it's already possible for me to have a master in HD using a blu-ray disc in preparation for what the future has in stored for the said medium being greatly considered as the next generation DVD.

About the possibility of blowing up the film to 35mm, we're still going to explore options. Of course, who wouldn't want a 35mm film print right? Considerably, it has more venues in a number of theaters and festivals and more possibilities of being projected in a theater as a film to be shown prior to, say, a full-length feature (my first two films had such invitations being a film preceding a full-length feature for some film festivals requiring a print instead of a digital copy) - and I really had good venues with the 35mm prints of my first two shorts. But looking into the practical side of things, there are a number of great venues still for the digital format. All in all, it will really be dependent on what resources can be made available for the film. It's good to know that whether I'll have a print during the premiere of the film or I'll have a DVD to be projected in the big screen with the best possible resolution it can offer, I shall have an HD copy in DVCPRO HD tape which shall be ready for blowing up to 35mm some other time in the future. :) Yay.

Anyone with ideas and suggestions that could help us with post-production (primarily in terms of the availability and future of blu-ray, digibeta, and blowing up from HD to 35mm), you may get in touch with me through here or at svelte_rianne@yahoo.com. We will really appreciate all the help that you can offer. Thank you so much!

- Rianne