Uncategorized Archives - Mocha Chai Laboratories

How to grade a Cannes Winner?

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This year’s Cannes Camera D’Or winner, Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell, has been hailed by Variety for its ‘meticulous, intricately staggered compositions (that) paint in the rich, wet greens of the surrounding forest, the mineral blues of weather-heavy skies and the interrupting gauze of mist over everything…’

‘I think that’s the beauty of collaboration: being able to connect with someone, understand what they’re trying to say, and then do my best to express that through color’. -Mark Song

Having been involved in the award-winning film “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell”, Mark Song, Senior Colourist and Finishing Artist here at Mocha Chai Lab, shares his experience working on the film on Filmworkz’s podcast series “Create Incredible”!

Mocha Chai Lab is proud of what Mark has achieved! Here’s to more in the future 🙌✨

Check out the podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!🎙️🎧

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3M7bPD5asvDWoEB2BjSB21…

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/…/mark-song…/id1649337016…

#mochachailab#colourist

Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell – Camera d’OR Winner

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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/inside-the-yellow-cocoon-shell-a-film-made-with-singapore-participation-wins-camera-d-or-at-cannes

Mocha Chai Laboratories is so proud to be the postproduction facility behind production house Potocol’s “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell”. With the recent award given to Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell at Cannes, The Straits Times wrote about Mocha Chai Lab’s involvement in the film 🙌✨

We are so proud to be part of this! Big shout out to our Senior Colorist and Finishing Artist, Mark Song and Supervising Sound Director Xander Toh for their mastery! We did this film in Atmos too! 💪🏼Thank you Jeremy Chua and Pham Thien An for entrusting “Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell” to Mocha Chai! 🙏🏼😍♥️ More to come!

Related:
https://mochachailab.com/how-to-grade-a-cannes-winner/



Cast of “Wonderland”

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Updated 24 June 2023: Title of Film

Introducing the cast of “Wonderland”! ✉️❤️

Set in 1980s Singapore, a time when studying abroad was a luxury that few could afford, Loke (played by Mark Lee) is a single father who works hard to ensure that his only daughter Eileen (played by Xenia Tan) gets the best education.

Loke lies to Eileen, telling her that he can afford her overseas education, and convinces her to go to New York City to further her studies. While she is away, Loke moves into a one-room flat to save as much money as possible.

Loke finds himself in the spotlight as his new senior neighbours try to befriend him. He meets Tan (played by Peter Yu) who is the default “leader” of their makeshift social club, the Senior Citizens’ Corner. Loke, who is illiterate, comes to rely on Tan to read and write letters to and from Eileen; Tan finds solace in helping his new friend because he yearns for the same relationship with his estranged daughter.

Tragedy strikes when Tan receives bad news about Eileen, and unable to tell Loke the devastating truth, he fabricates a lie that becomes full-blown deception.

Fun fact: this is the first time that 2 veteran actors, Mark Lee and Peter Yu are on screen together! Additionally, this is also Xenia’s first time acting in a feature film!

We are delighted to have them as our main cast in our long-awaited feature film! We hope that everyone will support them and continue to support us through this journey!

“Wonderland” is a Mocha Chai Laboratories production.
Director: Chai Yee Wei (@ywchai)
Producer/Co-writer:
Michelle Chang (@myshchang)
Co-writers: Allan Ho & Chance Wanlass

mochachailab #thelastletters #comingsoon #cast #reveal

李国煌惊心胆颤戴隐形眼镜 俞宏荣希望女儿能理解自己 

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本土天王李国煌为新电影《写给爸爸的信》牺牲大,四个月不做脸部护理,还得惊心胆颤戴隐形眼镜!

文 / 李亦筠

来自 / 早报数码

发布 / 

2023年3月8日 8:09 PM

李国煌(右)与俞宏荣在《写给爸爸的信》中演出内心脆弱的男人。(龙国雄摄)
李国煌(右)与俞宏荣在《写给爸爸的信》中演出内心脆弱的男人。(龙国雄摄)
网红陈雯诗在《写给爸爸的信》演出李国煌的女儿。(龙国雄摄)

《写》如火如荼拍摄中,李国煌星期三(3月8日)接受《联合早报》访问时透露,片中角色60多岁,为了让角色更写实,除了让化装师做一点点非常自然的老装,他从农历年前开始蓄胡子,《猫山王中王》杀青后也不染发:“不染的头发是黑白灰,《猫》头发染黑,拍完《猫》头发还没长白,所以《写》用干洗的洗发剂喷成灰白色。我四个月也不去脸部护理。”由于片中患病,眼球呈灰色,他透露首度为戏戴隐形眼镜:“惊心胆颤,放了老半天都放不进去,得请化装师帮忙。”他说拍完戏取下时费了一番功夫,因为缺乏勇气摘下:“刚开始会害怕,后来就没问题。”在不同场景调整情绪是他拍摄此片的挑战。

李国煌片中内向、严肃,他说戏外在家少讲话:“工作上讲了那么多话。”片中与女儿互动温馨,他说戏外扮白脸比较多:“扮黑脸时,我的孩子会怕。”他说与孩子的互动像与朋友沟通:“他们知道我不喜欢说谎的孩子。孩子若说谎,我会变成恶魔爸爸。”他重视孩子的学习态度,而不是他们的成绩。

《写》以华语和闽南语为主,故事发生在1980年代新加坡,单亲爸爸老陆(李国煌饰)为了让独生女Eileen(陈雯诗饰)能安心在纽约深造,撒谎说自己负担得起海外教育费用。女儿出国后,老陆卖掉了房子搬进一房式组屋。老陆生性节俭、固执又安静,当陌生的乐龄邻居试图与他接触时,他有防备心。后来他遇上友善外向的老陈(俞宏荣饰),不识字的老陆开始依赖老陈为自己写信给女儿。老陈在帮助老陆的过程中得到了心灵上的慰藉,因为他渴望拥有一段和老陆一样的父女亲情。岂料,当老陈收到关于Eileen过世的消息时,不忍向老陆说出残酷的真相,因此编造了一个又一个的谎言。

李国煌和俞宏荣首次同台演出,俞宏荣说:“(演绎)男人脆弱的内心戏是最具挑战的。”他片中与李国煌以福建话交谈,他说有向李国煌请教。谈到与金马影帝入围者李国煌飙演技,他说:“爽!”谈到现实中他与父亲的互动,他说兄弟姐妹共10人,“孩子多,小时都是姐姐哥哥在照顾我,不过与爸爸的关系也很好。”

《写给爸爸的信》导演蔡於位说,选角时没有想到让李国煌扮演老陆。(龙国雄摄)

俞宏荣对《写》的角色感同身受:“剧本刻画我曾是重度赌徒,与女儿关系疏离。后来我成了虔诚基督徒。这根本是我的个人经历,所以当编剧告诉我,老陈这个角色并不是受到我的过去而启发时,我很惊讶。”他也补充说:“我如今已洗心革面。已经找回了我失去的大部分东西——除了一个遗憾。我希望当我自己的女儿结婚做妈妈的时候,她能理解我,有一天能和我联系。这部电影就给了我这种希望。”

网红陈雯诗演出李国煌的女儿,她说刚开始有压力,因为李国煌是资深前辈,“不过他教了我如何入戏,我学到很多。”《写》是她首次参与电影,她花了不少心思去背福建话。她打趣地说:“一直喃喃自语,有如疯子。”她受访时得知导演要让她唱福建歌曲,她笑说:“有压力!”

《写》导演蔡於位说此片在脑海中已酝酿了20多年,原来他在美国念书时,一名也在当地念书的新加坡女学生发生意外去世,他当时在想对方的父母一定很悲痛。他说:“自从我有女儿后,感受更深,就决定拍《写》。”他将在2023年4月初带着陈雯诗与饰演她朋友的一名演员到纽约拍摄车祸戏。

蔡於位说:“当地有工作人员帮我找景,前面两天我会勘景,然后拍摄两天。”他透露,选角时并没有想到让李国煌扮演老陆,“因为我倾向找比较‘严肃’的演员。后来意识到这并不是因为李国煌不严肃,而是他以往根本没有机会诠释这样的角色。”

《写》是制片人张玉仪第一部参与编剧的电影,她说:“‘两位老人之间不可能的友谊’这类主题并不算新鲜,但很少在亚洲地区出现。两人因为音乐而结缘,也因为同样深爱着女儿而相识相知。我深爱着我父亲,所以这部电影非常触动我。”

《写》预计2023年底或2024年初推出,获得资讯通信媒体发展局的“人才提升计划”支持,mm2娱乐是制作公司之一。

https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20230308-1370623

MCL x BMD x Dolby

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Date of Event: 18th November 2022
Time: 930am – 6pm*
Address: 65 Ubi Road 1, Oxley Bizhub #02-82, Singapore 408729

Food and refreshments will be provided.
Register here

Contact: 6773 6360 
Email: contactus@mochachailab.com

*Open house will be held over 4 sessions, limited slots per session throughout the day.

 Venus On Mars Teaser |《火星上的維納斯》

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《火星上的維納斯》 第一個預告片已降臨地球了! 🌎 “如果你是世界唯一的女人。。。。你會怎麼辦呢?”

Here comes the first teaser for Venus on Mars! “What will you do, if you were the only female in the world…?

出品、製作丨#CJENMHK#MochaChaiLab 、巨宸製作、瀚草影視 導演丨#蔡於位 #ChaiYeeWei 主演丨#邵雨薇#IvyShao#曹佑寧 #TsaoYuNing 特別出演丨#羅宏正 #WesLo #火星上的維納斯 #VenusOnMars

FCPX – Bust the Myths! Workshop

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fcpx-bustthemyths

FCPX – Bust the Myths! Workshop
21st October 2016, 7pm
Brewery@MCL
65 Ubi Road 1, Oxley Bizhub #02-81/2 (Lobby 6), S(408729)

FCPX sucks! FCPX is iMovie Pro! It is time to put all the false accusations to rest. FCPX has made all the wrong impressions and it is time to set the record straight. Brewery is proud to present an upcoming workshop “FCPX – Bust the Myths!” For those still on FCP7 (and other “traditional” competitor platforms *Wink wink*), learn why FCPX is the most forward looking video editing software available now.

Yeewei, Ani and Chi-kong, all 3 professional users of FCPX will showcase and present workflows on FCPX that will help you transition from FCP7 and teach your how to deliver materials to other platforms like Protools and Resolve.

COLOR GRADING WITH TANGENT RIPPLE ON FCPX!
Our good friends from Media Village will be bringing over the Tangent Ripple to showcase color grading with Color Finale plugin on FCPX. They will also have a few sets for purchase on that day!
Tangent Ripple

Topics covered
– From 7 to X
– Data management – where are my bins and sequences?
– Maximizing creativity
– Why is the magnetic timeline so awesome?
– Delivering to Protools and Resolve
– Hardware optimization
– Color grading with a tangent panel on FCPX
– Effects handling

So RSVP by indicating your interest to attend or email us at contactus@mochachailab.com so we can prepare snacks and drinks on that day!

Facebook Event URL
https://www.facebook.com/events/1816249041954779/

The sound behind Boo Junfeng’s “Apprentice” – an interview with Tingli Lim

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Boo Junfeng has done it again.

Following his debut feature film “Sandcastle” which made its mark in Cannes International Critics’ Week back in 2010, the local filmmaking wunderkind’s latest endeavour “Apprentice” has found its way back to the French film festival, having premiered on 16 May to much acclaim.

Apprentice-Poster.ai
The film explores Singapore’s harsh death penalty laws through the complex relationship between two men working in a prison — a young correctional officer and its retiring chief executioner — riddled with hidden agendas, conflicting motivations and a haunted past, all while raising hard questions about morality and mortality surrounding the noose.

Not your usual capital punishment film, “Apprentice” spends a considerable amount of effort trying to reconcile the points of view from both the world of the executioners and the families of the executed. It offers a grave but intimate, and somewhat perverse, look into death row and the people it leaves behind.

 


The Singaporean film — which has been been described by critics as “thematically complex” and “ambitious “ — brings together filmmaking talents across the globe, including British-trained Director of Photography Benoit Soler and French composer Alexander Zekke, to name a few.

In fact, our very own Tingli Lim was responsible for providing the film’s soundtrack; one of the projects she worked on in the UK before joining Mocha Chai Laboratories as our Director of Sound.

In the following interview, we chat with Tingli on her role as the film’s Supervising Sound Editor, as well as her creative process, inspirations and challenges that helped shape the film sonically.

aIMG_0038


Hi Tingli! Tell us bit more about your role and work process in the film.

I was the Supervising Sound Editor of “Apprentice“. I discussed sound ideas and concepts with Junfeng and, together with the sound team, helped realise his vision for the film using sound. The entire audio post production took a year to complete due to recuts. The initial blueprints for the sound design were done a year before the project commenced using test shoot materials.


You’ve worked with Junfeng in the past, including his award-winning feature film Sandcastle which also premiered in Cannes in 2010. What were your expectations heading into this project?

Boo-Junfeng-Apprentice-750x457
I took on the job before reading the script as I’ve always loved working with Junfeng. He’s such a diligent director and his attention to detail is incredible. When we first discussed the idea, I had a feeling it was going to be his boldest work to date. The subject matter was highly contentious but as always, he managed to handle it with such sensitivity both on and off screen.


The film was shot primarily in Singapore and Australia, edited in Singapore and Thailand and the composers and yourself were based in France and the UK. How did you overcome the challenges that stemmed from having to working together on different continents?

Technology has made it rather easy to work remotely from one another. As I was living in the UK at that time, I asked to be put in touch with the sound recordist, Justin Loh, so he could help record some of the more unique sounds on set. James Page, the production designer, had built the working gallows from scratch so Justin had to record the trapdoor, levers and anything that was unique to the film which would be hard to recreate.

When the first cut was locked, I was holidaying in Singapore so Junfeng and I spotted the film together with the editor, Natalie Soh, and discussed the sound ideas for the film. What resulted from the session was a set of clear time-coded notes that the sound editorial team, Maiken Hansen and myself, worked off. We also did some ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) and group loops with local talents before I headed back to the UK. What followed was a series of works in progress which I would send to Junfeng. He’d watch it and email me his time-coded notes. This way of working was very efficient and the time difference actually worked to our advantage as I’d end my work day as he starts his, so we pretty much woke up to new material or comments for each other. Needless to say, Skype and WhatsApp were our best friends.

The sound edit sessions were then passed onto the good hands of Warren Santiago, the re-recording mixer whom I’ve also previously worked with in “Sandcastle“. He did the final mix in Thailand and the result is what you hear in the cinemas today.


Talk us through your creative process in developing the film’s sound scape.

My sound design ideas usually stem from reacting to the visuals. Some people are great with visualising soundscapes without picture, but I’m not like that. Usually when I watch a first cut, I’ll start hearing the film in my head, jot down my notes and then get to work. The first viewing is always the most crucial for me as I come in completely fresh and I can get a good sense of what is missing sonically from each scene or what’s working well and needs to be retained.

film19
Conceptually, we wanted the film to be very psychological in nature as the prison is such a significant place for Aiman, who plays the young correctional officer, but it needed to be believable at the same time. The prison had to sound very high security so for most of the prison scenes, we introduced a security system that was filled with buzzes, beeps and hums. For example, whenever a gate is opened, it would keep buzzing until it’s shut. We then contrasted that with the archaic nature of the gallows block, where only locks and keys were used and hence had to sound creaky, heavy and old.


Short of visiting an actual working prison, what sources of inspiration did you draw from in establishing the sound elements of a prison?

A lot of the inspiration behind the sound came from Junfeng sharing his experiences having been to the actual prisons during his research. For example, he made a comment where he said that the holding cells of the death row prisoners felt very much like a nursing home and was very peaceful. So sonically, that was the direction we went with. Short of the buzzes and gates, the holding cell scenes were filled with airy and breezy sounds, with the occasional rustling leaves in trees. This was completely different from the rest of the prison.


The gallows managed to provide some of the film’s most haunting scenes in a setting that was otherwise visually muted, so there was an opportunity for sound to play a larger role in developing these scenes. In these instances, how did you use sound to create or amplify the atmosphere of the gallows?

The major scenes in the gallows consisted of long shots with very clever blocking shot by the Director of Photography, Benoit Soler. Hence, there was a need for the sound to move as well to keep it interesting.

apprentice-770x470
There was a ventilation fan by the window and we used that as a way of playing with the scene’s tension sonically. We created and layered many versions of this fan – a natural sounding one, a bass-y one and fast and slow variations, including one that sounded very much like a slow helicopter blade. We then rode these layers up and down in the premix, using the emotional arch of the characters as our cues. When it was tense, we brought up more of the slow and ominous fans so it’s like we’re hearing it as they’re experiencing and when everything headed back to normal, we hear the natural fan ventilation again. This, along with Matt Kelly’s subjective music scores, changed the scenes considerably.

In order to do all of these effectively, we completely replaced the dialogue for the gallows scenes with ADR and recreated them from scratch so we had full control of all the elements.


What were some of the challenges you faced in the audio post production process?

As the prison scenes were shot across different locations (a museum, a set, a corridor and an office) we faced 2 main challenges – to make them sound like they are in the same vicinity and to add life and activity to the otherwise silent locations.

APPRENTICE

We did lots of group loops with different groups of people in the recording studio and we’d give them roles and scenarios for them to play out. For example, one guy would play an officer shouting for “Master check” while two other guys would play the role of prisoners trying to wake a sleeping inmate. We then peppered these dialogues all around to give life to the location, and repeated this process for the office and canteen scenes.

The film also faced 2 recuts during audio post so there was the monumental task of reconforming the sound work to match the new cuts.


In your opinion, and without giving away too much, what is the most powerful scene in the film, and how did sound add to that?

I think the most powerful scene for sound has to be the opening. It starts on black as you hear the prison come to life. Interestingly, this was conceived at the very end of the post production process but has grown to be one of my favourite scenes now. I can’t say more without giving away too much, so people just have to catch it themselves to find out more.


In no more than 10 words, why should people watch Apprentice?

It is a powerful film that will set you thinking.

 


 

Apprentice” opens in Singapore on 30th June.

For more information, visit their Facebook page here.

Uncovering Dolby Atmos through the evolution of cinema sound

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Any respectable audiophile would be more than familiar with Dolby Atmos – the latest technology in cinematic history that allows filmmakers to place and navigate sounds anywhere in the theatre to a tee.

With its 3D positional sound capabilities, Dolby Atmos joins the forefront of immersive media technologies — alongside HDR screens with Dolby Vision — that will drive the next generation of cinema and home theatre experiences.

Dolby AtmosImage credit: Dolby

Touted as the next generation surround format for the industry, Dolby Atmos is a virtual reality of sound that puts moviegoers in the heart of the action.

But as with most of today’s ground breaking advances, comes a long history of technologies and innovations that precede them. In that spirit, let us take a step back into the early days of cinema sound and chart the evolution that led to the breakthrough of Dolby Atmos.

 

The mono beginnings

Silent movies were never entirely silent; they were largely accompanied by sounds from a live orchestra to the noise of the projector. It was not until the release of Warner’s ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1928 — the first feature-length motion picture with synchronised sound — that suggested the end of the silent films era.

jazz

However, there was little advancement in the decades that followed and until the 1970s, almost all movies were in mono. With a single speaker placed behind the screen, the audio experience was flat at best.

 

Breaking new ground with stereo

Dolby Stereo then found its way into our cinemas in the mid 70s, which allowed for two channel soundtracks to be decoded to a dedicated dialogue track in the center of the screen, along with two additional speakers on the left and right and an additional surround channel. This gave a spread and sense of imaging inside the room that was never heard before.

With the potential of a richer sound, the possibilities of stereo was endless, and there was no greater example of the technology’s breakthrough than the 1977 release of ‘Star Wars‘ – an experience that attracted moviegoers by the thousands and forever changed the expectations for cinema sound.

Image credit: The New York Review of BooksOpening day of George Lucas’ Star Wars at Grauman’s Chinese theater, May 25, 1977

It didn’t take long for stereo to catch on with more hit movies that followed, such as ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind‘ (1977) and ‘Superman‘ (1978). By 1985, every film was in Dolby stereo.

 

The advent of surround sound

By the time the 1990s came along, it became clear that digital was the way to go.

Dolby Digital was hence developed, delivering 5.1 channels of cinema sound by splitting the room into half – left, center, right, left surround, right surround and subwoofer. This allowed the sound to have more sense of movement across the audience. ‘Batman Returns’ became the first movie to be released in this format in 1992.

Image credit: Dolby LaboratoriesImage credit: Dolby Laboratories

With the transition into digital cinema came the 7.1, where the rear surround speakers were split into left and right channels. This gave the sound even more definition, adding more dimension to the cinematic experience.

 

Redefining the cinematic sound experience

While logic would entail that the natural next step be to keep piling on the channels, it was also evident that the format’s potential for enhancements was coming to a standstill. Channel-based solutions allowed for basic movement of sound, but lacked the sensation and precision that content creators wanted.

To that end, Dolby Atmos was developed in a bold effort to lead the charge in redefining the cinematic sound experience. Touted as the next generation surround format for the industry, Dolby Atmos offers filmmakers the flexibility to place individual sounds anywhere in the cinema and move them around with precision. Simply put, it’s a virtual reality of sound that puts moviegoers in the heart of the action.

The fundamental shift from channels to object-based solutions allowed filmmakers to approach sound elements as dynamic objects travelling across the room. The sound can travel through each speaker placed around and above the audience as it moves across the cinema, in what’s called a pan-through array.

Image credit: Dolby LaboratoriesImage credit: Dolby Laboratories

By also placing speakers above the audience, the overhead surround adds an upper hemisphere of sound that moviegoers have never experienced before, creating a truly immersive feel of sound.

 

Coming to a Dolby Atmos cinema near you

It comes as no surprise that Dolby Atmos is quickly becoming the format du jour among filmmakers, with more than 100 titles from major Hollywood studios adopting the technology – most prominently in ‘Gravity’ (2013), which won seven Oscars, including awards for sound editing and sound mixing.

Image credit: Warner Bros.Image credit: Warner Bros.

In fact, most of the anticipated upcoming releases such as ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Suicide Squad’ and ‘Wonder Woman’ will be available in Dolby Atmos. Here’s the full list to get you excited.

What’s more, you don’t have to go too far to experience the magic of Dolby Atmos, with Cathay Cineplex Jem and Golden Village VivoCity equipped with Dolby Atmos cinemas.

Alternatively, you’re more than welcome to drop by our studio for a demo in our very own Dolby Atmos certified dubbing theatre! Email us at contactus@mochachailab.com to set up an appointment.

 


 

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8 Common Mistakes a Film Producer Makes

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No film that’s worth two hoots was made without a good producer. They steer the film from beginning to completion and beyond – from bringing together the entire creative team and hustling for a peachy budget in pre-production to making sure everything that’s earmarked “we’ll fix it in post” actually gets fixed in post.

Take away the producer from the equation, and you’ll probably end up with a budget that no one who can do basic math would approve, a madhouse for a set, locations with no permits, a crew with two left feet and a director in dire need of therapy. Oh, and good luck finding a post-production house that specializes in miracles.

Suffice to say, we have the utmost respect for producers. Working with a producer who gets it can make all the difference in post-production – be it in time, labour or money spent.

But even the best fall down sometimes. Here are 8 common mistakes a producer makes – and how to fix them… and we don’t mean in post.

 

1. Not organizing a pre-production meeting

Sure, you’ve assembled your dream team. The script’s a winner. Your director had his third coffee. Everyone’s in their place and ready to go. Who needs a pre-production meeting when the stars are aligned in your favour? Well, you do.

Most common issues faced in post can actually be resolved before production begins simply by setting up a meeting with all the key personnel. We’re talking DOP, Location Sound Recordist, Data Wrangler, Editor, Sound Designer, Composer, Production Designer, Art Director, Costume Designer and Colourist at the very least. Issues like framerate, workflow and schedule can easily be mapped out before it gets too late.

What’s more, with all these great minds in one room (and perhaps a bottle of whisky to get those creative juices flowing) you can turn a boring briefing into a brainstorm session for ideas to enhance the film.

 

2. Not hiring a Post-Production Supervisor 

There are about a million and one things that could go wrong in a production, and even the best producer may not have the technical know-how to solve every one of them.

Having a Post-Production Supervisor on your team would take the technical problems out of your hands, leaving you with more headspace to deal with everything else.

Need to shoot in 4K but don’t know how to handle the huge file sizes? No problem. Conversion from film to TV without the ugly strobing? Piece of cake. Need to ensure sync across double system recording? With a little bit of planning (see point 1), you’d be guaranteed a smooth ride ahead.

 

3. Not hiring a boom operator

A boom operator is an indispensable asset to every shoot. Sadly, as our cameras get smaller, so does the size of the crew, and the boom operator often gets left out of the hiring mix.

Having a boom operator on set can make or break a recording. Not only does the boom mic offer the most natural sound, having a 2-person team can also help the Location Sound Mixer bring out the best of the audio source – from being able to focus on his/her mix to resolving any noisy problems on set such as adjusting bad mic placement, padding clunky heels, and the list goes on.

Besides, if anything goes wrong with the wireless mics, there’ll always be the backup boom track to fall back on, saving you plenty of money and cringe-worthy moments from bad ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement).

Hey, if you want that ‘Hollywood sound’, you’ve got to start investing in it.

 

4. Under-budgeting for post-production

There’s an old saying that goes something like “Fast, good or cheap. Pick two.” Well, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Taking your raw footages and developing them in post-production isn’t as simple as slapping on an Instagram filter. It takes time to explore the full potential of the rushes – from finding the exact expression that the character needs to shaping every scene sonically. What’s more, every time you play the “we’ll fix it in post” card, bear in mind that while we certainly can, it’s going to cost you.

Still not convinced? What if we told you there’s a correlation between the Best Film and Best Editing, both nominees and winners, at the Academy Awards? With enough time and for the right price, you may be one step closer to that golden statuette.

 

5. Changing the edit after locking picture

Do any of these file names look familiar to you? Locked Cut, Locked Cut 2, Final Locked Cut, FINAL FINAL LOCKED PLEASE NO MORE CHANGES CUT.

While it’s crucial to get the right edit, changing it after the next process has started — be it Sound Post, VFX or Colour Grading — unleashes the dominos from hell, resulting in a chain of technical nightmares waiting to happen. Not only will picture and sound most likely go out of sync, you’ll end up with different people working on different cuts – all of which will take a whole lot of time and money to resolve.

If you’re out of options and really have to change the cut, then hopefully you’d have hired a Post-Production Supervisor (see point 4) to plan the best recut workflow.

 

6. Starting the subtitling process too late

It’s no secret that subtitling is the most underrated function on screen, but wrongly translated or badly timed subtitles can easily ruin the entire film viewing experience.

Starting the subtitling process in the offline edit can ensure any mistakes to be spotted throughout the approval process, allowing less margin for error. Given that we work in a multi-racial industry, it also allows all key personnel to understand the story rather than work through the film blind.

 

7. Not asking enough questions

Working in a technology driven industry is never easy. After CD and PG, the abbreviations can get pretty intimidating – think AIFF, DCI, DCP, MPEG, OMF and the list goes on. No one expects everyone to know them all — although a Post-Production Supervisor would (see point 2) — so don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Any craftsman would be thrilled to have someone else taking an interest in his/her craft, and would be more than happy to share a tip or two with you. Besides, it never hurts to know more about everyone’s roles when you’ve got an entire production to manage.

 

8. Sacrificing the creative process

Amidst all the logistical, financial and technical processes a producer has to manage, it is easy to lose sight of the end game – enhancing and preserving the creative process. Unfortunately, it isn’t uncommon for a producer to make creative sacrifices to a film for the sake of achieving targets; whether it is adopting cheaper solutions or taking shortcuts to make sure deadlines are met.

When faced with numerous constraints that can end up jeopardizing the creative process, a good producer needs to take a step back and remind themselves that at the end of the day, we are making a movie, and it is after all still a creative endeavour.

 

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