5 Tasks Video Editing Production Companies Are Doing Behind the Scenes 

Post-production editing is a major element of the total production process and often takes up more time than all of the other production steps combined. It’s natural to wonder what it is that your video editing production company is doing behind-the-scenes, and why it’s taking so long. This third, and final stage of video production is a very intricate and important phase. Checkout these 5 tasks that are taking place behind the scenes with most video editing production companies. 

1. Putting Together the Rough Cut 

Before the production company does anything with the video content they put together what is called a rough cut. The rough cut is the first look at all of the different footage that was captured on shoot day and selection of the appropriate footage to make the story line. Video editing production companies usually work with the rough cut first to get a feel internally as to what the next steps should be in making the video edit look as good as possible. Then they’ll share the rough cut with you. 

2. Picture Lock 

You probably won’t see much in between the rough cut and picture lock, but a lot of work is taking place. The editor is reviewing all of the content, closely analyzing the footage, and making a decision on each shot that will be used in the final cut. When they have decided the exact shots for the entire process, they perform what is called the “Picture lock.” This is the term used to say that the shots are locked into the appropriate order for the final video footage. 

3. Visual Effects 

Video editing production companies work on the visual effects that are used in the video too. These come into play one the picture lock is secure and the sound mix has been figured in. Visual effects were discussed in pre-production and may have been mapped in the storyboard. While you can add additional effects in post production, most of the visuals were pre-planned. Visual effects that are incorporated in the post production editing process include animations, 3D rendering, and various other models and graphics. 

4. Elements Added to the Lower Third 

Video editing production companies are also working on the lower third at this time. If you’ve ever watched a news broadcast then you know what the lower third is like. That’s where you see details about the story such as the time stamp, name of speakers, etc. The post production company works to ensure 

that the information included in the lower third is conducive to stronger understanding of the footage without taking away from the video view. 

5. Color Correction 

If you’ve ever seen your rough cut before any post production edits to color have been made then you know the value in color correction. During the final stages of post production editing you may not realize it but all that great footage that was captured with high end cameras still needs some work — color correction is the process of adjusting the color and lighting in each shot so that the footage matches and there are not changes in lighting as the film progresses. You may not even realize that this is taking place but video editing production companies work hard to ensure the content flows correctly, that the audio and visual footage is cohesive, and that there are no glaring issues with color. It’s all in a day’s work!