4 Tips On How To Make Post-Production Teams Work More Efficiently
As we start to internalize how this pandemic has changed the world, the audio post-production industry continues to unravel new ways of continuing its existence. Within this crisis, each sector of the global economy is facing its own catastrophe, and the entertainment world has not been spared.
With many marquee film productions being delayed due to the pandemic, and other movies scheduled for the big screen being moved to a digital release, the industry is still fighting to find a way to survive and thrive amidst this juncture. With cinemas closed, there’s no way people can watch movies. With positive cases rising again in many countries, lockdown restrictions will likely get more serious and strict, making going back to normal even harder.
A Remote Post-Production Future
As mentioned in a previous post, many big studios decided to move their films to a digital release, and Universal even managed to establish a record in terms of net earnings. But what does that mean for the future of film and its associated industries? Cinemas v.s. Streaming is not the only major change. Many shows are now implementing home-based workflows and Zoom-like technologies to allow collaboration.
While some best practices are still being discovered, it seems some major and medium companies are taking several steps that can help any remote post-production team work seamlessly together.
Organize Asset Management
When dealing with such uncertain circumstances, one can only try to remain calm. Remaining calm in this context means keeping everything as organized as possible. This, of course, is not the only key for our industry but pivotal for any other business out there trying to survive.
Even short video projects have a sheer array of raw audio, image, video, and other files, but it is still imperative to find clear and logical film management and proper structures, especially if the idea is to go remote. With cloud platforms and software gaining more and more popularity, having easy-to-use integrations will likely become a total lifesaver. Regardless of the nature of future projects, everything will definitely be much easier if the tools fit like a glove with the new workflows.
Develop Video Production Workflows
Going remote will require systematic workflows capable of keeping everybody on task. Some primary objectives will probably be making sure that tasks are clear and not misinterpreted, setting clear deadlines, and providing teams with proper guidelines so they can establish priorities. The less room for ambiguity there is, the easier and better it will be.
This is why, the vast majority of times, the exact project and management style is less important than being able to keep everything user friendly for all teams involved, especially those newcomers
Create Roles and Project Managers
When it comes to team members, they should all have clearly defined roles. Ideally, this can be built into a workflow platform, so that everyone can check into their personal dashboard to see the tasks they need to complete. This should all be overseen by more experienced members, capable of delegating work to project and task managers.
Then they will be responsible for making sure a task goes from the creation stage up to the final approval. If done correctly, this will help you streamline your decision-making process, saving up time, and getting the most out of your team. The film industry and its associated businesses, like audio post-production, depend to a rather large extent on the ability to make decisions without compromising other areas and processes than also depend on the outcome of what different teams do. Thus, setting clear roles and appointing experienced individuals as project and task managers will remove the likelihood of reprocessing things.
Make Communication the Number One Priority
As mentioned above, every team member needs to have clear roles. And you can make this easier by including a comments section within your project management platform of choice. This allows anyone participating in a specific task to comment, ask questions, offer further insights, and provide updates in real-time.
The Future of the Entertainment World
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought an unprecedented digital disruption. Netflix and other streaming services had already transformed this landscape, and now other streaming platforms such as HBO, AppleTV+, and Disney+ are flooding the market in hopes of landing a portion of the demand.
Remote technologies that existed before them are also proving that video production has the innate ability to adapt itself to different circumstances. Applications and technologies are now so advanced that filmmakers now really do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to editing either at home or at a different location away from the main set.
And although we are living through historic days, Hollywood and the entertainment industry is not going anywhere. It is now a reality that we, as a collective, will rely more and more on technologies and our ability to communicate. Entertainment as we used to know it has forever changed.
