Editing workflow — from data ingest to picture lock and conform

Picture lock is the reference point of post. Before lock, the cut keeps changing, so detailed color or sound work would have to be redone. Once the edit is finished and the cut lengths are fixed, the color, sound and VFX teams all start work from that version at the same time.

1. 01IngestReceive the originals and data logs from the on-set data wrangler or DIT. Keep copies in at least two places and verify them against the originals with checksums before you start work.
2. 02OrganizeSplit folders by shoot day and card number, and keep the camera reports and sound reports with them. Never rename the original files.
3. 03SyncLine up the sound and picture at the moment the slate claps, or match the camera and recorder timecode, so picture and sound become one clip.
4. 04Make proxiesTranscode lighter editing copies of the originals. Keep the names and timecode exactly the same as the originals so you can relink to them later.
5. 05Review dailiesThe director and cinematographer watch the day’s footage to catch focus, exposure and sound problems early. Shots that need a reshoot must be flagged quickly so they can be scheduled.

On set, every take is marked OK, NG or KEEP in the production report, script supervisor’s notes and camera report. The editor uses those notes to look at the OK takes first and keeps the KEEP takes as the next candidates. A KEEP is a take that isn’t the OK but is worth saving for an expression or a particular line.

Even an NG take sometimes has a usable opening or reaction. Writing a short reason next to the mark, such as “great line at the end” or “soft focus at the end,” saves a lot of searching in the edit.

The script supervisor’s notes record where dialogue changed in each take, continuity details like prop positions and which hand was used, and the director’s comments. The editor uses them to choose takes that cut together, and checks with the set when a shot turns up that isn’t in the notes.

Export each cut with its stage, version number and date, like “Rough cut v3.” Take notes with timecode so there is no confusion about which shot they refer to. When notes from several people conflict, decide in advance who makes the final call.

• Editor — Chooses takes to build the story and refines the cut with the director.
• Assistant editor — Handles ingest and organization, sync, proxies and preparing files for the conform.
• Director — Sets the direction of the edit and gives notes on each version.
• Producer — Watches length, schedule and budget, and decides on picture lock together with the director.
• Post supervisor — Manages the schedule and file handoffs between color, sound and VFX. On small projects the producer or editor covers this role.

The conform relinks an edit made with proxies to the original files. The editing software exports the edit as an interchange file. An EDL is a simple list with one line per clip giving the clip name and the source and record in and out timecodes, while interchange files such as XML or AAF also carry multiple tracks and some effects data. What carries over differs between programs, so it’s safest to run a test conform on a short section before the real one.

• Keep names — Don’t change the file names or folder structure of originals or proxies.
• Keep timecode — Check that the original timecode was carried into the proxies when they were made.
• Speed and size changes — Slow motion, punch-ins and flips may not come across accurately in the interchange file, so note them separately and send the notes along.