“We’ll fix it in post!” This is a common expression thrown around on any film set, big or little. It can be heard in passing either by lazy members of the crew or an impatient director who doesn’t want to wait for a set dress or wardrobe fix.
With talented VFX artists who can seemingly do anything, it is easy to see why this expression is used, perhaps more now than ever in Hollywood. Often times, post production is relied upon to fix simple things like an actor’s makeup or remove boom mics that have awkwardly dipped into frame.In many ways, the tools we have today have made these fixes relatively routine and simple. However, by simply calling out those words, “fix it in post”, you have robbed your craft of something that is essential to the final outcome of the project, and you have created unnecessary work for the post-production team.
With art comes mistakes. Or better put, good art is the result of multiple mistakes and failed attempts that have brought about a learning experience for the artist, hereby creating a better piece of art.
This is true of a painter, who is painting a masterpiece, an orchestra practicing a symphony, a photographer searching for the perfect shot, and it is certainly true of every aspect of filmmaking.
With every failed attempt and mess-up, we learn new things about how to fix the problem and make our art better.
Consider this scenario: A movie crew spends time and money setting up a shot, then something that could and should have been fixed is brushed off as a task for the VFX guys, simply so the shooting schedule can carry on unhindered.
An opportunity has just been missed to make the shot, scene, and movie better, and the VFX artists now have to divert their attention from making top-notch effects to fixing production mistakes. Rushing through mistakes not only makes you lazy, but it ultimately shows in your work.If you spend the extra ten minutes or two hours, to get your shot perfected, you will learn more about your scene through repetition, and can even allow your brain to come up with better ideas, and give you options on how to make the scene better. Staying on schedule is important, of course, but it’s ultimately not worth sacrificing the quality of a shot.
It is also of great importance to note that many issues simply cannot be fixed in post- production. Major camera issues, blown out footage, abrupt disruptions to audio, are among just a few things that really can’t be fixed later on.
When shooting a shot that will have VFX applied to it, these issues are multiplied exponentially. If you are planning on adding ActionVFX stock footage to a scene with a moving camera, this will require camera tracking the footage.
This means you want to minimize camera shakiness and motion blur as much possible so that when you get into post-production, adding the effects goes as smoothly as possible.When making a movie, each group of individuals needs to have the creative freedom to do what they do well. By taking the time to perfect your shot during production, when you present the footage to the VFX team, they will be able to focus their time and attention on not fixing mistakes, but making a good shot excellent.
First time here? ActionVFX creates action stock footage for VFX and filmmaking. (We also have some great free stuff!)
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