ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

9 years ago - Lee 'Wozy' Warren

I've worked as a post production supervisor and have put a fair amount of projects through post so have a fair idea of what's high and what's not.

The problem with a simple number is that I cant tell whats behind it. For example - is this quote for a West End facility that will be graded by the guy/gal who did an award winning film? Or is the colourist grading in his bedroom suite? See where I'm going here?

£6000 is a lot if you only have £4000 or if this is the guys first job out of film school. I could get you a cheaper quote and certainly a more expensive quote as well.

Also, how fast are they turning it around? What equipment are they using? Have you seen any of their other work? Or checked their credits on IMDB?

The bottom line is what can you afford? Start there and work backwards.

If you need any support - IM me.

Good luck.

Wozy

9 years ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Take Wozy up on that offer, but £6k doesn't sound outrageous to me, if it's being done on real equipment by real techs. Does the £6k Inc VAT?

9 years ago - Dan Selakovich

What Wozy said.

Without any details it's difficult to say. For example, how many days of a mix is that? How clean are your tracks? If they are editing the dialogue, and have to do a lot of magic to make those tracks clean, that would take more time. Or if you're editing the tracks, and not doing it properly, that can add to the hours in a mix. How many hours of VO does that include? What do they mean by VO prep? Does that mean they are simply sweetening the VO audio that you recorded in your living room? Are they editing the VO tracks into the film, or are you doing that? How many passes for grading is that? Does that include an M & E mix, or are you not worried about foreign sales? Have you looked at how they want everything delivered? For example, if you used Garage Band instead of Pro Tools, and they have to convert from your editing system to theirs, is that cost included? Given that, is this quote contingent on specific deliverables?

Here in Los Angeles, it's rare that the same facility does the grading and sound work and on-line. We have them, but it's usually a really high-end place like Technicolor, or on the low end, one guy in a converted garage that does everything. To me, that rate is about right for a doc under an hour at a small post house (unless you have a lot of tracks as a narrative film would). But, in the end, it's all about time. If that rate is for a 4 hour mix, and you need two days, that's not good.

There is so much that can go wrong here, including you thinking that the contract covers everything and you find out too late that it doesn't. PLEASE take Wozy up on his offer.

8 years, 12 months ago - K Grupe

Thanks folks for your detailed answers without having too much of the detail from me. We are looking at things at the moment and now that we have a ballpark understanding it makes moving to the next stage a more educated step. A great help. Thank you.