OT: How do you present work-in-progress?

[Tony West]

[Walter Soyka] “How does exploration work for you in pre-pro?”

It’s all about understanding what they do and what they want to convey. Listening and learning about them and then using creative talent and experience in the biz to craft the project that will achieve their goals.

That’s the time to kick around ideas and concepts for me.

The latest Dove ad disaster is a perfect example. You better believe that if I were in the room that “concept” would have never got out the door. I would have shot that down early in the process. You see, sometimes they don’t know, and they are relying on you to advice against a tone deaf spot like that.

[Walter Soyka] “It’s really interesting to me how similar our work may seem on the surface, but how different the expectations and process can be.”

I’m not so sure the expectations are that different. I’m looking at options same as you, maybe just earlier in the process.

It seems that your options in post would be somewhat limited to your footage that was already shot.

Do you find yourself going back and reshooting often and if not, how far can you expand on what’s already there?

[Walter Soyka]

[Tony West] “I’m not so sure the expectations are that different. I’m looking at options same as you, maybe just earlier in the process. It seems that your options in post would be somewhat limited to your footage that was already shot. Do you find yourself going back and reshooting often and if not, how far can you expand on what’s already there?”

We’re not just post. Most of what we do is design, and footage is just a suggestion. Our clients have graphic design expectations (present a number of options, perform a number of revisions), but we operate in a video context.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Steve Connor]

[Walter Soyka] “We’re not just post. Most of what we do is design, and footage is just a suggestion. Our clients have graphic design expectations (present a number of options, perform a number of revisions), but we operate in a video context.
“

Just checked out some of your work – wow! Whatever your process is, it clearly produces spectacular results!

BTW I have stolen your quote for my new sig – thanks

\”Traditional NLEs have timelines. FCPX has storylines\” W.Soyka

[Tony West]

[Walter Soyka] “We’re not just post. “

OK, so then you must have pre pro meetings with the clients then also. What’s discussed there? Do they just change it down the line? (They are free to do that)

[Andrew Kimery]

[Walter Soyka] ” Clients expect to see options because they’re putting money into the project and want to know they’re getting the best work they can afford.”

I think all clients like to see options, but how they get options can vary based on the type of project being done.

For example, I do almost exclusively unscripted work (from event coverage to documentaries) so pre-pro will get you in the ballpark, but options/versioning can’t really happen until you get into post.

This is where clients being unable to imagine/visualize means a lot of rough cuts look like nearly finished cuts. Jump cuts/frankenbites during interviews are distracting so you have to add broll. The pace and/or emotional level is too hard to discern so you have to add music. The levels between the different interviews and the music are all over the place so you have to do a rough audio pass. Static images are boring, thus distracting, so you have to do moves on everything. Cutting between mismatched cameras is distracting so you have to do a first color pass. Individual scenes are hard to assess out of context so you have edit an entire act (or acts) so clients aren’t going in cold.

That’s a lot of labor to see if you are headed in the right direction. I’ve worked on a number of new shows and the first episode of a season 1 show can easily take 2-3 times longer than the other episodes as the network and producers try to nail down the right look and feel.

[Bill Davis]

[Andrew Kimery] “This is where clients being unable to imagine/visualize means a lot of rough cuts look like nearly finished cuts. Jump cuts/frankenbites during interviews are distracting so you have to add broll. The pace and/or emotional level is too hard to discern so you have to add music. The levels between the different interviews and the music are all over the place so you have to do a rough audio pass. Static images are boring, thus distracting, so you have to do moves on everything. Cutting between mismatched cameras is distracting so you have to do a first color pass. Individual scenes are hard to assess out of context so you have edit an entire act (or acts) so clients aren’t going in cold.

That’s a lot of labor to see if you are headed in the right direction. I’ve worked on a number of new shows and the first episode of a season 1 show can easily take 2-3 times longer than the other episodes as the network and producers try to nail down the right look and feel.
“

This is my EXACT experience as well.
Particularly regarding the TV commercial work that comes my way.

With the typical gigantic pile of “media placement” cash that rests on just :30 of creative – 20 versions of the same spot for a client with the ONLY difference being a tiny change in the grammar in one title card – is completely common.

I just delivered 16 spot versions to a client on Tuesday – I would be utterly shocked if a single one of those EVER sees air.

After a couple of months of that process – there might be 2 spots as campaign deliverables – with 100 or more versions of jettisoned in their wake.

Their purpose is to be used in client discussions about how the creative makes the stakeholders “feel” – and therefore which creative paths are the most likely to yield the best results.

MY feeling is how X handles snapshots, versions, and auditions, etc – and how it (like other programs) has come to interfaces with collaborative production systems like Frame.io – has eased my job by HUGE amounts over how I was doing things even a year ago.

New world today. MUCH better world.

Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.