After we shoot

Ever wondered what happens to your podcast footage once the cameras stop rolling? In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the modern post production workflow and explain why the days of manually transferring files from SD cards are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

We discuss the move toward cloud based editing and how digital tools have transformed the speed and efficiency of the editing process. From live switching to collaborative review platforms, discover the “toys” and techniques used to get an episode from the studio to your screen in record time.

The transition to the cloud

While SD cards still serve as a reliable backup, the primary footage now moves straight to hard drives and is uploaded immediately to the cloud. This modern workflow allows editors to begin their work almost instantly, sometimes even while the recording is still in progress.

Professional tools and software

The team shares insights into why they prefer DaVinci Resolve over other industry standards like Adobe Premiere. We explore the benefits of using a single, powerful package for editing, colour grading, and audio, and how hardware like the Blackmagic Atem switcher automates the creation of project files to simplify the entire journey.

Efficient editing with proxies

To avoid the lag of handling massive high resolution files, the process relies on a proxy workflow. By using smaller, faster versions of the footage during the edit, the team can remain agile, only bringing back the full quality files for the final export. This automation has effectively replaced the time consuming manual tasks previously handled by junior editors.

Collaboration and feedback

We dive into the use of Frame IO, a collaborative tool that allows stakeholders to leave precise comments, compare different versions of an edit side by side, and even identify specific moments to be turned into social media snippets or shorts.

Sustainability and scheduling

Post production is about more than just the edit. We discuss the importance of creating sustainable cycles, from batch recording to the final stages of writing captions, designing artwork, and scheduling releases to maintain a consistent weekly presence.

Ep 35 After we shoot.
English (US)

01:00:02.640 — 01:00:13.840 · Speaker 1
My podcast is stuck on this SD card. How do I get it off? What's the process next? Well, it's on, it's inside. It's inside this card.


01:00:14.120 — 01:00:19.440 · Speaker 2
Slot on top. So you need a computer, rich. Yeah. And you plug it in and you take the footage.


01:00:19.600 — 01:00:20.280 · Speaker 1
I take it, but.


01:00:20.280 — 01:00:22.360 · Speaker 3
Not one of these computers. You can't plug them in here.


01:00:22.400 — 01:00:27.080 · Speaker 1
Take this from me. I don't want to do that. Yeah. Okay, so edit my podcast, please. Thank you. Yes.


01:00:27.120 — 01:00:29.760 · Speaker 3
Oh, and how fast? When can it be done?


01:00:29.840 — 01:00:30.560 · Speaker 2
It's done.


01:00:31.040 — 01:00:31.440 · Speaker 1
Thank you.


01:00:31.480 — 01:00:32.200 · Speaker 2
That's why I get paid.


01:00:32.360 — 01:00:49.840 · Speaker 1
I'm watching it. Yeah. No, thanks. No no, no. But in all seriousness, yeah, I actually am unclear of the process because we just walk out of the door here. Yeah. And then in a couple of days it's ready for us to start watching and and quitting. Yeah.


01:00:50.200 — 01:01:00.150 · Speaker 2
Uh, so the first thing is, is that your podcast isn't on this SD card. This is old school. We don't actually we don't actually put them on here anymore.


01:01:00.270 — 01:01:02.190 · Speaker 1
Why didn't you give me a more relevant prop?


01:01:02.470 — 01:01:05.309 · Speaker 2
Because the props in the cloud.


01:01:07.470 — 01:01:09.790 · Speaker 1
So our podcast is here somewhere.


01:01:09.830 — 01:01:53.150 · Speaker 2
It's somewhere here. So I couldn't really give you a cloud as a prop, but, um, we do record as backup onto these in the cameras. But technically, what happens to the footage is it goes straight to a hard drive. Uh, and then that gets uploaded to the cloud and the editor start editing. Um, and our workflow is a pretty neat and modern one.

It's it's something that a lot of post houses are still trying to adapt, but it's it's really cloud based. Um, so all the footage goes up and it goes down immediately into the edit suite. Um, so technically we could do it even faster where the camera, while it's recording, is uploading the footage at the same time.


01:01:53.190 — 01:01:53.670 · Speaker 3
Wow.


01:01:54.190 — 01:01:58.540 · Speaker 2
But we we don't we don't need that. So we don't go through that expense and that drama.


01:01:58.580 — 01:02:03.380 · Speaker 1
Does everything get uploaded? All the screw ups and or do you selectively upload?


01:02:03.420 — 01:02:22.980 · Speaker 2
No. Everything goes up so the editor can can make selects. So it does go up in what we call a proxy format. So it's a smaller, faster file. But we only need the full size footage right at the end when we export. So basically the footage gets uploaded or gets digitized


01:02:24.020 — 01:02:55.180 · Speaker 2
live. These days we don't really pull it off the cards anymore. Um, for this, for this environment. Um, and the other thing we do is we've got to go editing while we're talking live now. So he's switching between the camera's live. Um, and then it still goes to the edit suites. And what that device does is create the edited file, the project file that goes into the edit suite already.

So we open that project file in the in the edit suite. And then we adjust the edit.


01:02:55.300 — 01:03:01.490 · Speaker 1
So you can tweak it. So it's not like he's he's he's editing live. It's not based on the shot or something. It's. Yeah.


01:03:01.490 — 01:03:25.330 · Speaker 2
So he's he's editing live just to speed it up. And then we go tweak it and then it's done. Um, it's a really quick turnaround. Um, it's pretty robust. We have backups. Um, so if something goes wrong with the cloud or or whatever, we we've got redundancies in place for that. Um, and it's a pretty robust workflow at this point.


01:03:25.370 — 01:03:31.770 · Speaker 3
And that's before we get it. So yeah, that's all happening before it's uploaded to frame IO.


01:03:31.810 — 01:04:05.880 · Speaker 2
Yeah. So frame IO is our collaborative tool where we then upload the versions of the edits and send it to all the stakeholders to give comments. Those comments then go back down into the edit suite. Editor can make the appropriate changes at the appropriate time. It creates a checklist that we can check off what's been done and what hasn't been done, and then upload the second version.

and then you could even on frame IO, which is one of my favorite tools, is to do a side by side comparison and playback the previous version and the current version at the same time to check what's what's different.


01:04:05.880 — 01:04:07.360 · Speaker 3
To see how different it is.


01:04:07.400 — 01:04:11.560 · Speaker 2
So yeah, online tools have really sped up our post workflow.


01:04:11.600 — 01:04:13.760 · Speaker 1
And what editing software.


01:04:13.920 — 01:04:17.400 · Speaker 2
So we're using DaVinci resolve um.


01:04:17.600 — 01:04:19.320 · Speaker 1
Which that's free right.


01:04:19.359 — 01:04:26.640 · Speaker 2
The, the the basic version is free. We use the studio version because we, we require some of the more professional.


01:04:26.680 — 01:04:26.880 · Speaker 1
Yeah.


01:04:26.920 — 01:04:52.880 · Speaker 2
Fair enough things, but great. Edit uh, very good with color. Um, we also use the fusion page, which is the graphics page, which is very powerful when you know what you're doing there. And it's got a great audio suite as well. So it's quite a nice all in one package and very popular with creators obviously because of the free version.

It gets you hooked into it and it's it syncs really well with the Blackmagic cameras and whatnot.


01:04:52.920 — 01:04:54.110 · Speaker 1
Adobe Premiere?


01:04:54.830 — 01:05:38.190 · Speaker 2
Um, premiere is also very good. Uh, we prefer not to have to pay for five licenses every month for an edit suite. Uh, we're. DaVinci is once off cost. Um, and then into perpetuity. We've got the versions. Okay. Um, and because this kind of editing is really basic, the it's not worth spending money on a specific piece of software if the value is not being added in the editing side of it, because this is so simple.

Also, we use the Blackmagic Atom switcher, which creates the resolve project file in the hardware as we're recording. So it's just.


01:05:38.470 — 01:05:38.910 · Speaker 1
Keeps.


01:05:38.910 — 01:05:43.510 · Speaker 2
The well, it integrates really well, keeps the workflow really simple and easy.


01:05:43.630 — 01:05:57.660 · Speaker 1
Okay, so when Stephan is switching between cameras and stuff editing live. Yeah. It's also created a ay ay DaVinci resolve file that gets uploaded and ready to use.


01:05:57.660 — 01:05:58.420 · Speaker 2
Correct.


01:05:58.460 — 01:05:59.100 · Speaker 1
Oh, wow.


01:05:59.260 — 01:06:06.420 · Speaker 2
Yeah. And then the footage is all synced in there. We've got every camera recorded separately, and we've got the master edit as he did live.


01:06:06.460 — 01:06:08.620 · Speaker 1
So the masters there and also everything else.


01:06:08.660 — 01:06:09.460 · Speaker 2
That's correct. Yeah.


01:06:09.500 — 01:06:09.940 · Speaker 1
Wow.


01:06:10.060 — 01:06:11.460 · Speaker 2
So I suppose.


01:06:11.460 — 01:06:11.660 · Speaker 3
That's.


01:06:12.060 — 01:06:14.340 · Speaker 2
The fastest we can turn around is live.


01:06:15.420 — 01:06:23.140 · Speaker 2
And we could technically with what we've got in the studio, run graphics live. We can run audio live. We can run sound effects live.


01:06:23.180 — 01:06:25.660 · Speaker 3
Maybe we should do a live episode one day.


01:06:25.700 — 01:06:26.460 · Speaker 2
We should.


01:06:26.500 — 01:06:27.260 · Speaker 3
Just to test.


01:06:27.260 — 01:06:29.500 · Speaker 2
It. Yeah. And see if CFC if one's on his toes.


01:06:29.540 — 01:06:30.420 · Speaker 3
Are you sick that day?


01:06:33.020 — 01:06:33.580 · Speaker 1
Stomach bug.


01:06:33.580 — 01:06:34.380 · Speaker 3
Then? No. I'm just.


01:06:34.820 — 01:07:20.410 · Speaker 2
And it's, you know, I, I love this topic because I come from a live TV background. I did thousand hours of directing live TV, and the difference between today and ten years ago is massive. We've got a little desk with the gear sitting on it. Ten years ago we had a control room to do that. Um. It's incredible where affordable prosumer is, what we would call it.

Devices. Have have gotten us. And it's gotten us really far. So yeah, it's it's it's really incredible. But we can turn it around really fast because we've developed a workflow. Our editors know what the workflow is and we're using all the toys.


01:07:20.770 — 01:08:00.390 · Speaker 3
Um, I was also going to just suggest now that the other difference is that, um, we are batch recording. So I think that is another way for people to just consider timelines. Um, and Carl, maybe you can give us a bit of insight into what that means in the editing space, but in the scheduling space. So after, um, the Schulz creative has done the editing and it comes back to us for our comments.

Um, on frame IO, we put in our our feedback. If there's anything we want to change or that we don't like and that all sits in there.


01:08:00.430 — 01:08:02.070 · Speaker 2
It's mostly when Rich talks.


01:08:02.230 — 01:08:02.870 · Speaker 4
Got that.


01:08:04.350 — 01:08:05.950 · Speaker 1
Audio turned up. Yeah. Yeah.


01:08:06.990 — 01:08:34.190 · Speaker 3
Exactly. And um, you know, then from there there's all the planning that goes on there after. So when does that episode have to go live getting it scheduled onto the platforms? So I think the other element to just consider is the turnaround time necessary for the podcast. You know, for us we want an episode every week.

And so the editing only needs to keep up with that. Yeah. If someone has a faster.


01:08:34.310 — 01:08:48.300 · Speaker 2
And because because you guys aren't well, we aren't a paying customer, what we do is spread it out, um, so that we don't consume our capacity in post. So because we don't need it that quickly. We don't edit.


01:08:48.300 — 01:09:02.460 · Speaker 1
It that, yeah, there's no need for it. There's no need for us. We just get it a few days before. Yeah. Another thing that we're doing on frame oh now, which we weren't doing at the beginning, but we're doing it now, is actually going to in there we can comment what we want as shorts.


01:09:02.740 — 01:09:03.220 · Speaker 3
Yeah.


01:09:03.260 — 01:09:13.340 · Speaker 1
Oh yes. Yes. Snippets for social media and stuff. So we can make sure that, you know, whenever we make, you know, really poignant point points,


01:09:14.580 — 01:09:15.180 · Speaker 1
um.


01:09:15.820 — 01:09:15.979 · Speaker 2
They'll


01:09:17.060 — 01:09:19.820 · Speaker 2
realize what's poignant. Yeah. It really helps.


01:09:19.860 — 01:09:26.340 · Speaker 1
Yeah. He's just watching a game. I knew you guys didn't say anything about. You know what? This about this? Yeah.


01:09:26.380 — 01:09:52.250 · Speaker 2
Yeah. No. Um. I love those collaborative tools. Yeah. It really gives everybody access to the edit suite. Uh, on big projects, we upload all the raw footage to framer so that the producer that's desperately wanting to see their footage, um, can really get into it before the editors even started putting it edit together, and they can start identifying moments for the editor.


01:09:52.290 — 01:09:58.610 · Speaker 1
It sounds like there's a lot of uploading and downloading high res video. Well, we use props from the cloud.


01:09:58.650 — 01:10:21.850 · Speaker 2
We use proxy workflows which which what happens is the cameras and the devices we use record a lower quality file at the same time as the high res file, and that the low res file gets uploaded really quickly. And then later on we bring in the the high res footage when it's needed.


01:10:21.850 — 01:10:23.090 · Speaker 1
Once it's all done.


01:10:23.130 — 01:10:31.290 · Speaker 2
Yeah. So in the past, we used to go through this whole transcoding and ingesting process where we would have a junior sitting there all day,


01:10:32.410 — 01:11:05.400 · Speaker 2
transcoding from the high res to a proxy format and syncing the things that it was time consuming. So sorry for the juniors, but that job was gone. Yeah. Um, and and now it's pretty automated to the, to the point where you can now directly attach a cell phone to a camera to use the 3G network on the phone to upload your footage while you're recording.

That's that's how seamless it has become. Um, with, with some of the the cameras out there.


01:11:06.160 — 01:11:06.480 · Speaker 1
Okay.


01:11:06.480 — 01:11:07.280 · Speaker 3
Incredible.


01:11:07.760 — 01:11:08.200 · Speaker 1
Wow.


01:11:08.800 — 01:11:13.640 · Speaker 2
And that's obviously designed for news coverage where seconds matter on location.


01:11:13.680 — 01:11:14.240 · Speaker 1
Okay. Yeah.


01:11:14.280 — 01:11:34.160 · Speaker 2
Yeah. So when you need to get a story out immediately, you can broadcast live now from your camera without needing a separate Ustream device or something like that. Um, and the news industry has really driven some of this type of stuff because not no normal production environment. You need that kind of turnaround.


01:11:34.200 — 01:11:35.480 · Speaker 3
That kind of instantaneous.


01:11:35.480 — 01:11:36.000 · Speaker 1
Turnaround.


01:11:36.040 — 01:11:40.520 · Speaker 3
Yeah. Can we not let any clients know about instantaneous upload?


01:11:40.560 — 01:11:54.630 · Speaker 2
Well, I'll tell you what. We've done some live stuff and it really drives engagement. Yeah, people. People still appreciate the live, but do it with consideration of your objectives. I mean, there's always a reason you want to do life.


01:11:54.790 — 01:12:01.670 · Speaker 1
I'd imagine you'd want quite a big audience already before you start doing live. Yes. Well, there's it might just be crickets.


01:12:01.710 — 01:12:02.350 · Speaker 2
Yes.


01:12:02.390 — 01:12:02.750 · Speaker 3
Yeah.


01:12:02.750 — 01:12:05.270 · Speaker 2
Which could be sad. Yeah. And decide.


01:12:06.110 — 01:12:06.790 · Speaker 4
Yeah.


01:12:07.350 — 01:12:14.950 · Speaker 3
I think if that was the case, if your audience was small, you would need to do a lot of build up and advertising of that event so that there was a turnout.


01:12:14.990 — 01:12:16.310 · Speaker 1
Don't just go live willy nilly.


01:12:16.350 — 01:12:19.910 · Speaker 3
Don't just casually go live while no one's when no one's expecting it.


01:12:19.950 — 01:12:20.790 · Speaker 4
Yeah, yeah.


01:12:20.790 — 01:12:39.310 · Speaker 2
But I think at the end of the day, when it comes to what happens after is how you decide you want to do it. And I think the best way to do it is to create cycles that are sustainable. Like you said, it's not just the edit, it's the thumbnails, it's the descriptions. It's the what else do you guys do?


01:12:39.310 — 01:12:39.950 · Speaker 4
All the.


01:12:40.230 — 01:12:41.860 · Speaker 2
Scheduling, all that stuff.


01:12:41.900 — 01:12:43.220 · Speaker 3
And that takes time.


01:12:43.380 — 01:12:43.780 · Speaker 4
Yeah.


01:12:43.820 — 01:13:06.900 · Speaker 3
You know, I think that the, um, the cycle after we've all sat down and worked on this is the bigger part of the job, the editing, the commenting on on those edits and giving our feedback, then taking that that finished product, scheduling it, writing captions, designing artwork. That's that's also it does take some time.


01:13:06.940 — 01:13:07.540 · Speaker 4
Yeah.


01:13:07.940 — 01:13:36.940 · Speaker 1
Okay. Well, thanks for explaining to me how it comes. My podcast comes from well, I believe I don't need this anymore because it's on the cloud, that it comes from the cloud straight into your YouTube feed. I think that's really cool. And the the system that you've implemented seems really, really handy.

If you guys would like to know any more technical information about editing, we could do an episode on that. Let us know in the comments. Cheers.

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