3    Traditional and New Postproduction Roles

Postproduction joke, circa 1998:

Question: What do you call a producer who edits?

Answer: A predator.

Fast-forward ten years, and it is not even clear anymore why this is funny. Today, it is completely normal to see job postings for a producer/editor, but back in the late 1990s, it was still the norm for one person to produce (make the decisions) and another to edit (push the buttons). Therefore, just being a producer who edits was an affront to some people: you are breaking the rules; you are taking someone's job; you are a carnivore.

With the emergence of tools such as Final Cut Pro, many professionals are asked to play the role of jack-of-all-trades. Generalists have become as common as specialists (if not more so). It's important, however, to take a look at traditional roles in the postproduction process, how they have changed over the years, and where they are heading in the future.

In this chapter, we will explore the traditional postproduction roles and their metamorphosis during the period that Final Cut Pro has come into prominence. This is not merely academic. Understanding these different roles sheds light on the responsibilities of all team members and aids in the design of workflows. Even when the roles have morphed and recombined—especially when the roles have morphed and recombined— it is important to know who is responsible for what part of the process.

The following descriptions are by no means absolute, nor are they mutually exclusive. As we will see in Part 3, it is the blending of these roles that actually makes most workflows work!

Executive Producer

Even with the changes in technology, there has always been a tried-and-true (if slightly tongue-in-cheek) way to define the executive producer. It's the person who signs the checks. This may not be literally true in all cases, but rest assured, every EP that ever was, was more than a little bit concerned about the money.

Because the executive producer position is defined as a management role (with a particular attention to financial issues), the role has stayed relatively stable even as the industry has changed. A postproduction budget using Final Cut Pro may be smaller than one using previous methods, but developing and managing that budget is still much the same.

All this talk about budgets is not meant to imply that an EP spends all of his or her time analyzing a budget line by line. (The person who does this is generally called a line producer.) The key to the role is the “executive” part. An executive producer green-lights projects (i.e., okays the money to fund a production). They may also hire some of the other key people, such as producers, actors, and the director. In any case, the EP sits at the top of the organizational hierarchy. As the name implies, the executive producer is the CEO of a production.

There are different kinds of executive producers for different types of productions. For instance, when multiple large companies are involved in a single project (maybe a studio, a network, and a sponsor), sometimes each one will assign their own executive to look out for their particular priorities.

An executive producer for a typical Hollywood film is generally someone that the studio has assigned to the project with no real creative input in the project. Their role is one of an overseer, ensuring that the film is on schedule and, most importantly, on budget. This person will interact primarily with the director or other producers.

In recent years, it has been common for directors who want total control over their project to also be executive producers; generally, this also means that the director is monetarily vested in the project. Some successful actors have also made a transition to the role of executive producer. Again, there is often a money connection. It is also true on smaller film projects that the executive producer or producers often have a personal financial stake in the film.

A television executive producer is more often an employee of a network, rather than some sort of personal investor. Television EPs may have creative input, especially regarding a show's big picture. Aspects such as time slots, marketing, show titles, and promotions are all the domain of the television EP.

Sometimes an executive producer is hired for the money they can raise, sometimes to lend clout to a project (often a name can bring the money), and sometimes for the actual managerial and creative oversight.

An executive producer needs to be a strong leader with an eye for the big picture: organized, forward thinking, and strong willed.

Producer

Perhaps no other role has the same kind of ownership of a project as the producer. Tasked with seeing a project through from start to finish, the producer deals with almost every member of a postproduction team. The producer must have the vision, passion, tenacity, and communications skills to bring a project to fruition.

The producer is often one of the first people on a project after it has passed the conceptual or development stage, and thus he or she should have a feel for the greater context of the production: the goals, budget and schedule parameters, the team roles, and so on. If the executive producer is the CEO of a production, then the producer would be a vice president or managing partner.

It is the vision and creativity that fuel new ideas. It steers the path and efforts of the rest of the team members. A producer is the answer person. Whether approving a script or brainstorming for the next episode, major decisions and new ideas all go through the producer.

Most of all, he or she takes responsibility for the project. If there are problems, the producer is the first one to get the call. It could be the EP at 10:00 p.m. or the assistant editor at 2:00 a.m.; when you are the one with the answers, expect to leave your phone on.

If a project stalls or otherwise runs into creative or technical problems, the producer is often the first person who catches the blame. It is easy for almost anyone else on the team to point the finger at the producer, and claim that they lacked sufficient direction.

Organization, versatility, and strong interpersonal skills are traits of a good producer.

Associate Producer

An associate producer may do quite literally anything on a project: review scripts, log footage, wrangle talent, negotiate million-dollar deals, get coffee … . Working as an AP, I once had to drive a shark-bite victim to the hospital—and wait while he was stitched up!

Like the roles of assistant editor, production assistant, and assistant producer, the role of the associate producer has an element of apprenticeship. The AP is seen as being at about the middle on this totem pole. It is a good place to develop the communications and leadership skills needed to take on the responsibility of producer.

It should not be surprising that in this journeyman position, associate producers often shoulder the brunt of the work without receiving much appreciation. In this way, it is akin to being a graduate research assistant or a medical resident. You may feel you have all of the skills, but you lack the experience to get the title.

Although much of the work assigned to an associate producer is often menial (reviewing scripts, research, vendor research), it frequently has a tangible effect on the development of a production and is one reason strong associate producers are in high demand.

With the growth of Final Cut Pro, ambitious associate producers, perhaps like no other role in a postproduction workflow, have been able to become editors and Motion Graphics Designers and achieve other postproduction roles. This is because they are dedicated to getting the job done—and now the equipment is not price-prohibitive for them to learn.

Good associate producers are hardworking, motivated, and possess strong communications skills.

Writer

A good writer puts the vision of the producer on paper. The writer's script serves as a road map for editors, mixers, colorists, and others involved in the postproduction process. In the traditional sense, a writer also writes lines for talent, and in a broader sense writes a story. Although the central role of the writer has remained the same, new technology has assisted him or her in producing and editing scripts. New technology in postproduction has also given the writer new horizons for what is possible. For example, writers with more hands-on knowledge about visual/special effects will often include these in their scripts.

The role of the writer is radically different in fictional projects (feature films, episodic television, and so forth) compared to nonfiction projects (for example, documentaries, natural history, reality TV). In a fictional piece, the writer is responsible for the story in the traditional sense—in other words, they make it up. In documentaries and other nonfiction projects, the writer's task is to structure the story based on the footage, interviews, and archival materials.

Being highly organized and having strong language skills are typical traits of a writer.

Assistant Editor

Ask any assistant editor, and they will tell you that they have the most underappreciated (but most important) role in the postproduction process. Like others, this critical role has changed considerably over the years. One thing, however, has remained the same—although assistant editors gain valuable experience, they still get stuck doing a lot of grunt work!

From the golden era of Hollywood to million-dollar linear editing suites to sleek nonlinear setups, the assistant editor (AE) has always played a support role. The AE has also always been seen as an apprenticeship and an opportunity to learn the craft of editing—the aesthetic, creative, and technical aspects.

Many of today's best editors began their careers as assistant editors, developing their craft by watching and supporting master editors. Although theirs is assuredly a position that receives little fanfare, assistant editors play a vital role in many postproduction workflows.

In the old days of film editing, the role of the AE was to find reels; load them onto the Moviola, Steenbeck, or other such device; queue shots for the editor; sometimes splice shots; run errands; and get coffee for the editor.

As technology progressed, the assistant editor found new tasks in linear editing suites—such as queuing videotapes, running title generators (Chyron), loading edit decision lists (EDLs), and of course getting coffee for the editor. Often linear edit rooms were quite large, with a sea of knobs and buttons to keep track of. Here, the AE was quite literally an extension of the editor—a second set of hands for controlling these large systems.

From the early to the mid-1990s, the role of the assistant editor started to change in a more substantial way. No longer just an extra set of hands, assistant editors often worked independently. With the growth of nonlinear editing, the AE was often tasked with digitizing and logging footage, doing assembly edits, and performing other technical tasks such as media management.

Today, the role of the assistant editor has become rather technical. Mainly responsible for digitizing and ingest, the typical AE also performs graphics prep, compressions, media management, and dubs. In a modern postproduction workflow, the AE is often a critical role in the success of a project.

Hardworking, eager to learn, and technically savvy are all traits of an assistant editor.

Editor

Francis Ford Coppola said, “The essence of cinema is editing. It's the combination of what can be extraordinary images of people during emotional moments, or images in a general sense, put together in a kind of alchemy.”

The role of the editor has always been key in the postproduction process. Often the editor provides visual expertise to help the producer decide which shots to use and how to use them. Moreover, the editor uses his or her strong sense of aesthetics to make choices that can evoke joy, sadness, confusion, or intrigue. If you're reading this book, you probably consider yourself an editor on some level.

Technology has not necessarily changed the core role of the editor, but it has most definitely changed the execution of the process.

In the early part of the twentieth century, the tools of the trade allowed the editor to make edits to picture and sound. However, specialty work such as visual effects, motion graphics, titling, and sound design were reserved for specialists on specialized (and expensive) equipment.

In the heyday of linear editing, sophistication of edit systems was often measured in visual-effects capabilities, and the editor found new creative possibilities. Nonlinear editing brought even more new capabilities for the editor. These creative possibilities, however, were often tempered by strong-minded producers who now knew what was creatively possible (and thought they knew best), thus forcing the editor into an operator role.

In recent times, more technology has been placed in the hands of the editor—be it the latest and greatest switcher or the first nonlinear edit system in the area. In many cases, aesthetic decisions have been placed in the hands of the producer. The editor has become a button pusher and a technical problem solver.

Now tools such as Final Cut Pro have allowed more people to actually become editors. At one end of the spectrum, this means that “amateurs” can now try their hand at professional techniques and storytelling. At the other end, Walter Murch and many other editors at the top of their game have been able to transcend the role that technology plays in the editing process. In so doing, they have been able to affirm the classic aesthetic role of the true editor.

Changes in technology have been the biggest influence on the role of the editor and have solidified the editor's role as central in a postproduction workflow.

Creative, patient, and technologically savvy are typical traits of the editor.

Online Editor

During the emergence and evolution of digital nonlinear editing, the role of the online editor has gone through some major adjustments. There are actually three distinct methods of online editing that have come to be during this relatively short period of time.

In the early days of nonlinear editing, the role of the online editor was clear. He or she was the person who worked in the online room—a linear editing suite that was configured to work at the highest possible quality. Because early nonlinear systems were not capable of digitizing or displaying video in a high-quality, or “uncompressed” (1:1), fashion, the online process consisted of reassembling the proper clips based on the editing decisions made on the nonlinear system.

The online editor was also responsible for final tweaks to the program. These were things such as performing complex video effects that the offline editor and or offline system could not perform, basic color correction, or editing the show into segments to fit specific broadcast requirements such as show length, slates, and versions.

The next technical advance to affect online editing was the uncompressed nonlinear editing system. Increased computer power, drive speed, and throughput allowed these systems to ingest, display, and output video while preserving its highest possible quality. At first (and before FCP), all of these advances were expensive.

The second online editing method replaced the linear online room with one of these new uncompressed nonlinear systems. The first step for the online editor was to redigitize the clips used in the show at their highest possible uncompressed quality. This process became known as conforming a show. It was similar to reassembling a show in the linear room, but provided the flexibility of nonlinear editing combined with the quality of uncompressed video.

Once the show was redigitized, the online editor performed most of same tasks as their linear predecessor. However, nonlinear online edit systems opened up a whole new world of possibilities for effects work, color correction, and audio. Online editors who had come from a linear background quickly had to learn new skills that previously had been reserved for specialists.

The reason for reconforming a show is that the offline stage allowed massive amounts of video to be captured at a lower quality. Because drive space was generally a limitation of nonlinear systems, this method allowed drive space to be conserved in the offline stage. Then only the clips that were actually chosen in the offline stage ever needed to be captured at full quality.

For short pieces such as TV commercials, some workflows started to skip the offline phase entirely, and ingest the small amount of needed footage at uncompressed quality from the beginning. As media storage space has gotten less expensive, uncompressed, or 1:1, editing has become more common, even for longer pieces.

This represents the final online editing method. The idea is that the entire traditional offline/online process is thrown out in favor of just capturing the footage you need at its full quality. In this scenario, the online editor's role has evolved again. The final tweaks and preparation for broadcast are still important tasks, but without the elements of reassembly or reconforming, the online editor's job has become less clear to many observers. Add to this the fact that many offline editors and offline systems can now do sophisticated graphics, image treatment, and color work, and this has become a complicated professional landscape.

Today, although “online editor” still has the same general meaning that it always had, different shops and projects can be quite dissimilar in terms of what steps are actually performed at the online stage. An online editor's duties may include any number of the steps needed to prepare a show for broadcast (see sidebar, Preparing a Show for Broadcast), and can be done in any of the three methods mentioned. In any case, the online editor is expected to be a technical expert, the “final eyes” on a project.

The increased complexity of this role is due largely to an expanded toolset. In addition to performing work such as conforming, blurring, masking, titling, and adhering to other specific broadcast requirements, the online editor is now frequently tasked with performing final color correction and ensuring broadcast legality, audio mix, and sound design. Toolsets such as Final Cut Studio have made this work easier for the online editor to perform. In smaller projects, the online editor is often the final step in quality control.

Attention to detail and thoroughness, and being technically knowledgeable are typical qualities of the online editor.

Audio Mixer

Many larger post houses have dedicated mixing services. There are also many companies dedicated solely to audio work and mixing. One of the largest roles in this field is the audio mixer. The audio mixer plays a large but seldom glorified role in the postproduction process.

It is often said that sound can play a larger role then picture in a project. Indeed, many people either do not notice or are willing to forgive problems in picture, attributing them to the purposeful intentions of a editor or producer, or just not noticing. However, audio issues are much more noticeable and distracting to the viewer at large. They tend to instantly break the suspension of disbelief, and quickly remind a person that they are watching—and listening to—a (flawed) manufactured product.

Each one of us has probably changed the channel to find large volume changes between shows or commercials, or found it hard to hear narration because the music in the program is too loud. For most, these issues take away from the dramatic, comedic, or other intentions that the producer originally had. Thus, the role of the audio mixer is of utmost importance.

Like the role of the editor, that of the audio mixer has remained essentially the same over the years, but technology has greatly influenced what is possible and how it is done. The audio mixer is responsible for balancing levels of dialogue, music, and sound effects. He or she is also generally responsible for editing audio for things such as removing breaths and adding equalization.

In the early days of production, the audio mixer was often also the recording engineer, making sure that things got recorded properly. Of course there was basic audio mixing and editing, but, like the editor, most of this editing was done in a linear way with crude editing tools.

Soon thereafter, as technology began to develop at an ever-quickening pace, stereo and four-track recorders were replaced with multitrack recorders, sophisticated mixing boards capable of handling multiple submixes were developed, and outboard effects processing gear was developed, which gave the audio mixer even greater control and lent creativity to the mix. New thinking in speaker designs and room design led to increasingly better-sounding mixes.

Just as with advances in picture editing, the real boom came with the development of nonlinear audio editing. By the mid-1990s, although many facilities and audio mixers were still using analog linear equipment, a few were starting to use nonlinear editing. This allowed the audio mixer to make faster changes to what once were arduous tasks—removing breaths, for example. Racks of outboard gear were now software plug-ins—allowing a more self-contained solution and, in most cases, saving a facility or audio mixer thousands of dollars.

Cross-development of audio- and video-editing software allowed for new interoperability between the two disciplines. Technologies such as Avid's OMF allowed a video editor to export a file to the audio mixer. Once this file was opened up on the nonlinear audio system, the audio mixer could look at the timings and track layout in exactly the same way the video editor could on their system.

Today, the audio mixer is a master of nonlinear technique. Like video editors, the audio mixer often has mastery of multiple systems.

Technically creative and musically oriented are typical traits of the audio mixer.

Sound Designer

Sound design is its own discipline: putting in sound effects to match on-screen action (and sometimes mood). However, the sound designer is not always a separate role from the audio mixer, or even the editor. In many facilities, the sound designer is a special and creative discipline.

Using many of the same tools as the audio mixer, the sound designer's role is to seamlessly add in Foley sounds such as city noise, footsteps, punch sounds, clothes ruffling, and so on. In doing so, the sound designer often uses a large library of pre-recorded sounds. When these are not available, the sound designer might also employ the use of a Foley stage to create and record sounds.

The sound designer is often a middle step between the editor and the audio mixer. By using their skill to add sounds, designers are able to contribute volumes to a program. As viewers, we are able to subconsciously process these sounds as part of a more complete picture of the scene before us.

If you are curious about sound design, listen carefully and pay attention to the sound when you watch television, and especially film. Have you ever been watching a historical documentary and heard gunshots or hoofbeats when watching archival footage that was clearly done before the advent of sync sound recording? Have you ever noticed the background sounds in a well-produced horror movie? The Sixth Sense, for instance, uses low breathing sounds in the background during the entire film! Sound design can be a fascinating mix of wild creativity and also subtlety and restraint. Often you are adding depth and emotional resonance to a piece in a way that most viewers will not consciously notice.

Creativity and attention to detail are typical traits of the sound designer.

Video Engineer

Many assistant editors will tell you that they are the most underappreciated members of a typical postproduction workflow. Any video engineer can tell you that opinion is dead wrong!

The video engineer has always played a support role, rarely getting the credit when an edit system or deck performs flawlessly after a major meltdown, but always carrying the blame when then there is a problem.

In many large facilities, the video engineer is responsible for making recommendations about what technology should be acquired, and how to implement that technology into existing infrastructure and maintenance (updates, repairs, etc.) after the technology has been acquired. The engineer usually plays a large role in the design of edit suites, machine rooms, and other IT systems such as a SAN (shared area network). (More on SANs can be found in Chapter 5: Compression and Storage.)

The video engineer is often tasked with developing systems for media management and tape handling (dubbing, storage libraries, and backup), as well as ensuring that operators of systems have a set of guidelines as to what they are allowed to do and not allowed to do on a particular system.

In smaller facilities, the video engineer often has to play the roles listed above, but generally this not a dedicated position. In many cases, the most technically minded editor or designer ends up playing the role of engineer. In our democratized postproduction reality, this is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because the facility does not need to hire an additional staff member to fill the role, but a curse because most of the time, that technically minded editor or designer gets sucked into a constant barrage of maintenance and/or answering questions. As a result, their work suffers.

Being extremely technically savvy, having gifted problem-solving abilities, and possessing stick-to-itiveness are all common traits found in a video engineer.

Motion Graphics Designer

The role of Motion Graphics Designer is not a new one, but it is one that has evolved drastically as technology has changed. Traditional animation artists have always designed while putting their designs or drawings into motion. Early on, this was much the same as cell-based animation, but technology has played a large role in the development of the modern motion graphic artist.

Motion Graphics Designers were originally traditional graphic designers who every once in a while happened to do work for film and TV. Early on, this meant a big emphasis on typography. As technology progressed, designers who longed to have their designs in motion were able to do so more easily.

During the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, motion graphics were difficult to produce and were typically tied to expensive pieces of hardware and software. By the late 1990s, less expensive and faster software packages were available. This development led to more people wanting motion graphics in their programs—the graphics were many times easier to produce, and more people were exploring motion graphics design.

Today, the true Motion Graphics Designer often produces motion graphics for a variety of media such as the Web, DVD, and video projects. Applications such as Motion 3 have expanded the ability of the designer to create in real time.

A keen design sense, being technically savvy, and the unique ability to put designs into motion are common traits found in a Motion Graphics Designer.

Compressionist

The role of the compressionist did not really exist until the introduction of the compact disc and its use as an interactive medium. For a time, the compressionist was a specific and dedicated role, but now almost anyone who works in video plays the compressionist at least occasionally.

With video technologies such as Apple's QuickTime, it was relatively easy to get your video compressed to fit on an interactive CD; however, getting it to look good was another thing. It was in this balance of video/audio quality and space limitations on a medium that the role of the compressionist was born.

With knowledge of video architectures such as QuickTime, Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, and their corresponding codecs, the compressionist was a computer magician. Typically using dedicated hardware and software, the compressionist was able to take high-resolution video and audio and convert it into a small package that could fit on a CD (and soon after, the Web and DVDs as well).

This role was vital in larger postproduction houses because it coincided with a larger change in roles for people such as editors, who were already being taxed with having to learn new skill sets. By the mid- to late 1990s, the compressionist was also being called on to compress audio and video for the Internet and DVD.

Today, the role of the compressionist has waned considerably because assistant editors, editors, and other specialists such as DVD designers and Web designers are often responsible for compression for various media. It helps that improvements in software have made it much easier to get acceptably good compressions without needing as much time or skill. Compression is now often used in postproduction workflows to review works in progress. In larger facilities and projects, there is sometimes still a dedicated compressionist. If there is enough demand, this can be vital in streamlining workflows.

Attention to detail and vast technical knowledge of video and audio are typical qualities of a compressionist.

Compositor

“In visual effects post-production, compositing refers to creating new images or moving images by combining images from different sources—such as real-world digital video, film, synthetic 3-D imagery, 2-D animations, painted backdrops, digital still photographs, and text.” (Wikipedia)

Most compositors are actually editors or Motion Graphics Designers. We make a point of noting that this is a separate position for the purpose of explaining a role that is often overlooked or misunderstood. Although many editors and designers by virtue of the toolsets that are available to them could be called compositors, compositing has become a unique discipline.

The goal of the compositor is to get separate items to seamlessly work together. Examples of such work would be shooting a subject on a green or blue screen and placing that subject on a background.

Although Final Cut Pro has some compositing ability, very sophisticated compositing projects (think Lord of the Rings) use dedicated compositing software such as Shake.

The most important skills for a compositor are technical know-how (often with very complicated software packages) and an extremely good eye for detail. Although some editors and Motion Graphics Designers perform this task, again, the most complicated projects usually have a person (or many people) who specializes in this work.

Colorist

“Wow, that looks great!” These are words a colorist loves to hear, even though a viewer may not associate the colorist's work with the final quality of the piece. The colorist never gets much glory because (much like the audio mixer and sound designer) their contribution is subtle, working primarily on the viewer's subconscious.

The goal of the colorist is to balance the hue, saturation, and brightness of each shot of the piece so that they blend seamlessly. The colorist also sometimes has the opportunity to affect the mood or emotional tone of the piece. When color adjustments are used just to make the footage look “natural,” this is called “color correction”; when used for stylistic or emotive effect, this is referred to as “color grading.” The films Traffic and The Matrix are two early examples of this stylistic trend. Another trend is using color (and other effects) to give an entire film a nostalgic feel (think O Brother, Where Art Thou?).

The role of colorist is a prime example of how the changes in technology have pushed creative boundaries.

Originally, the colorist was called a color timer. With film-based projects, the color timer would work with the director of photography and the director to chemically alter the film during the developing and printing process in order to give a desired look or to accurately reproduce a scene. Until recently, with the introduction of digital color correction systems, the color timer had a critical role.

For television projects acquired on film, the telecine system was invented. Early on, these machines altered colors via voltage changes as the film was being scanned, allowing the colorist to control the balance of colors as the image was transferred from film to videotape.

By the mid-1980s, the first digital color correction systems appeared. Originally, these systems allowed the colorist to control the telecine, but later they were morphed into the tape-to-tape video color correction systems that many post facilities use today. It was during this time that the colorist took on a more specialized role. Although at the time the colorist toolset was really no more than a time base corrector (TBC), the colorist became responsible for scene-to-scene contrast and color continuity, as well as, in some cases, developing stylized looks.

Today, colorists use varying toolsets—from high-end tape-to-tape systems to software-based systems such as Final Cut Pro and Color. No matter the toolset, the colorist still has one important role—make it look good!

Attention to detail, creativity, and keen perception are all traits a typical colorist has.

Postproduction Supervisor

In a typical project, there are people, equipment, rooms, egos, deadlines, and deliverables to deal with. If managing all of this sounds like lots of fun, then you're probably a postproduction supervisor!

The postproduction supervisor plays a vital role in the workflow, and is often yet another unsung hero. Mainly a managerial position, the postproduction supervisor must also be aware of current trends in postproduction technology. It is common for postproduction supervisors to have formerly been editors, mixers, or in another creative role.

The postproduction supervisor is a master of workflows. They will work with other key members of the team in designing the initial plan, and may be largely responsible for making and maintaining the documentation. As a project progresses, the post-production supervisor manages the execution of that workflow, and is continuously refining the workflow as he or she goes along. This process of refining eventually means adding resources and time estimates to the workflow tasks, and this becomes the schedule.

One of the largest roles that the postproduction supervisor plays is keeping to a postproduction schedule and managing costs associated with the postproduction process. The role is often a go-between for different team members and vendors—a communication hub. Much of the responsibility for budgeting time and money lies directly with the postproduction supervisor. The tools for this role are spreadsheets, address books, and every kind of communication device imaginable.

Organized, technically minded, and hardworking are typical traits of the postproduction supervisor.

Media Architect

The media architect is a new role that has come to postproduction because of the increasing prevalence of interactivity. When video is being produced for use as an element in an interactive piece, there is a whole new set of concerns around how these video clips are going to fit together in the final piece. Partly this involves the user's experience—in what order, and through what set of actions, will each piece of video be played? The media architect also has technical concerns—what is the best way to produce the video for the desired media? And what technologies will support the user interaction and display of video?

The media architect is also familiar with workflow thinking. Often there are additional workflow steps, even entire additional workflows, once the video is finished. This may involve the design of (many) animations and menus, plus encoding the video and authoring a disc. Figure 2.2 shows a generic branched workflow, used when video assets are being produced that will ultimately be used in different distribution formats. The media architect keeps up-to-date on all emerging and evolving media technologies.

Somewhat new as a role unto itself, media architecture has been going on in some form since the advent of interactive media (a very early example being video kiosks). Often producers, maybe working with techs and designers, did this conceptualization. Producers who were good at it may have branded themselves interactive producers, and, ultimately media architects.

Media architecture is also closely related to information architecture. The distinction between the two is that information architecture is generally thought to focus on textual and photographic “information,” whereas media architecture focuses more on videocentric applications. To look at the state of the Web in 2007, it seems clear that these architectures will continue to evolve. Five years ago, information architecture was in its infancy. Now the role has become a Web industry standard. It is a logical prediction that as interactive video applications mature, the media architect will follow suit.

Lastly the media architect does not limit himself or herself to interactive video, but rather, is multidisciplinary by nature—able to work in gaming, social networking, VR (virtual reality) applications, museum installations, and so on.

Good media architects possess superior imagination and communications skills and are familiar with a wide range of interactive technologies and user-experience theory.

Dual Roles, Hybrid Roles, and Evolving Roles

What is a producer/director? A producer/editor? A postproduction executive? These are fairly familiar dual or hybrid roles. They are new roles contracted from the original roles to denote a dual responsibility and/or a responsibility that has elements of two or more traditional roles.

When performing these mixed functions, it is important to understand your specific tasks and how they affect other team members. For instance, someone hired as a producer/editor might not be expected to have ALL of the technical knowledge of a dedicated editor. A common solution in current workflows is to have an online editor who receives the work of the producer/editor and then improves upon it and prepares it for distribution. In a scenario like this, strong communication between the team members is necessary for a smooth workflow.

Evolving roles are those that change over time, either by design or necessity. Sometimes people with roles in the production phase change duties in postproduction so they can follow a project through. So a production assistant might become an assistant editor. Also, things just happen in the course of a project. So an assistant editor maybe becomes an online editor (yikes!) when the online editor quits two days before the deadline.

Having a role change in an unplanned way is a double-edged sword. On one side, you may find yourself getting paid as an intern, but taking on the responsibilities of a postproduction supervisor. However, those situations are some of the best ways to gain experience to move up the food chain.

Jack-of-All-Trades, the One-Man Band, and the Kitchen-Sink Syndrome

The jack-of-all-trades and the one-man band are both forms of generalist—those of us who base our careers on a rounded knowledge of many techniques and technologies. The jack-of-all-trades version tends to play different roles on different projects— versatile and agile, he or she likes to latch onto a project by providing useful services at multiple stages. I once did the information architecture for a large Web site, and then stayed on to produce and edit the video elements. The one-man band is similar, but less team oriented. This type of generalist wants to find projects where he or she can do most (or, ideally, absolutely all) of the necessary work, and therefore make the best profit margin.

In the democratized video-production environment, both of these are potential options. However, one must beware of what we call the kitchen-sink syndrome. Just because you know how to do a lot of things doesn't mean you know how to do everything. It is important to know what you don't know. And some specialization is a good thing.

We knew a company that started as a small graphic-design studio. Quickly, it added video postproduction, Web sites, and DVDs to its services. Pretty soon the studio was into events management and distribution deals for cell-phone content. The company lost its way badly and went out of business. Don't be a victim of the kitchen-sink syndrome. Know who you are.

Roles and Responsibilities in Workflows

When planning workflows, it is best to start by thinking of the tasks that need to be performed, rather than the titles or the people who are going to do them. This will lead to areas of responsibility, and ultimately to defining the roles needed to complete the project.

By starting with responsibilities, you can develop roles as you conceive the work-flow, project plan, schedule, and budget. Production teams are inherently fluid. People are leaving for work or personal reasons. New people are coming on, and others are taking on new responsibilities and changing roles. A good workflow supports this fluidity by clearly defining the steps or tasks in your particular production.