104411 - VIDEO POST-PRODUCTION

Subject type: Mandatory

Coordinator: Rafael Suarez Gómez

Trimester: First term

Credits: 6

Some of the readings and most of the viewings that will take place during the course are in English.

Theory teacher: Fran Pinel

Internship teacher: Adrià Olea

The subject is understood as a continuation of "Video Editing" and focuses on video post-production processes.

The classes combine three areas: theoretical explanation of concepts related to post-production, with special attention to technology, analysis of audiovisual works from the point of view of post-production, and applied post-production practice.

On the one hand, it is wanted that the student obtains a formation as much of the theoretical rules of postproduction, the resources of language the history and the use of the color, among others aspects, like its application in the diverse sorts and products audiovisuals through the analysis of pieces.

On the other hand, it is intended that the student understand all the necessary post-production stages and the most important technical aspects related to each of them. Finally, the aim is for the student to know and carry out in a practical way all the processes in each of the facets to complete an audiovisual work with the highest quality and in any format.

Through the various theoretical and practical knowledge acquired in the subject, the student will be able to understand and use the necessary elements of the different processes that make up the video post-production.

This subject has methodological and digital resources to make possible its continuity in non-contact mode in the case of being necessary for reasons related to the Covid-19.
In this way, the achievement of the same knowledge and skills that are specified in this teaching plan will be ensured.

At the end of the course the student must be able to:

LO1: Understand the different narrative elements of post-production in audiovisuals.

LO2: Understand the different processes that make up audiovisual post-production.

LO3: Have the ability to evaluate technical and creative resources when dealing with different types of post-production work, especially color correction.

LO4: Encourage the study and analysis of the audiovisual as a narrative language with the intention that students develop their critical and stylistic ability at the same time.

to conceptualize and develop a project or value others.

LO5: Plan the assembly and post-production process of different types of audiovisual products, relating the characteristics of their platforms.

post-production with the technical objectives of the project.

LO6: Be able to work autonomously and professionally using the DaVinci Resolve program.

Other complementary learning outcomes are:

RAC1: Configure and maintain post-production equipment.

RAC2: Carry out the mastering processes in the post-production of the audiovisual product, recognizing the characteristics of the standards and protocols

standardized exchange of documents and audiovisual products.

RAC3: Generate and / or introduce in the post-production process the effects of image valuing the functional and operative characteristics of the tools and technologies

standardized.

The subject has 4h / week of theory and 2h / week of practice.

Theoretical concepts will be presented in theory class by the teacher, and audiovisual examples will also be seen that illustrate the theory to generate a discussion in class with the participation of students. Part of the theory sessions will be devoted to the explanation of applied post-production concepts using specific software. Therefore, some of the evaluation activities of the theoretical part will cover the application of these contents on post-production practices.

The internship activities in the computer lab will work with different editing software and special emphasis will be placed on the explanation of the Davinci Resolve software, in order to perform the post-production work that will be requested during the course. Practices are a fundamental part of the subject, as they serve to work on the theoretical concepts taught in class. The internships will increase with increasing level of complexity and consequently the requirement in their quality and delivery time will be affected.

Classroom operation:

In theory classes, the front door will close ten minutes after the start of the class and will not be accessible until the end of the break. The front door will close ten minutes after the end of the break. Although it is not mandatory to follow the theoretical sessions, it is recommended that students bring their laptop to class if they want to follow the software-based explanations.

Practical classes are compulsory and it is necessary to attend 80% of the sessions in order to be evaluated in the work of the practical part. Practical classes will be held non-stop. The front door will close ten minutes from the start.

Teachers are not required to upload annotations to the virtual campus. Links will be posted in relation to the topics, with compulsory readings and views, as well as resources for further information.

SUBJECT 1. Processes and terminology of the postproduction

• Conceptual difference between editing, editing and post-production
• Basic glossary of post-production concepts
• Definition and description of the main post-production processes
• Postproduction of types of sequences and products

TOPIC 2. Digital image parameters and encoding

• Digital image parameters
• frame rate
• Resolution
• Dynamic range
• Color Subsampling
• Detail Loss
• Bit Depth and BitRate
• Compression formats.
• Video containers

SUBJECT 3. Equipments and models of postproduction

• Processors
• Graphics cards
• RAM
• Raids
• SSD
• DiT (Digital Image Technitian)

SUBJECT 4. Edition i storytelling.

• what is the assembly?
• Brief history of assembly
• Difference between editing and editing
• Editing processes
• Assembly theory
• Creative uses of assembly
• Type of assembly
• Fundamental films to understand film editing

UNIT 5. Composition i storytelling.

• The art of composition
• Stagging, framing, depth i Libra
• Elements of composition.
• Artificial control and primary control
• Digital composition

TOPIC 6. Motion Design.

• Introduction to the concept of Motion Design
• Motion Design in TV and Cinema: examples and applications
• Softwares I: digital composition (After Effects)
• Software II: 3D Motion Design (Cinema 4D, Blender, Houdini)
• Credits and introductory sequences
• keyframing and basics of the motion design
• Text animation
• Workflow with compositions and nesting
• Shape animation. strokes
• Particle systems
• Lighting
• Cameras: 3D and 2.5D
• File processing: output and rendering modules

SUBJECT 7. Correction of color

• Color i storytelling
• Balance and discord
• Associative color and transitional color
• Digital calibration
• Digital calibration software
• Calibration workflows
• Color editing tools
• Looks and LUT's

UNIT 8. Finishing and mastering

• Coding and compression
• Digital sampling
• Color space and its reproduction
• Color sampling and sub-sampling
• Compression and transmission
• Redundancy
• Digital video compression
• Differences between container and codec
• Compression standards

The activities related to the subject are divided into:

- Theoretical: viewings, explanations, analysis.

- Practices: exercises and practical deliveries.

- Exams: one of the theoretical part and one of the practical part.

EVALUATION ACTIVITIES

INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES (45% of the mark)

Activity 1: Balance shots of a film sequence (RA3, RA6, RAC1, RAC2, RAC3)

Internship sessions 1, 2 and 3 (10% final grade)

Evaluable individual or pair activity.

Modality d'teaching

• Sessions 1 and 2: Online
• Session 3: Face-to-face or hybrid

Description

During practices 1, 2 and 3 we will analyze the editing functions once their work is finished: the shaping process. Depending on the characteristics of the project, a review of the assembly (already performed) will be performed and the material will be organized in order to avoid compatibility problems between the timeline of the assembly software and the calibration software.

Basic color tools (primary corrections) will be introduced so that students can match shots of the same sequence shot with natural light.

Support material

• Online: Personal computer equipped with Zoom and Davinci Resolve.
• Face-to-face / Hybrid: Laboratories 3 and 4, computers equipped with Final Cut Pro, Premiere and Davinci Resolve.

Specific objectives

At the end of the activity students must be able to:

• Export the assembly using XML through any non-linear editing software.

• Organize and prepare the raw or audiovisual material in the calibration software.

• Carry out the forming process in the calibration software and check that the assembly matches the original.

• Analyze the video signal using waveform monitors.

• Match shots of the same sequence with color and exposure problems.

• Work within the legal emission values ​​of the industry.

Delivery characteristics and evaluation

Each student or group will have to deliver a report (of 1 to 3 pages with captures) explaining how it has developed the process of conformation, the balance of plans, the justification of the style and the inconveniences that have been during the realization of the activity.

The export of the sequence must follow the guidelines listed in the activity statement and the material will be delivered via the virtual campus and Google Drive.

It will be evaluated:

• Continuity between correlative planes of the same scene (5%).
• Creativity in creating a style and justification of the intention with which it was created (2,5%).
• Adequate and justified use of primary corrections (2,5%).

It will be penalized when:

• The characteristics of the export do not correspond to the one indicated.
• The file is not accessible from the link provided in the report.

Activity 2: Advanced color correction and viewer focus in a film sequence (RA1, RA3, RA6, RAC1, RAC2, RAC3)

Internship sessions 4, 5 and 6 (10% final grade)

Evaluable individual or pair activity.

Modality d'teaching

• Sessions 4 and 5: Online
• Session 6: Face-to-face or hybrid

Description

Secondary correction tools will be worked on during practices 4, 5 and 6.

Advanced masks and curves will be made that will allow more specific changes to be made to the image.

Finally, the most used file formats in the professional world of film, television and advertising will be analyzed: RAW files and videos with logarithmic curves.

All the knowledge obtained during the previous sessions (1-3) will also be applied in this activity, prioritizing the newest elements introduced.

Support material

• Online: Personal computer equipped with Zoom and Davinci Resolve.
• Face-to-face / Hybrid: Laboratories 3 and 4, computers equipped with Final Cut Pro, Premiere and Davinci Resolve.
• Datacolor Spyder Colorimeter and / or X-rite i1 Display Pro (Sermat).

Specific objectives

At the end of the activity students must be able to:

• Match specific colors by using secondary corrections.
• Highlight or dim objects, characters or areas of the image.
• Creation of complex nodal structures that allow the signal to be kept as clean as possible throughout the calibration process.
• Identify the type of material used and configure the project to your needs.
• Calibrate work monitors to the color standard of the film and broadcast industry and to the characteristics of the environment.

Delivery characteristics and evaluation

Each student or group will have to deliver a report (of 1 to 3 pages with captures) explaining how it has developed the balance of plans, the secondary corrections, the justification of the style and the inconveniences that have found during the realization of the activity.

The export of the sequence must follow the guidelines listed in the activity statement and the material will be delivered via the virtual campus and Google Drive.

It will be evaluated:

• Continuity between correlative planes of the same scene (2,5%).
• Creativity in creating a style and justification of the intention with which it was created (2,5%).
• Adequate and justified use of secondary corrections (5%).

It will be penalized when:

• The characteristics of the export do not correspond to the one indicated.
• The file is not accessible from the link provided in the report.

Activity 3: Recreating the visual style of a film (RA1, RA3, RA4, RA5, RA6, RAC1, RAC2, RAC3)

Sessions 7, 8, 9 and 10 of practices (15% final mark)

Evaluable individual or pair activity.

Modality d'teaching

• Sessions 7 and 8: Online
• Session 9 and 10: Face-to-face or hybrid

Description

During practices 7, 8, 9 and 10 the most advanced tools used in calibration and other nodal structures will be introduced that will allow an orderly workflow. In this way, the color information will remain intact in more aggressive and / or complex corrections.

Color transformations will be performed using LUTs that allow you to create an elaborate visual style in a short time. Color corrections made in the calibration software can also be exported so that they can be applied to non-linear editing software or installed on any professional TV or cinema camera and monitors / recorders.

Animations or correction dynamics will also be created, useful mainly in long-duration shots or sequence shots where it is not possible to make a cut.

With all the knowledge gained in the previous practices and during the last three, each group will choose a film of any cinematic genre and recreate the visual style in another audiovisual piece already assembled. In this way it will reinforce through the psychology of color the emotions that are wanted to transmit to the spectator.

The audiovisual montage will be an ambiguous and soundless piece, so it can be interpreted in different ways.

Support material

• Online: Personal computer equipped with Zoom and Davinci Resolve.
• Face-to-face / Hybrid: Laboratories 3 and 4, computers equipped with Final Cut Pro, Premiere and Davinci Resolve.

Specific objectives

At the end of the activity students must be able to:

• Analyze the image of an audiovisual piece and recreate the visual style.
• Convey emotions to the viewer through the psychology of color.
• Create a professional and consistent visual style.
• Track objects using masks in complex situations.
• Create correction dynamics and masks.
• Maintain a logical and orderly nodal structure with node groupings.
• Apply nodal structures in layers.
• Use LUTs properly.

Delivery characteristics and evaluation

Each student or group will have to submit a report (of a maximum of 8 pages with screenshots) mentioning the chosen film and arguing why the chosen film genre can work with the short film. Focused elements and tools used must also be justified.

The use of nodal structures will be required in order to achieve the desired result in an orderly and logical manner, without losing the color information and maintaining the legal emission values.

The export of the sequence must follow the guidelines listed in the activity statement and the material will be delivered via the virtual campus and Google Drive.

It will be evaluated:

• Interpretation and recreation of the visual style of the chosen film (7%).

• Continuity of color and exposure (4%).
• Adequate and justified use of secondary corrections (4%).

It will be penalized when:

• The characteristics of the export do not correspond to the one indicated. Or do not import the original assembly of the XML file.
• The file is not accessible from the link provided in the report.
• Improper or forced use of secondary tools.

Activity 4: Practice test type exam (RA1, RA3, RA4, RA5, RA6, RAC1, RAC2, RAC3)

Evaluable individual activity (10% final grade)

The practical test will consist of answering 20 questions related to the whole syllabus that has been carried out during the practice and activity sessions.

Theory activities (55% of the final grade)

Activity 5: Editing techniques for a creative montage (15% of the final grade) (G2, G3, RA1, RA4)

Evaluable individual activity.

Modality d'teaching

• Face-to-face, hybrid or online work sessions.

Description

Through the following evaluable exercise, we will put into practice the program contents that accompany the topics related to the edition, as a technical process focused on a creative field: the assembly.
Based on archive material provided, the assembly of an audiovisual sequence will be carried out, in which elements such as the rhythm of the action and the significance of the content will have to be worked on, from the point of view of technical resources. involving visual storytelling.

The goal is to understand how resources that are purely technical can function to create meaning and narrative, forming part of what we understand as audiovisual or cinematic language.

Support material

• Online: Personal computer equipped with Zoom, Premiere and After Effects.
• Face-to-face / Hybrid: Computers equipped with Premiere and After Effects.

Specific objectives

At the end of the activity students must be able to:

• Convey meanings from the use of post-production technical resources.
• Work on the pace of editing in a way that is consistent with the narrative style proposed.
• Use editing software and technical tools available with solvency.
• Know and correctly apply video export formats.

Delivery characteristics and evaluation

Each student will deliver the work files in a compiled project folder to encourage the viewing of the workflow during the evaluation of the contents. The final practice file exported in mp4 format and h.264 encoding will also be delivered.

In the event that the final set of files exceeds the upload space allowed on the virtual campus, they will be sent via Google Drive, to avoid their expiration.

Activity 6: Digital composition of a film sequence (15% of the final grade) (G2, G3, RA1, RA4)

Evaluable individual activity.

Modality d'teaching

• Face-to-face, hybrid or online work sessions.

Description

Through the following evaluable exercise, we will put into practice the program contents that accompany the topics related to digital image composition. From material provided, we will work on the composition of a film sequence including masks, element tracking and introduction of digital effects.
The aim of the practice is to know basic processes of integration and digital composition in audiovisual and cinema, knowing with this the tools and work processes, as well as the specific workflow of postproduction and treatment of the material.

Support material

• Online: Personal computer equipped with Zoom and After Effects.
• Face-to-face / Hybrid: computers equipped with After Effects.

Specific objectives

At the end of the activity students must be able to:

• Know and use the digital image post-production tools used.
• Establish a visual criterion in technical decision-making in search of specific results.
• Know and apply an optimal workflow in the post-production processes and creation of special effects.
• Know and correctly apply video export formats.

Delivery characteristics and evaluation

Each student will deliver the work files in a compiled project folder to encourage the viewing of the workflow during the evaluation of the contents. The final practice file exported in mp4 format and h.264 encoding will also be delivered.

In the event that the final set of files exceeds the upload space allowed on the virtual campus, they will be sent via Google Drive, to avoid their expiration.

Activity 7: Final theory exam (25% of the final grade) (G2, G3, RA1, RA4) 

At the end of the course, during the dates established by the School, there will be an individual theoretical exam on the entire content of the subject. The contents of the exam will be based exclusively on the theoretical developments seen in the subject (not on the application of practical processes).

The final format of the test may vary depending on possible face-to-face / non-face-to-face scenarios on campus.

The evaluation of the subject is divided between the evaluation activities of Theory (55%) and Practices (45%).

In particular:

The Internship part has 45%, distributed as follows:

Activity 1 (Balancing shots of a film sequence): 10%

Activity 2 (Advanced color correction and viewer focus in a film sequence): 10%

Activity 3 (Recreating the visual style of a film): 15%

Activity 4 (Practice exam): 10%

The part of Theory counts 55%, distributed of the following way:

Activity 5 (Editing techniques for meaningful editing): 15%

Activity 6 (Digital composition of a film sequence): 15%

Activity 7 (Final theory exam): 25%

Rules for evaluation:

The subject evaluates theoretical and practical knowledge. In this sense, to make an average, both the theoretical part (exam and work) and the practical part (exam, and practices) will be taken into account.

It is necessary to obtain a minimum of 5 in the theoretical part and a minimum of 5 in the practical part to be able to realize the final average. It is necessary to deliver all the practical activities to be able to average the practical part.

It is necessary to attend a minimum of 80% of the practical sessions so that the deliveries related to the practical part of the subject average.

Recovery:

There is no recovery of the practical activities of the subject, except for Activity 5 (Practice Exam), which will consist of a similar test.

As for the theoretical part, only Activity 7 (Final theory exam) can be retaken, and the retake test will consist, again, of an exam on all the theoretical content of the subject.

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