Shooting in HD is like hiring an architect to put an addition on your house. The idea seems exciting and promising – until you get the itemized bill. We asked post experts who will be sharing their insight at Playback’s upcoming Production Innovations Forum on March 8 how to avoid HD ‘sticker shock.’

Gregor Hutchison
Post-production supervisor (Silent Hill, Lucky Number Slevin, Resident Evil: Apocalypse)

‘Almost all productions require delivery in HD in one form or another. What you’re producing is the physical delivery of your television program or film, so it’s incredibly important to know exactly what you’re agreeing to deliver to your distributor.

‘Regardless of the budget level, delivery schedules are set up to benefit the distributor and often expensive elements are required.

‘To avoid ‘post shock,’ you have to understand that time is money, and post consumes a fair amount of both.

‘Everything impacts on the post-production of your project – from the amount of film or video shot (which involves processing, dubbing, and drive space), to offline editing, salaries, equipment rentals and interest on your loan, to the final length of your film. A five-reeler is considerably less costly than a seven-reel film at every stage of post-production.

‘For feature films, film elements are required for delivery. If the decision is made to shoot in HD video, the cost savings are limited to the costs of stock, processing and telecine. This is offset by video stock, down conversions, dubbing and film recording costs.

‘Shooting HD video in 4:4:4 is optimum for film outputs, but not all HD video cameras can record at that level. Most are 4:2:2, and some less than that. Any video can be transferred to film – even home video shot at video speed (30fps) – but it comes with a price. If the video look is what you are after, then know that that is all you can achieve with the lower end equipment.

‘While you can digitize directly from the HD tapes, the videotape is your negative and must be treated as such. Dropouts can ruin priceless footage and repairs (for acceptance) can be costly.

‘Lower-cost desktop editing systems like Final Cut Pro and Avid Express Pro are economical, but you will need editors who know how to use the systems, with the experience to understand where costly problems can occur. Hiring an inexperienced assistant can cost you dearly in the final finishing stages.’

David Battistella
Independent filmmaker (Shinny: The Hockey in All of Us, Odd Kid Out)

‘Planning is essential. Preproduction must include production and post-production. Producers are faced with many challenges these days, and budgets are getting slimmer. They want to put the best product on the screen with the resources they have.

‘At the same time, they’re faced with a whole new set of jargon in the ‘digital world.’ There are issues, from frame rates to the finished tape, that need to be resolved before a frame is recorded.

‘Avoid sticker shock at a post-production facility by consulting with an experienced professional, who will help determine your needs against your budget and your finished product. They can answer questions regarding workflow, archival needs, quality and multi-platform conversion. This will save you money in the long run – and, most importantly – it will help you create a product that is going to be saleable beyond your primary markets and into the future.’

Russ Robertson
VP sales, Deluxe Postproduction

‘In the world of HD post-production and digital intermediates, producers should always begin with the end in mind. This means coming into a project with a clear vision, and communicating with your post facility from the earliest stages of preproduction on issues such as workflow, formats and frame rates, as well as the overall look you are trying to achieve.

‘By planning ahead and establishing open lines of communication with your post facility at an early stage, you stand a better chance of making your vision reality, thus avoiding any ‘surprises’ that were not accounted for in your budget.’