WP1: Protecting Post

Post production, the entire department and process following the wrapping of filming a movie or television show, is one of the most crucial parts of the film industry. And yet, it’s the most overlooked piece of the puzzle. In this unseen space, the field fails to amass the glamor that comes with other, more romanticized departments in the industry. This cessation of an entire piece of a project not only alienates the members that make up post, but also propagates unregulated environments that can stifle the creativity that should be getting accomplished at this point in the process. The department is nearly invisible to the outside world, but it is truly what can make or break a movie or show. So why does it not garner more recognition?

To preface: a little bit more about the field. As mentioned, post production “officially” begins when production on a feature film or TV show is complete (I only say “officially” because oftentimes there are some post crew members supporting the project as early as pre-production).

Take this masterclass scene from Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, for instance. It could have only accomplished this level of perfection through the diligence of post production. The intense color grading, skillfully weaved-in ADR and premium visual effects, all wrapped together with incredible sound design, make this scene so special. Without any of this, all that would be left is Ryan Gosling with a broken nose staring into a void.

This is just a general overview, similar to the type of summaries I have to give to friends and family when I am asked yet again what it is that I do if I do not work directly on set. Still, once my long-winded spiel is finished, they still have a puzzled look on their face, only this time with a slight tinge of disinterest, as well.

And to be completely fair to them, it is a very broad department with more moving parts and participants than most other professions. Not only is it massive in size and impact, though, it’s also completely unseen and unnoticed.

It’s safe to say that the general public does not completely comprehend the filmmaking process from beginning to end. It’s complicated on purpose, it’s difficult to get into or even learn about unless you’re very determined.

Because of this, it’s fair to argue that a lot of the jobs that contribute to making a film are invisible, but it’s also obvious that there is a wide gap between post and the more public-facing departments. Besides actors, directors, writers, and producers are paraded around awards shows and trade magazine profiles, bringing an air of celebrity to them. In promotional content, on-set interviews with cinematographers, hair and makeup artists, costume designers and other department heads within production help breathe more life into the film. It is rare to hear from ADR supervisors, foley artists, assistant editors, or other crucial post crew members in these promos.

Sociologist Arlene Kaplan Daniels coined the term “invisible work” in 1987, and was originally intended to describe the unacknowledged work done by women in the labor market. The tasks women take on whether in the domestic or professional sphere is easily undervalued when placed on the same plane as a man’s work (Daniels). I would argue that this dynamic, or at least key parts of it, is being played out in real time on productions, as well. The work being accomplished in post, no matter how important to the success of a film, is overlooked simply for being in the same playing field as the work and crew members making up the actual production process.

Not only is post overlooked, it also doesn’t hold the glamor that is found in the actual production phase of films. Typically, unless the director is incredibly invested in the final product, they are absent from much of the post process as they get into development for their next project. It is also at this point that the glitz and glam radiating from the film’s stars dies down, as they are no longer needed once production wraps. Unless of course, they are called back in for reshoots or to re-record some of their lines, but still.

Post is not glamorous. It’s not work that needs elegant or cinematic locations, it’s not done on sound stages on Paramount or Warner Bros. lots in Burbank. It’s accomplished in dark, cramped, and overly expensive-to-rent-out office rooms spread out around town. It’s sitting hunched over in front of screens all day, something the general public maybe doesn’t expect out of filmmakers, or perhaps doesn’t want to acknowledge as this work environment perhaps mirrors their own too closely.

Think about just how many films romanticize the tough work it takes to create a movie. Off the top of your head, you can probably list out four or five films that do so: Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, The Fablemans, Tropic Thunder, Singin’ In the Rain… I could go on. These films are runaway successes making an average of $156.6 million at the box office (IMDB). And they all display the beauty, madness, and allure of the production itself, rarely with any mention to post tying everything together in the end.

Only one notable film centers on post workers, which even then is still under the radar to most: 1981’s Blow Out, directed by Brian de Palma. The film follows John Travolta as a B-movie sound recordist as he finds himself discovering evidence in a murder plot while working. Unfortunately, even with intriguing themes and a famous director, movies focusing on post are not what the public swarms theaters for, as it grossed $12 million worldwide, falling $6 million short of its original budget (IMDB). Even when re-released in 2021, it made a mere $754, showing that the appetite for media about post is still virtually nonexistent.

Between the invisible nature of the department and its subsequent lack of glamor, it almost feels natural for post workers to feel isolated and alienated on something that is essentially one big group project. Anyone on the crew is labeled below-the-line on the project’s budget, but what if you feel even more below than that?

In prefacing her post production workshop this past spring, Maya E. Rudolph described the sentiment that “post lacks the sense of community and urgency that creates camaraderie and momentum in production” (Rudolph). It’s hard to contend with something that feels so prevalent for each day you work on a specific gig.

As Rudolph alludes to, there’s no set to come to each day, there’s no wrap party at the end of this phase. You do your piece of the project alone, turn it in with minimal praise, and then move on to the next one. This alienation also contributes to lack of glamorization post production receives, because in the public’s mind, what’s the fun in making movies if this is part of the process? To those both inside and outside the industry, when it’s time for post to step in, the “fun” part of the filmmaking journey is already over. The effect this has on the countless crew members that make up such a fascinating and thrilling department is dismal.

By operating in this secluded and unhidden region, things become unregulated and murky. As Daniels describes in her “invisible work” study, when others in the labor market fail to conceptualize an industry or position, it therefore fails to be compensated and protected accordingly (Daniels). For example, administration in the department (post producers, supervisors, coordinators, and assistants) are some of the only positions on a film or television show that are not nationally protected by a union. Similarly, while there are programs in production roles to increase diversity, there is not as much pressure applied to post roles. Because of this, the vast majority of workers in post more or less fit the description of middle aged white male. This space being left unchecked still has consequences, even if no one is looking our way to see them.

Post departments do not depend on public adoration or affection to continue putting out the best of their work. But they do depend on being monitored and noticed just like every other department in order to remain a safe and prosperous environment. If post production is to be protected and able to promote a more diverse workplace, it must first require the conceptualization in the labor market and the public sphere that it continues to lack today.

WORKS CITED

Daniels, Arlene K. “Invisible Work.” Social Problems, vol. 34, no. 5, 1987, pp. 403–415. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/800538.

IMDBPro. “Blow Out (1981).” IMDBPro, Box Office Mojo by IMDBPro, https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0082085/?ref_=tt_pro_tt_bo_data. Accessed 24 January 2024.

Rudolph, Maya E. “Workshop: Mythbusting Post (How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Post-Production).” International Documentary Association, IDA, 12 April 2023, https://www.documentary.org/event/workshop-mythbusting-post-how-i-learned-stop-worrying-and-love-post-production. Accessed 24 January 2024.