| Post-production refers to everything that takes place after the edit has been finalized. This includes the visual effects, the sound effects and the color grading. This is the most complex part of the filmmaking process, with many departments all working on separate tasks.
|
Management of Post-Production
The naming convention of post-production reflects the complexity of this stage in the production process, with the file name specifying the task being conducted.
| Shot name |
Task abbreviation |
Version |
Creator |
File extension |
Result
|
| 020-03
|
comp
|
v01
|
ngoc
|
.nk
|
020-03_comp_v01_ng.nk
|
- Shot name This is the name of the clips as outputted from the editor, as described in Production.
- Task abbreviation refers to the what is being done, e.g.: compositing, animation etc. Common abbreviations are here.
- Version refers to the version. Do not start versioning on version 2!
- Creator refers to the creator of the file. Two letter abbreviations must be used. Abbreviations must be agreed upon before the project starts.
Anything rendered from a shot production file, should inherit its name. Hence, in the above example, a rendered output from the Nuke file would be called: 020-03_comp_v01_ng.mov. This way the two can easily be related to each other. Apart from anything else, this convention will sort all versions according to creation date, when organized in alphabetical view.
File and folder naming abbreviations
Common file and folder naming abbreviations are:
| Abbreviation |
Task
|
| _assets
|
Assets (like reference and textures)
|
| animatic
|
The animatic
|
| lookdev
|
Look development
|
| sb
|
The storyboard
|
| edit
|
The edit
|
| mm
|
Match move (i.e. camera track)
|
| paint
|
Matte painting
|
| comp
|
Compositing
|
| mdl
|
3D Modeling
|
| txt
|
Texturing
|
The Final Edit
Color Grading
Summary of the Filmmaking Process
| Stage |
Task |
Key naming requirements |
Key output
|
| Development
|
Coming up with, and developing, the idea: sort of like sketchbook sketching
|
The name of the project
|
Sketches and paintings that give an idea of the story and of the 'look and feel' of the movie
|
|
| Pre-Production
|
Refining the idea: sort of like preparatory drawing
|
The name of the project
|
The animatic
|
|
|
| Production
|
Shooting footage and editing
|
After shooting: the shot number (as defined by the camera). After editing: the scene and shot number
|
The edit (from which the shots are exported as image sequences)
|
|
|
| Post-Production
|
VFX, sound, colour grading
|
The task (compositing, animation, FX particles etc)
|
The final movie as a high quality render
|
