Perfecting the Film Post Production Workflow

VashiVisuals by Vashi Nedomansky

Self-funded, low budget, indie filmmaking is wonderful for the creative and artistic freedoms you are granted as you strive to tell the story and share it with others. You are the filmmaker, the studio, the investor and the distributor. This great power comes with great responsibility and heavy consequences. I’ve spent the last 5 years of my life working to finish a feature film entitled…THE GRIND. The literal and figurative irony does not go unnoticed…but it also drives me to complete my mission.

One of the famous unwritten rules in “Hollywood” is never invest your own money. I’ve broken that rule for 5 years as I’ve invested both a shit-ton of money and time to finish the film and release it to the world. My roles on this film are: executive producer, DP, editor, colorist, composer and sound mixer. I had been hired to do these jobs on previous feature films, but never all on one film. Before I dive in, here’s 5 years of editing encapsulated into one image…the final timeline.

For anyone to complete a film is a commendable act. The sacrifices and tolls the filmmaking process takes can bring out both the best and worst in people. The happy, easy-going movie sets often end up as filmic duds while the most cantankerous and soul-draining shoots and post productions have created some of the most memorable movies of all time. Francis Ford Coppola was allegedly fired from THE GODFATHER five times while they were shooting.

THE GRIND had a shooting schedule of 45 days spread over 6 months in late 2009. The budget was $50,000 of which I invested $45,000 into gear, locations, permits and legal fees. That was before I spent 5 years handling all of the post production. Single handed…and still going. At the same time, I’ve been cutting other feature films and working on other projects but THE GRIND consumes every free moment I have as I get closer to finishing the film. read more...