Last time I just sort of griped about how long rendering can take, what it is, and some experiences I've had with it. Now it's time to make lemonade out of lemons, or at least get the lemons into a safe cool place so you have them later if you don't feel like lemonade right now.
The best option in general is to let things render when you aren't around. Before you go to sleep at night, when you're off to a day job, anything that gets you away from the computer anyway for at least a few hours. You might be nervous leaving your system running unattended for that long, ad that makes you paranoid like me. Good! Before you go, save a copy of the file as it stands. Don't just trust the auto-save, since that's generally a slightly different type of save anyway. A good reference file, but not always the uber-salvaging roll back file. Then completely close any programs not specifically involved in the task at hand. A small reminder window at the wrong moment could be a tiny patch of dropped pixels you might not catch until it's being screened for the masses.
Also close out any internet connections. Nobody will be stealing your render in progress, but there will be communication with the machine. A poorly timed system update could wind up causing those dropped pixels, dropped frames, or worse. The program could freeze while the update waits for a response. Alternately, the update could just go through then reboot your system. That won't get much rendering done. It's not hard to disconnect from the internet, and it prevents your system from doing anything but the task at hand.
If you're trying to render as much as possible, both while you're there and away, it's best to leave the long sequences for while you're away. Save between each sequence or batch while you're there and double check your settings and equipment before you start a new one. I don't think of myself so much as paranoid as I do occasionally screwed by things my suggestions will potentially prevent. Back up your back up drive. That way if anyone needs to access or just watch the output you have that to show while the main machine chugs along.
Then sit around and wait. Fix something to eat. Stare at the wall. Or be productive. If you're at this stage of post, that means you're in the home stretch and there is plenty of stuff you can work on so the end comes together that much faster.
First thing you can do is organize everything you're done with. All of those tapes you used (or data cards, or whatever) can be clearly labeled with the project name, bundled together, packed up with the shot logs, decision lists, and anything else referring to the footage itself. Then they can be put in a safe place out of the way. Get the various copies of the scripts in any drafts, notes and revisions included, and put them in a clearly marked box. Get it out of the way.
Go through all of the paperwork to make sure all releases have been signed by everybody, locations are accounted for, music is cleared, and any other details like that. Wile you're at it, write down the name of each person and verify the spelling of their name. This way you don't forget or offend somebody when the credits roll.
Put together all of the receipts and separate them appropriately into food, equipment, etc. Get some totals and account for it all, make a master list, and put all of that in one large envelope. Review the budget, the account balance for the project if you created one, and make sure you have accurate info for any investors.
Grab a pencil and a sketch pad and start roughing out layouts for the poster, the DVD cover, DVD menus, and any other endgame graphic elements. You might have somebody much better at it doing this for you ultimately, but it gets you thinking about what you want, some direction to give them.
Get out all of your equipment from the shoot. Lighting kits, the camera, sound equipment, cables, everything you used on set and plan on using again. Check every bit of it. Make sure all of the parts are there, that they are put properly back in place, and that everything is neat and organized. Make sure cables are properly separated, rolled, and bound. After a long shoot, especially the last day of a long schedule, people may get a little bit lazy about how things get put away. You won't need it tomorrow, so we'll get to it later. Guess what? This is that later.
With everything you're putting away, cleaning up, and generally setting out of the way for now, make sure to consider what would have been helpful. Think about anything you didn't have when you needed it on the shoot, or what would've been nice as an add on but you worked around. Get a note pad and put together a wish list for every practical need that went unfilled or was patched together at the last minute on the shoot. Sure some things will always be on the wish list, like "four high-end HD cameras," but we're talking practical. Electrical tape, AA batteries, somebody reading the script and noting time code, or a cooler full of bottled water. Any of that little stuff that would have made the experience a little more pleasant that's within your grasp, but just wasn't thought about.
Keep a separate list of what the hardest parts to handle in post-production were. Did you have inconsistent lighting, or maybe continuity errors? Did you notice that for dialogue you always got three takes of the master, two of one reversal, but rushed through the last reversal because the energy was gone, you were sick of the scene, or just said "We've got enough to work with"? How many other times did you say you had enough to work with, but didn't? What did you overshoot? What sound problems did you have? Go over every glitch you can think of where you were sitting at your computer wishing you could go back and reshoot, racking your brain for a way to fix what you have. Then try to write down at least three things for each issue that you can do in preproduction or on set so you don't make that mistake again.
Sure, this all sounds like it's homework. It is. But you have some time to kill, right? I know I still do.
 email this column to a friend
|
| Make Me Proud |
Every other Monday
Exploring everything you should consider as you make your
indie masterpiece.
|
| Patrick Storck |
Patrick hails from Baltimore, MD, where playing by the rules is frowned upon. Only average things come from playing it safe.
|
| Contact |
If you have a comment, question, or suggestion, you can send a message to Patrick Storck by clicking here.
|
|
