360° Video Post Production

Post-production in VR 360° is a different beast to its 16:9 counterpart and East City Films has invested a great deal of time into honing this specialist skill to the highest level. From the initial proxy stitch, through the offline edit, into the fine stitch, compositing, stabilisation, VFX and grade, we make sure that the final product is both perfect to look at but also comfortable for the viewer to experience. With movement, drone shots, POV and narrative storylines more and more commonplace, the language of editing in 360° video is currently being developed and written. With our high end in-house facilities, we are one of its chief originators. Check out our VR 360° video production reel below.

• Media Management - With so much footage created in VR 360° video production, media management is key. We will always have a DIT on set backing up the footage, but once back in the studio, the material will be organised carefully to prepare for an organised and efficient post-production process.

• Proxy Stitch - Stitching 360 video provides the biggest difference between 360 video post and traditional 16:9 post. 360 shots need at least 2 different plates (often many more), and these need to be stitched to form an equirectangular asset (like a map of the world). Proxy stitch (AKA rough stitch) is where we quickly stitch together the footage that was shot to create our usable rushes. This can normally happen in a day or matter of days, depending on the volume of shots. Once proxy stitched, the shots will have discrepancies such as stitch lines or lights and crew in shot, but it is these rushes which we will start to work with in our offline edit.

• Offline Edit - Video editing is where the story of the VR 360 content is pieced together. It works in much the same way as it does for traditional content and we mainly use Adobe Premiere Pro. We will normally work on an offline edit, based on the shooting script, which we will then share with the agency, client or broadcasters. This could either be by showing the film in a VR headset or by sharing it on a private video links (such as YouTube or Vimeo). There will normally be 2 rounds of changes, before locking picture and moving onto the fine stitch.

• Fine Stitch & Clean Up - Once the offline edit is locked, and we have picture lock, we can start spending time on making the chosen 360 shots look as perfect as they need to look. By now we will be used to looking at the 360 edits of the proxy stitches, and this will often have stitch lines, lights or grip in shot, or indeed crew members in clear view. In the fine stitch, we will remove all of these elements, and deliver shots which are clean and usable. Much of this work will be done in After Effects, Nuke or Mistika, but some more complex shots may need some VFX work.

• Colour Grading - Colour grading 360° video footage is much the same as grading 16:9 footage and is normally dictated by the choice of 360° camera and the shoot conditions. It does, however, involve a great deal more work, as rather than just grading a 16:9 frame, we're grading the full 360° (at least 4 times the size). We have in-house Adobe Premiere facilities and partnerships with houses in Soho and east London for full DaVinci Resolve and Baselight suites as well as multiple freelancers.

• Spatial Sound - Once we have picture lock and a finished image our sound designer can start work on creating the spatial soundscape for the video content. This will involve traditional processes like music selection or composition and foley, but will also involve spatialising the sound for a 360° experience ready for VR headset or online 360°.

• Motion Graphics - In some cases, motion graphics will be needed. We work in After Effects, Cinema 4D, Maya and 3D Studio Max and depending on the budget, almost anything is possible.

If you’ve got an interesting 360° video or virtual reality project in mind, we’d love to hear from you. We are happy to just do your 360 post for you, so if you have rushes and are a bit stuck give us a call.