Yes, the DIT and Loader are members of the camera department, but they are the primary bridge between production and post. They play a vital and direct role in the dailies process and ensure that what the DP is looking at on set is what everyone else will see too. And they must do so quickly with an extreme attention to detail.
Where the rest of the camera department is primarily focused on the logistical setup and shot itself, the DIT is focused on how that shot will play as soon as it’s in the can, and the Loader is focused on the handoff. If you want to understand how a show’s footage gets safely, correctly, and completely from production to the cutting room, this is where that journey begins.
Two jobs, two very different skill sets
The DIT and the Loader often work side by side, sometimes out of the same cart or truck on set, but they are not doing the same job. It’s worth separating them clearly before going further.
The DIT, or Digital Imaging Technician, is a creative and technical role. They work directly with the DP, advising on lighting, contrast, focus, and color, and they carry the intended look of the show forward from set into the footage itself. It’s a role post-production genuinely depends on, because a good DIT means the dailies already reflect something close to the DP and Director’s vision, long before a Colorist ever touches the footage.
The Loader, by contrast, is entirely about the data. Their job is to take the cards coming off the camera, back them up correctly, verify that backup, and manage the physical media so the cards can go safely back into rotation. It’s meticulous and absolutely critical. A single missed step here can mean lost or corrupted footage, and lost footage is unacceptable.
The DIT’s tools and role
On set, the DIT works with digital color programs like Pomfort LiveGrade, applying color looks in real time.
In LiveGrade, they build temporary color profiles called LUTs (Look-Up Tables) and CDLs (Color Decision Lists). These small data files define a specific color look and are applied to the video feed so that monitors on set, and eventually the dailies themselves, show something close to the intended look rather than raw, flat Log footage. Those LUTs and CDLs travel on the hard drives with the footage to be applied to the proxy files by the dailies facility. These looks are included in the files sent to editorial and creatives.
Industry Note
This on-set color pass isn’t the final grade. A dedicated Colorist will complete that later. The DIT’s work is a preview, a placeholder for intent, and good enough that nobody has to guess what the show is supposed to look like.
The Loader’s data pipeline
Once the cards come off the camera, the Loader’s job begins.
First, the cards are logged, then all the media is offloaded and copied onto shuttle drives and large on-set hard drives for redundancy. Software like Pomfort Silverstack handles the transfer. Critically, it verifies the copy using a checksum, a kind of digital fingerprint that confirms every single bit of data made it across correctly. This isn’t optional and it isn’t quick. A checksum failure means the copy is not trusted, and the process runs again until it is.
Once a card’s media is verified, safely offloaded, and backed up to the on-set drives, the Loader gives the ok for the shuttle drives with the media to go to dailies facility. The cards cannot be wiped or go back into rotation at this time. Right now, they’re still untouchable. This is the discipline that protects a show from ever losing a day’s work to a bad card or a rushed backup.
Pro Tip
Multiple backups are crucial to protect media. The on-set hard drives will be locked and do not leave set, nor can they be erased without strict approval from post. They are a primary backup during production.
Custody chain of camera cards
A card being offloaded doesn’t mean it’s immediately wiped and handed back to camera. It’s held. For good reason.
The Loader keeps physical custody of every card until post-production confirms that the footage has been safely received, checked, fully QC’d, and accounted for at both the dailies facility and in editorial. Only then does an assistant editor send the ALL CLEAR, the email or confirmation that specific cards are safe to wipe and re-enter rotation. It’s a system built entirely around verification, not assumption. Production has a finite number of cards in rotation, so timely clearance is the responsibility of post, without sacrificing certainty.
Transportation: the unsung leg of the relay
Getting footage physically from set to the dailies facility is its own job, and it typically happens twice a day.
At lunch break and at wrap, the Loader hands off the shuttle drives carrying the freshly offloaded and color-tagged footage to the transportation department. Transpo physically drives those drives to the facility, and on the way back, picks up drives staged for return to set for the next round of dailies. It’s straightforward, but an essential and timely part of the dailies process.
While some tasks can run in parallel, the offload and verification process is relatively linear, and certain tasks need to be completed before the next one can start.
Why this matters to you
If you’re trying to break into post-production, you must recognize and understand the importance of the DIT and Loader roles in the post process. Their jobs bridge the creative and technical boundary on set.
Without the original camera media, the film or show cannot exist. Protecting that media is the absolute most important job of anyone on set and in post-production. Knowing the chain of possession, backup and verification procedures, and protection protocols is key knowledge for any post role. It’s the difference between hoping something worked and knowing it did.
Ask someone what the camera department does and they’ll usually tell you, “They shoot the movie.” Which is true, but how does that relate to post-production? They just hand what they shoot to post and let post figure it out, right?
Not at all. The relationship between camera and post is completely intertwined, and it starts well before shooting begins. You could say the camera department is the first post-production department. Every frame that will ever move through editorial, sound, color, VFX, and finishing is born from a multitude of decisions made in pre-production. Resolution, frame rate, codec, color space, lens: those aren’t just “camera settings.” They’re the specifications the entire back half of the project is built on, and they determine the complete look of the show. Set them up correctly, with clear communication, and post hums along. Get them wrong, or just misunderstand them, and you’ll spend the rest of the show working around it.
So if you’re trying to understand post, you start here, at the camera, because this is where the pipeline is really designed.
The creative team’s vision for how the show should look is conceptual. It’s the camera department’s job to figure out the combination of settings and specs that turns that concept into reality.
Who’s in the camera department?
A quick orientation before we get into the decisions, because the responsibilities are compartmentalized.
The Director of Photography (DP) owns the look: framing, lighting, and the creative intent behind every image. They consult with the Director(s) and make the final call on all specs and settings. Under them, the Camera Operator runs the camera(s) during takes. The 1st Assistant Camera (1st AC, or “focus puller”) keeps the image sharp, while the 2nd AC handles the slate, logs, and physical cards. Then there’s the DIT and the Loader, technically camera department, but also the bridge to post, handling the data itself once the cards leave the camera.
IN DEPTH · COMING SOON: The DIT & Loader, Software, and Data Management
For this article, we’ll focus on the top-down decisions and the core elements of image capture.
Modern cinema cameras and all that data
With obvious exceptions (hello, Christopher Nolan), most film and TV projects today shoot on cinema cameras that record with file-based systems, not physical film.
These cameras are data-capture machines, recording enormous amounts of raw sensor information to specialized cards or drives at rates that would fill a consumer laptop’s hard drive in minutes. What comes off the camera often isn’t directly watchable in a normal media player. The raw files must be logged, processed, and converted before anyone can cut with them or watch them easily.
Once you think of the process as data-driven rather than film-driven, you can see how each of the following decisions affects the downstream process and, ultimately, the final look. All six categories below are important aspects of the camera department’s work and how they translate into post.
Decisions, decisions: specs and settings
Here are six of the most important camera decisions that affect post-production.
1. Camera Body
Choosing the camera body is the culmination of many creative discussions between the DP and Director, with approvals needed at the studio and network level. Different camera brands excel at different aspects of filmmaking, and this choice has the single biggest effect on the overall look of the film or show.
Major brands include ARRI, RED, Sony, and Panasonic, each offering different strengths based on project needs.
Industry Note
Cinema cameras are incredibly expensive, with some bodies plus add-ons coming in over $100,000 per unit. Creative needs are the primary deciding factor, but cost plays a huge role in the final selection. Productions rarely buy their own cameras, usually renting from camera rental houses for the duration of the shoot.
Once the body is chosen and approved, the DP and camera department start thinking about their primary shooting specs.
2. Resolution
Resolution is how many pixels make up the captured picture. Most people know the common ones: 4K, UHD, HD, and so on. Numbers like 8K and 4K refer to the horizontal pixel count, the number of pixels across the width of the image, so 4K means roughly 4,000 pixels across.
More pixels mean more detail, and crucially, more data and greater storage needs throughout post. Because of that, productions typically shoot at a higher resolution than they’ll ultimately deliver. A show delivering in HD or UHD might capture in a much larger 6K or 8K frame. Why spend money on the extra data? Because that extra resolution is room. Room to reframe a shot, punch in, stabilize, and extract a clean 16:9 frame out of a larger captured area, all in post, without losing quality. The camera captures big so post has options later.
That “extra room” isn’t free, though. Every one of those pixels becomes data you have to move, store, and back up, which costs money.
Industry Note
HD is also known as 1080p. That 1080 refers to the number of vertical pixels, while 8K and 4K refer to horizontal pixels. Why the switch? Marketing. Companies moved to the bigger-sounding number to sell TVs.
3. Aspect ratio and framing
Aspect ratio is the relationship between the width and height of the image on screen. It’s partially independent of shooting resolution, and it gives us the framed image we actually see.
The most common today is the classic 16:9 (1.78:1), the original “widescreen” ratio and the universal standard. 1920×1080 (HD) is a prime example: 16 units wide by 9 tall, or 1920/1080 = 1.78.
Film has used many aspect ratios throughout history, and in recent years TV shows have started shooting in varied formats too. One thing worth knowing: the width of the screen typically can’t change. If a project shoots wider than a screen can handle, you get black bars on the top and bottom, because the image is shrunk so the sides aren’t cut off. This is common in TV shooting 17:9, 2:1, and others, and it’s often a stylistic choice, favoring a wider image over a taller one.
4. Codec, data rate, and frame rate
If resolution and framing decide how much image gets captured, the codec decides how that image is recorded, and how big the resulting files are.
At one end is RAW. The camera records the sensor’s data with minimal compression, preserving maximum quality and flexibility for post, at the cost of enormous file sizes. At the other end are compressed formats, which process and shrink the image in-camera, far more manageable, with some flexibility traded away. The “data rate” or “bitrate” (often quoted in megabytes per second) tells you how much data the camera writes per second, and therefore how fast storage fills up. A high-end RAW format can turn a single day of shooting into terabytes of data.
Frame rate is how many individual images the camera records each second. The standard for most scripted film and TV is 23.976 frames per second, very close to a clean 24 (the short version of why: it’s what we’re used to, and it keeps legacy timing in sync). Recording at higher frame rates, like 60 or 120, then playing back at normal speed gives clean slow motion without VFX. As with higher bitrates, higher frame rates take up significantly more space.
These choices, along with resolution, most directly determine the size of the entire post-production media operation: how many drives, how many archive tapes, how long transfers and backups take, and how big the cost.
5. Color space & Log
Watch a monitor on a professional set and the image might look surprisingly flat, gray, and washed out. That’s not a mistake. It’s completely intentional, and necessary.
The camera is recording in a Log color space, designed to preserve the maximum range of brightness and color the sensor can capture, in a much smaller file footprint. The deepest shadows and brightest highlights are all held onto, so nothing is clipped or lost. The tradeoff is that Log footage looks flat and desaturated, because all that range is being stored rather than shown. The rich, contrasty look is brought out later, in color. Think of the flat image as a blank slate with the widest possible range for the colorist to work from.
To put everyone at ease and preview the intended look, the DP applies a temporary grade on set using LUTs and CDLs. Those get passed to the dailies facility and applied to the proxy files, so everyone, including editorial, sees the intended color image rather than the drab, flat Log.
6. Lens choice
Complementing the sensor, the lens shapes the image in many ways: depth, character of focus, distortion, image compression. These all factor into the DP’s creative decisions. But lens choices also run deep into post, particularly VFX.
There are two types of cinema lenses, spherical and anamorphic, and lenses are also split into prime and zoom. Spherical lenses have been around since the beginning of filmmaking and capture onto the sensor without affecting aspect ratio. Anamorphic lenses capture a super-wide image that’s compressed to fit the sensor, then “stretched” back to its intended aspect ratio by the dailies facility. Prime lenses have a fixed focal length; zoom lenses have a variable one. All of these shape the image differently, and how the audience ultimately sees the frame.
Because lenses shape the image differently, it’s imperative for VFX to know which were used on which shots. To change the image convincingly, VFX has to know exactly how the original lens bent and framed the world, or the CG won’t sit right against the plate. On VFX-heavy productions, lens data is captured and tracked by a Data Wrangler precisely for this reason.
The camera test and paper trail
Everything above gets decided, documented, and tested before principal photography, during what’s known as the camera test.
Before a production starts shooting the actual movie, the camera department runs a test shoot with the chosen equipment: they shoot framing charts, confirm resolutions and formats, and verify that everything the camera captures behaves the way the camera and post departments expect.
A framing chart is a reference image shot for each camera at each resolution and aspect ratio the production will use. It’s how the dailies facility knows what the output frame should look like when processing the footage, since productions often shoot wider and higher-resolution than what’s delivered. Any time a new camera or format is added, it gets its own framing chart.
The final piece of the puzzle is paperwork. Camera reports log what was shot: which takes, which cards, which camera, frame rates, any special handling, and notes for post and the lab. These reports travel with the footage so everyone downstream knows exactly what they’re looking at. Software like ZoeLog has replaced handwritten reports with easily assembled digital logs. It’s imperative these are accurate, or they cause countless issues in post, so the 2nd ACs must be incredibly diligent in their shot tracking.
Why this matters to you
If you’re trying to break into post-production, you need to know how the material is shot and why these decisions matter for post. You don’t need to operate a camera or pull focus, but being able to look at a camera report or a dailies workflow and understand what it’s telling you is a necessary day-to-day skill. If you can read the information, you’ll notice when something doesn’t look right, and that’s sometimes the greatest asset anyone in post can have.
Every choice about how a show is shot is a choice about the data you’ll be handling for the rest of it. Learn to read those choices, and the whole process stops looking like magic and starts looking like a system. One you can work, and eventually, one you can run.
The Dailies Workflow: Department Breakdown & Who’s Involved
Before any film or TV show can start a single day of shooting, the dailies workflow must be solidified across multiple production and post departments. The workflow design and implementation are the responsibilities of post. As soon as the footage leaves the camera, the workflow takes over and post becomes the keeper of the media. It’s their responsibility all the way through delivery.
This article is your map to that process. Below lists every department involved in the dailies process and the role each one plays. Each section links to a full department breakdown where we dive deep into the people, media, the paperwork, the gear, and the real-world protocols that keep a show’s footage safe at the end of each shoot day.
With so many parties involved and the clock ticking, the pipeline can be described as one thing: a relay race. While the crew sleeps, yesterday’s footage is verified, synced, colored, and converted, so that by the time editorial sits down with their coffee, the previous day’s work is waiting in the cutting room. Every department below is a runner in that relay.
1. The Camera Department
Where everything originates. Takes are shot onto camera cards (think very fast, very large SD cards) and once a card is full, it’s handed off for backup and transfer to the dailies facility for processing.
Yes, digital film still needs “processing.” And if the show is shooting true film, those rolls are boxed, logged, and sent to a film lab.
Technically part of the camera department, they run the on-set half of the dailies operation. The DIT brings color science and look-dev, working with the DP on the dailies look that travels with the footage. The Loader backs up every card and verifies copies, holding custody of the media until post confirms it’s safe for camera cards to go back into rotation.
Sound is recorded completely separately from picture. The Production Sound Mixer captures every mic onto a dedicated recorder using its own cards, own rolls, and outputting its own reports. That media then rides the same relay as the camera cards. Picture and sound don’t meet until the facility marries them overnight.
IN DEPTH · COMING SOON — Production Sound & On-set Audio Recording
4. Transportation
The unsung leg of the relay: Transpo physically moves the media and drives from set to the DIT / Loader, and then Loader to facility, typically twice a day, and returns yesterday’s drives to set for re-use. Transpo is key, as efficient and communicative transportation saves time and money.
Transpo’s involvement can be found throughout the other In Depth articles.
5. The Script Supervisor
While everyone else handles the footage, the Script Supervisor creates the paper trail that makes it usable: which takes cover which lines, which cameras rolled, which takes the director circled, and the continuity notes for the Editor. Script Supervisor paperwork is the roadmap for editorial to navigate all the footage and audio to build the edit.
IN DEPTH · COMING SOON — The Script Supervisor
6. The Production Office
The central hub of the entire production. They ensure everyone on the production side of dailies is where they need to be and when. Reports and logs flow through the office to everyone who needs them, and requests between set, producers, and post usually route through the production staff. A good relationship between post and production is paramount.
IN DEPTH · COMING SOON — The Production Office’s Role in Post
7. The Dailies Facility
Overnight, the facility verifies the media, syncs sound to picture, applies the dailies color, and converts the massive camera masters into proxy files for editorial, and viewing files for the creatives, studio, and network. Both physical and remote processing options are now offered at many facilities.
The handoff. Once dailies are processed and paperwork distributed, the proxy files land with editorial so the Editors can start cutting, and the post team releases viewing dailies through a secure platform to everyone who needs them. The relay’s finish line, which is also the starting line of the edit and post-production pipeline.
IN DEPTH · COMING SOON — The Editorial Handoff & Viewing Platforms
9. The Archive
After the footage and sound has been processed and proxies delivered, the camera and sound masters are put to sleep. They are backed up to archival tape, duplicated, and stored in separate locations so that no single disaster can take a show’s footage with it. Archival and redundancy isn’t exciting, but it’ll save the show should anything ever go wrong.
IN DEPTH · COMING SOON — The LTO Archive
As you can see, there are many moving parts at every step of the dailies process, and it takes a significant amount of preparation and coordination to ensure all departments are working together efficiently every single day. Start with whichever department you’re interested in, or read them in order and follow the footage from the camera card to the vault.
A Day in the Life of a Post PA
Key Takeaways
A Post PA's day changes significantly depending on the phase of the project
Dailies always take priority over other tasks
In TV, dailies and cuts overlap as multiple episodes are in progress simultaneously
Flexibility and organization are the most important traits of a good Post PA
One of the exciting elements of post-production is that your typical day will change as the production moves through different stages. Below are examples of typical days during major phases of the project.
During Dailies
Morning
A typical day might start with organizing the digital dailies paperwork that comes in from the production office. This paperwork will need to be checked against the processed dailies footage that the dailies facility has sent to editorial. Verifying takes against the paperwork is a key element of ensuring all the material shot during the previous day is accounted for.
Midday
After paperwork has been checked and takes have been verified, the Post PA, along with other post team members, may do a QC pass of that day’s dailies. This involves watching the dailies on whatever file sharing program the show is using (PIX, Frame.io, etc.) and ensuring everything plays properly.
Once everything has been checked, the dailies will be released to the pre-determined distributions and recipients.
Afternoon
After dailies have been released, the Post PA may be searching for stock footage, getting lunch, shuttling hard drives, filing paperwork, and assisting the post or editorial teams with anything that might come up.
During Cuts
As the Editors begin assembling their cuts for distribution, requests for music, stock, graphics, and other creative items ramp up. The Post PA will assist post and editorial in sourcing anything the team needs. Dailies may or may not still be coming in. Dailies always need to go out first.
Industry Note
In TV, dailies and cuts overlap as you are working on multiple episodes at the same time. While production shoots the next episode, editors are working on cuts of the previous episodes.
Daytime
The Editors will work on their cut during the day. After their work is done, they’ll turn the cut over to the Assistant Editor, and then hand it over to post for distribution. The Post PA will be on hand to aid in any way.
Evening
During the cuts phase, the workday can be longer to accommodate evening and late night cut distribution. Cuts are QC’d by the post team and then distributed.
During Finishing
Daily tasks during finishing may vary between TV and Features. In TV, production might be shooting later episodes while post delivers the earlier episodes. Feature dailies will have stopped by this point, unless the project is doing reshoots or pickups. Tasks will be split based on priority.
Throughout the Day
At this phase, the post team could be spread out at different facilities. Editors working in editorial, the Post Producer on the mix stage, the Post Supervisor and Post Coordinator doing VFX drop-ins at the finishing facility, etc. The PA will be where they are needed most, whether with the creatives or other editorial or post team members. And often moving from place to place. The days get busier as the project gets closer to delivery.
As you can see from any of the example days above, flexibility and organization are key characteristics of a good Post PA. What makes the job complicated also makes it exciting!
How to Land Your First Post PA Job
Key Takeaways
Post PA positions are rarely publicly advertised; networking is the primary path in
Social media, university resources, and industry groups are valuable tools for finding opportunities
The Post Producer or Post Supervisor hires the Post PA
Pay rates range from minimum wage to approximately $22/hour with daily or weekly guarantees
Finding your first Post PA job can be incredibly daunting. Open positions are not often publicly advertised and meeting those hiring can be challenging. In the film and TV industry, networking will always be your best friend. Word-of-mouth plays a heavy hand in people knowing who you are and your quality of work, and personal references hold a lot of weight. Never be afraid to tell people what you want to do, because you never know where your next opportunity will come from.
Never be afraid to tell people what you want to do, because you never know where your next opportunity will come from.
Where to Look
Social Media
Social media has done a decent job of opening doors to new opportunities. There are several job board-type groups that anyone can join, where people will often post job opportunities or ask for resumes. We recommend searching for industry groups that are trying to connect individuals with opportunities. As mentioned above, word-of-mouth is a powerful tool and following other industry professionals on social media sites can be a great source for job leads.
University Resources
If your college or university has an alumni job board or career resource, we highly recommend taking advantage. Industry relations are a big selling point for institutions and alumni connections are invaluable when it comes to networking. Utilizing these services could prove beneficial when job hunting.
Industry Groups, Guilds, and Unions
Networking will be your biggest friend when trying to secure work and market yourself. While “open to the public” union events are a little more rare, there are many post-specific industry groups that host events throughout the year. Newer groups like the Post Production Guild NY and Post Production Guild West host industry meetups for anyone interested in post. Attending as many industry-related events as possible will open doors and help form strong industry relationships. Follow these groups on social media or join their public Slack channels for more information.
Pro Tip
Don’t limit yourself to post-specific events. General film and TV industry mixers, screenings, and panels are all great places to meet people who work in or adjacent to post-production. The more people who know your name and what you’re looking for, the better your chances.
The Hiring Process
After securing an interview, the Post PA will likely meet with the Post Producer and/or Post Supervisor. They will discuss the details and needs of the show and expectations of the post team. If selected, the Post Producer will then send the PA’s resume to the post department at the studio for final sign off. Once approved, the Post PA will receive their offer from the studio or post team, and will typically start one to two weeks before the commencement of principal photography.
Industry Note
It is industry standard that all potential candidate resumes be sent to the studio for final approval before offers can be presented. Higher-up positions may also need to go to the network for approval before hiring takes place. This is especially true for creative positions like Editors, Colorists, Mixers, and Composers.
Pay Scale
Pay rates can vary depending on a number of things like feature vs. TV, studio, network, project scope, and budget. A typical pay rate for a Post PA can range from minimum wage (location dependent) to approximately $22 an hour with a daily or weekly guarantee.
Breaking into post-production takes persistence, but the opportunities are out there. Stay visible, stay connected, and be ready when the call comes. Your first Post PA job is the beginning of a career that can take you anywhere in the industry.
The Post-Production Assistant
The Post-Production Assistant is the entry-level position within the post-production department. A proverbial “jack of all trades”, the Post PA handles many of the day-to-day tasks in a supporting role to both the post and editorial departments.
Historically, the Post PA (or any PA in film and TV) could be referred to as a glorified “runner”, someone responsible for going point-to-point every day to shuttle media, drop off and pick up paperwork, get coffees and lunch, and handle the physical needs of the production. In today’s industry, remote capabilities and the transition to file-based workflows and deliverables have reduced the role of “running” and driving in the PA’s day-to-day work life. While “running” has not gone away, the industry’s evolution has altered the role of the Post PA into a more supportive office staff position.
Industry Note
The shift from physical media to file-based workflows has significantly changed the Post PA role. Daily tasks that once required hours of driving between facilities can now often be handled digitally.
Responsibilities
The organizational needs of a project can vary wildly depending on complexity, team and production size, budget, in-office vs work-from-home, schedule, and many other elements. Because of this, responsibilities can differ from show to show. Based on standard experience in today’s film and TV industry, below is a list of common responsibilities that the Post PA may be expected to perform.
Show accounts management (subscriptions, software, emails, anything requiring an account)
Dailies and editorial paperwork organization
Dailies footage and paperwork distribution
Hard drive, footage, and deliverables tracking
Lunch and coffee runs
Physical media and hard drive movement
Office supplies and crafty stock
Timecards and invoice submission
Stock footage searches
Meeting and session scheduling
Shadowing Post Coordinator tasks
Assisting Post Producer and Post Supervisor
Many successful post-production professionals began as the Post PA. It’s an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the department, build relationships, and start developing the technical and personal skills that make successful careers in the film and TV industry.
Understanding the Cuts Process
Key Takeaways
The cuts process follows a defined progression from Editor's Cut through Picture Lock
Each stage involves screening, notes, and revisions
Picture lock is the transition point from editorial to finishing
Every episode or film you’ve ever watched went through a structured editorial process before it reached the screen. This “cuts process” is the creative through line of post-production. It’s where individual takes are laid out and shaped into story through multiple rounds of editing, screening, feedback, and revision.
Whether you’re an aspiring editor, director, producer, production assistant, or just a lover of the artform, understanding the cuts process is paramount to understanding post-production.
The Assembly (Editor’s) Cut: Where It All Begins
Once editorial receives the dailies footage, the work begins immediately. The Assistant Editor(s) sort, organize, and review each day’s material, preparing it for the Editor. As scenes are shot, the Editor begins cutting them individually, building each one from the available takes.
After all footage has been received for a given episode or film, the Editor assembles their individual scenes into a single, continuous cut. This is known as the Editor’s Cut or Assembly.
Industry Note
Scenes are often shot out of order. Editors will build the cut scene by scene, using the shooting script and camera, sound, and script supervisor paperwork as a guide for their assembly.
The assembly lays out the scenes in script order, utilizing the preferred takes from all material that’s been shot. Scenes may be moved, pacing adjusted, and sound work refined as the editorial process moves forward, but this cut serves as the creative starting point.
The Progression of Cuts
After the Editor’s Cut, the project moves through a series of review stages. Each stage brings a different set of eyes and creative perspectives to the material.
Director’s Cut
Once the Editor finishes their cut, it goes to the Director. The Director will have a certain number of days to work on their own cut with the Editor. This second pass will reshape and refine the assembly into a more polished version. Sound design takes shape and additional music will be pitched.
The Director’s involvement differs in Features and TV. In TV, once a non-producing Director has completed their cuts, they will turn it over to the Producers and then move on to other projects. In features, the Director will typically stay on through the entire post-production process, guiding it through delivery.
Industry Note
On union projects, union and guild contracts have specific language that mandates certain aspects of the cuts process. These rules establish things like minimum days or weeks allotted to complete a cut, or who can view certain cuts. DGA rules govern Director Cuts, while MPEG provides guidelines for Editors.
Producer’s Cut
The showrunner (in TV) and producing team screens the Director’s Cut and provide notes to the Editor and Director. This is where the broader creative vision of the series comes into play. Producers may request structural changes, alternate performances, pacing adjustments, music, ADR, scene removals, etc.
A recent TV contractual change allows the director one more pass on the cut before relinquishing creative control to the producers.
The Producers will go through multiple rounds of notes and internal screenings before the cut is ready to present to the Studio & Network.
Studio / Network Cut
The studio and network executives screen the Producer’s Cut and provide their own round of notes. These notes often focus on key elements within the overall story; things like scene and story clarity, what is “working” or not, and additional items like legal concerns, clearance, and standards & practices.
Pro Tip
Keep detailed notes logs for every round of cuts. While many notes will be addressed in the edit bay, others will need VFX, color, music, or mix help. Track which notes were addressed, which are pending, and which were intentionally passed on. This documentation becomes invaluable when finishing.
Picture Lock
After all rounds of editorial notes have been addressed and the cut has been approved by producers, studio, and network, the episode or film reaches Picture Lock. This is one of the most important milestones in the entire post schedule.
Once picture is locked, the edit timeline is frozen. The Assistant Editor(s) clean up the project and prepare turnover packages for every finishing department: sound, music, VFX, color, online, and captioning. Each of these teams begin their work based on the locked cut.
Typical Cuts Timeline
While timelines vary by project, here’s a general sense of how the cuts process flows in a typical one-hour scripted television episode:
Cut Stage
Typical Duration
Creatives Involved
Editor’s Cut (Assembly)
Delivered 1-5 days after last day of filming
Editor
Director’s Cut
~4 working days for 1st cut, 2 working days for 2nd cut (per DGA)
Director, Editor
Producer’s Cut
Varies by show
Showrunner, Producers, Editor
Studio / Network Cut
Varies
Studio & Network Executives
Picture Lock
After final approval
Showrunner, Producers, Studio & Network
The cuts process is where the creative vision of a project takes its final shape. Understanding how it works, who’s involved at each stage, and what drives the decisions being made will make you a more effective member of any post-production team.
What Happens After Lock
Picture lock triggers a cascade of activity across every finishing department. The sound team begins dialogue editing, ADR, sound design, and foley. The composer starts writing score. VFX vendors receive their shots. The online editor begins the conform. Captioning begins. And the post-production team coordinates all of it to hit their delivery dates.
Industry Note
Changes after lock are possible but extremely disruptive. Any modification to the locked timeline ripples through every finishing department, requiring re-turnovers, change orders, and additional time and money.