Our Post-Production Process

It is said that sound is more than 50% of a film or video. Audio post-production is the key to great sound, and Cigma Media knows audio post-production. If your film or video needs help in the sound department, we can help. If you haven’t already, take a look at our Audio Post-Production Video to hear what we can do. It will always be to your advantage to bring us in as early as possible during your production, post-production or editing process, but we have worked on projects that were edited and released years earlier (with bad sound). 

If we are brought in to handle on-set location sound during original shooting, we’ll already have the clean dialog tracks. This can be a tremendous advantage for obtaining the best quality sound during the editing process. Of course, we will provide the original audio to your editor, but most video/film editors focus on the video and use the mixed audio from camera for their edit. In some cases this audio is adequate, but it may not the best, requiring individual dialog to be replaced with sound from the isolated multi-track files during audio post.

Our post-production process is simple:  First, we’ll need to see (and hear) your film or video project or edit to get an idea of what needs to be done. Once we review your project, we’ll be able to provide an estimate of what it will take to “fix” it. Audio post-production could be anything from relatively simple audio clean-up to full dialog replacement, new sound design, replacement music scoring and a complete sound re-mix – or any combination of the above. If we are handling complete audio post for you, we’ll need access to any and all original audio files recorded during the location shoot as well as an EDL (edit decision list) letting us know which files your editor used in which scenes.

If you are new to the production process, you should know right up front that audio post-production and sound design are very detail-oriented and time-consuming processes. From a time management and budgeting standpoint you can safely figure that audio post can take up to roughly three or four hours (or more) per finished minute of your film or video project. It is not uncommon for audio post and sound design to take even a day or more for less than a completed minute of the project. For a full-length feature film, that can result in several weeks to several months of audio post-production, depending on the complexity of the sound design and audio post requirements.

If interested in our audio post-production services, please call us at 858.484.0220. 

Production Begins

When we receive your completed questionnaire, our work begins. Our production staff will review your answers and follow up with a phone call for a personal interview to fill in any holes or get any additional information we might need. During our conversation, we’ll prepare a production work order that details everything we’ll be doing for you.

A copy will be sent to you for your signature. Scan and email the signed agreement back to us or just drop it in the mail. When we receive your signed agreement, the actual production process begins.

We immediately go to work writing the script, locating the music, hiring the voiceover talent, and putting your production together. Simple projects usually deliver within a few days, but depending on the complexity of your production, it could take considerably longer to complete.

We Keep it Simple

One of the ways we keep our production costs so affordable is because we know you have confidence that we will produce a commercial or message that will do the job for you. Our production process begins when you fill out our Pre-Production Questionnaire. For you, this is probably the most complicated part of the process. We ask that you answer a series of questions that will give us the details we need to begin your production. Answering our questions will likely take some thought, but experience has shown that most business owners can complete the form in about 30 minutes or less.

Our Marketing Video Process

Creating an effective production that brings business through your doors and communicates your message effectively is our top priority.

To do that, we need to learn a few things about your business and your customers. But, it’s not as hard as you might think. In fact, we keep it pretty simple.  

Get started now: Click here to download our Pre-production Project Questionnaire

We’re Ready… Are You?

When you’re ready to begin, just CLICK HERE to download our Pre-Production Questionnaire to your computer. Fill out the PDF form as thoroughly as possibly. Don’t worry if you get stuck – this is just a starting point and we know we’re asking some questions that might take some thought. Just do the best you can.

We’ll be calling you after we receive your questionnaire and you can answer our questions later if necessary. When you’ve got the PDF form filled out as much as possible, just follow the instructions at the end of the form to send your completed form to us via email, Fax or postal mail. 

We’ll review your answers and give you a call to discuss things in more detail, usually within 24 hours. We’ll also give you our all-inclusive price estimate for your production and answer any questions you might have. When you are comfortable with us, and you fully understand what we will be doing and what you will receive, we’ll send you our Booking Agreement. Your production will begin when we receive your signed agreement and deposit.

We look forward to working with you.