CASE STUDY

Remote post-production: virtual business conference

A team of editors working from home in São Paulo edited a series of video interviews, including motion graphics and subtitles, for a Fortune 500 company's virtual conference hosted in New York
Date: 2021

A ten-strong team of Story Productions editors and a motion graphics designer took on the post-production challenge of editing nearly 30 videos for a virtual conference hosted by a Fortune 500 company in the United States. Working with raw footage and shooting scripts supplied by the client in New York, the Story crew in São Paulo completed the videos in three languages, in just 18 days, in a carefully planned process that was completed entirely remotely. From editing to reviewing, revisions to delivery, the whole process was made possible thanks to high-speed broadband connections, a streamlined workflow and cloud-based technology.

A computer screen that shows editing software
A man sitting in front of a computer
A man in front of a microphone and a screen

Remote production services have become commonplace during the pandemic as companies have not only been forced to adapt to working from home, but their clients have positively embraced the benefits that this can bring – from remote directing shoots in faraway locations without the need to send a crew on a plane, to live streaming becoming slicker and more affordable. Remote post-production has its benefits, too, bringing cost savings for clients who can outsource the task to other parts of the world where post-production houses are not paying Manhattan rents. 


Story Productions has worked on large remote post-production projects for international clients prior to Covid-19, including editing a 10-part travel series for Hoplite Entertainment in 2019. But in the past 18 months we’ve kept our editors busy at home with other projects, including most recently a series of videos for a virtual business conference in the USA.

THE CHALLENGE

Turning around 27 videos in just 18 days, from raw footage to finished product, was no mean feat. Add in different time zones and three different languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese) for the videos, and we had a logistical challenge on our hands that would need a carefully planned workflow and a cloud-based reviewing system that would span the distance between the New York client and the São Paulo post-production crew.

Each 15-minute video involved a piece-to-camera interview, graphics that needed to be animated and incorporated into each video, as well as transcriptions to be translated and added as subtitles. All of these elements needed to be reviewed first by our post production supervisor and then by the client in an iterative process that was taking place concurrently across 27 different videos.

High broadband upload speeds were also essential, as a standard 3MB/second upload rate would mean a 1GB file would take almost an hour to deliver to the client. We needed to be fast and agile for this process to work in such a tight turnaround.

“With 1GB/second upload speeds and a good team that are native English speakers and can be in contact with our client around the clock, Story Productions can deliver work to the same high standard as post-production houses in New York and London. But being in Brazil gives us a competitive edge when it comes to price.”


Nick Story, Executive Director, Story Productions

OUR SOLUTION

Team structure

The Story Productions team consisted of an account manager, a post-production supervisor, eight editors and two native-speaking translators who could check the quality of the text and subtitles in Spanish, Portuguese and English. A key role in the process of creating slick videos that would hold viewers attention was that of our motion designer. Our client sent their branded content as Powerpoint slides—still images that would feel flat against the otherwise kinetic presentation. Our motion designer took those still images and animated them, keeping the graphics on-brand for our team of editors to incorporate into the videos.

Workflow and cloud-based tech

The team of editors were each allocated a number of videos to cut, following a detailed editing script provided by the client which defined precisely where the interview footage should be intercut with animated slideshow images to form one cohesive piece. We used Dropbox to allocate raw footage and slides for each editor, all of whom were working from home using Premiere.

Once edited, the videos were saved in Dropbox and reviewed by the post production supervisor before being sent back to the client for their input. After receiving the client’s input, we’d make adjustments and start the approval process again. The entire process was handled through Frame.io, a cloud-based video production and reviewing platform, accessible from any computer with a network connection. Post-production review, language quality control and client feedback were all carried out through Frame.io, enabling us to centralise the feedback in one place and avoid the need for phone calls or lengthy email threads.

Broadband connectivity

Story Productions has a 1GB/second upload speed, which meant the short window of 18 days from first edits to final delivery was completely possible. We were able to upload each video to the cloud in a matter of seconds, meaning that over a dozen raw interview clips received on a Wednesday became nine professional videos on a Saturday, ready for review.

Distance was no issue whatsoever for the Story Productions team. From subtitles to colour correction and motion graphics, the post production work could be carried out with a tight deadline for a client thousands of miles away, and all thanks to the technology available today.

Story Productions offers remote post-production as one of our many client services. Give your next virtual conference that professional touch; get in touch with us today.

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