Post-production of video documentation of (video) installations can be straight forward if the filming has been well planned and executed. Cuts should be straight and simple. Excessively fast editing and effects do not belong here, as they only disturb the process of conveying the work that is being documented. The most post-production work usually comes from having to try to correct colour or level to match shots with each other.
In less controllable and more ‘narrative’ productions, such as video documents of events and performances, more traditional editing work is required. This is purely because during filming you do not have the same opportunities to stop, review the material and where necessary adjust shots. In narrative productions you need to ‘sculpt’ the event from the material you have and you will often need to make more corrections in post-production than you could have anticipated from the start.
Editing is also required if you want to fuse different elements within the film material, such as explanatory graphics, other film fragments (such as artist interviews), texts and credits. These should be also well planned in advance. Picture-in-picture (two or more channels or images showed in one screen) is another technique used in post-production to explain action or installation processes better.
Remember to reserve enough time for versioning and authoring of the DVDs and for making masters. Make clear from the beginning what the institution needs and calculate this in the budget and the time plan. It can sometimes take much more time than anticipated.
Take care to make clear arrangements about the footage and materials. They should be taken care of well, stored in a secure setting with the right conditions.
Too many post-production techniques should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Such things often end up looking gimmicky or generally unprofessional, and they age quickly. It is important to determine how much manipulation is necessary or desirable. This should have been done in your original plan, before the shoot and will depend on the intended purpose of the production as well as the available budget.
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