To gauge how post-production companies and their clients are adapting to change, we conducted two separate online surveys early this year (see "Our Methodology," page 44). About 500 pros responded over the course of 48 hours, identifying trends, concerns and areas experiencing the most seismic change.
Eighty-three percent of the post workers who answered our survey on trends in post this February say that technology is having a big impact on the way that they design their workflows, rating the effect either "radical" or "substantial." Interestingly, it’s the independent production companies that are most likely to classify the effect as "radical." Others feeling the burn are creative editing houses, followed by a dead-heat between VFX and finishing shops.
How is Technology Causing Workflow to Change in Post?
Radically
27.1%
Substantially
55.8%
A bit
14.6%
Not much
1%
Not at all
1.5%
How is Client Interest in HD 04 vs. 05?
Consistently high
5.6%
Increasing
42.3%
The same as last year
8.2%
Just starting to be interested
19.4%
Low
17.3%
No answer
7.2%
Where Are You on the Jobs Totem Pole?
Some post people are feeling the winds of change more quickly and more fully than others. Our respondents say that post supervisors and IT guys are seeing their jobs inflate as a result of changing workflows. Right below them on the totem pole of ballooning gigs are finishing editors, closely followed by creative editors. They’re adapting to change in the graphics suite too with VFX artists, graphic designers and animators placing next. The star of the "data wrangler" is on the rise, with our respondents indicating that this job is getting bigger at the same rate as that of the engineer.
Senior management sees more of a gap separating the IT guys from the post-supervisor in the new post pecking order. (They were also much more likely to report that their own jobs were swelling). As the new busiest people in the post pathway, who do IT guys rate as having the biggest jobs (well, after themselves of course)? Colorists, VFX artists, creative and finishing editors, in that order. Post supervisors see it a lot differently. They classify the finishing editor as having the most "job-description creep" by a long-shot. Post supes rank themselves second and the IT guy third, followed closely by the creative editor. Having the big picture, post-production supervisors are much more likely than the general population to rate the changes in workflow to be "radical" rather than just "substantial."
As the guys sitting in the driver’s seat while negotiating the new highways and backroads of post-production, post supes say that three things keep them up at night with equal urgency: Anxiety about learning new tools, point releases and upgrades; how to land the next job; and capital expenditures on new equipment.
Stress over technology— having to do more in less time— was high last year among a group of similar respondents (46 percent). But this year anxiety over advancing technology was reported by only 18 percent of respondents. Satisfaction over career growth and increased earning potential was also up this year, with 35 percent saying they felt good about their jobs. The people feeling the heat this year— those indicating that they feel stressed in the largest numbers— are senior managers (25 percent) with creative editors placing second in the anxiety sweepstakes (22 percent) and production management and finishing editors both tied at 11 percent. While they may have more sleepless nights, it is also senior managers who indicate they’re happy about career growth and increased earning potential (26 percent), followed by creative editors (23 percent).
Revenue Hot Spots
Post companies these days offer very different service menus. An overwhelming number of our respondents are in the business of creative editing (88 percent). Many build motion graphics (64 percent) and about half sell audio post, finishing, dubbing/duplication and tape-to-tape transfer. The most profitable areas for the largest groups of people were finishing and creative editing (each of which was rated "very profitable" or "profitable" by 76 percent of those offering either service), DVD (66 percent), and motion graphics/animation (61 percent).
For the second year running, our respondents have the most enthusiasm for creative editing as a growth area although nearly as many indicated that they would only break even. Other anticipated golden eggs are DVD authoring/mastering as well as graphics and animation.
HD Finishing Becomes a Necessity
It’s no surprise that high-definition television is on the minds of our respondents in a big way. Forty-two percent said that interest in HD finishing was increasing among their clients. Another 19 percent said that clients were just starting to become interested. In keeping with the trend of the last several years, it is companies doing a majority of their work in programming that have the highest HD interest among clients. The big development this year is that the companies that butter their bread with commercial work are reporting a significant surge in their client’s interest in HD. Fifty-seven percent indicate that their spot clients are increasing their attention to HD or just starting to get intrigued. Interest among corporate clients is nearing that of ad agencies and feature producers, not surprisingly, come in third.
To learn more about growth in HD volume, we need to listen to the clients of post companies. The 302 clients who responded to a survey tailored to their interests say that their demand for HD services will grow exponentially this year over last. Those indicating that they’ll need HD masters and deliverables this year almost quadrupled over 2004. Those who will need HD graphics, transfers and 5.1 sound mix predict that their demand will triple.
Client Psychology
What motivates clients to use one post company over another? Let’s look first at how much they spread their work around. Forty-five percent used two to three post operations last year and another 44 percent will use four or more. Almost half say that price is critical while relationships with talent and technical input by a post company are rated critical by 41 percent respectively. Relationships with management were rated critical by 38 percent.
Speaking out in this survey, the hundreds of post people and the clients who hire them have told us that innovation rules in the post pipeline and that navigating the possibilities with knowledgeable guides at post houses is critical to a client’s comfort factor. The technology may have gotten more accessible but the possibilities have multiplied in ways that are keeping craftspeople and clients on their toes.
OUR METHODOLOGY
We conducted two 2005 Post Surveys online in early February. The first, geared to people employed at post companies, netted 199 responses. The second, sent to clients of post companies, generated 302 responses. At post companies, the biggest response came from senior management, creative editors, producers, post-production supervisors and finishing editors. Audio engineers, VFX and motion graphic designers, colorists, engineering and IT titles responded in lower numbers. Among clients of post companies, the titles answering in the largest numbers were producers, followed by senior management, directors, production managers, VFX designers and DPs. A much smaller response came from creative editors, camera crew and creative editors.
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