From Dailies to Deliverables: Introduction to Editing and Post-Production
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About this Live Online Course
Robert Bresson said: “A film is born three times. First in the writing of the script, once again in the shooting, and finally in the editing.” You may know how to write a great script or direct a beautiful scene, but you may be unfamiliar with the technical side of the edit room, or find this phase of the craft intimidating. Since post-production typically takes longer than pre-production and production combined, it is critical to understand how to collaborate in this space to elevate your work in your “final rewrite.”
Whether you are a director who wants to learn how to collaborate with an editor, a producer eager to understand the post-production process, or are interested in editing your own work, this course will help you elevate your craft.
In this four-week online course, you will get an overview of the editing and post-production process from an experienced director/editor who has worked in the fiction and documentary space. Each week, you will have the opportunity to learn from guest speakers and ask them questions.
By the end of the course, you will learn how to find a great editor, how to effectively communicate with them, and how to collaborate with other members of the post-production team.
What you bring to the course:
- An interest in learning more about the editorial and post-production process
- A desire to learn the terms and tools you’ll need to successfully collaborate with an editor
What you'll get from the course:
- An overview of the principles of editing
- The language and knowledge you need to hire and collaborate with an editor
- A thorough understanding of the roles in post-production
- A rundown of what a post-production schedule and budget looks like
- Suggested viewing and reading to help you understand various editing techniques
This course will:
- feature guests speakers
- connect you with other creators via a discussion board where you can talk through core concepts and share your work
- demonstrate concepts through lectures and examples, with opportunities to ask questions to the instructor in an open forum
- not require outside class work
A limited number of need-based scholarships are available and are considered on a rolling basis as they are received. Those who apply earlier will have a greater chance of getting support. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the course registration form.
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Please email us at accessibility@sundance.org to arrange for services.
Scholarships
Sundance Collab offers a limited number of full and partial need-based scholarships for individuals who need assistance.
Due to limited scholarship funds available, we prioritize one course scholarship per participant in a 12-month period. Scholarship applications are available up to one week before the registration deadline and do not stack with discounts or promotions, including early registration.
Outline
Topics covered include:
- Overview of the post-production process: from dailies to final delivery.
- Understanding the complete post-production team: roles and responsibilities.
- Crafting a realistic post-production schedule: key phases and milestones.
- Budgeting for post-production: What costs to expect and how to manage them efficiently.
- Effective Post-Production Management
- Supporting the lead editor and maintaining the artist quality of the edit
Topics covered include:
- Brief introduction to NLEs: Avid & Premiere.
- Effective media management: syncing, organizing, script sync and/or transcription.
- Linking the shoot to the edit room: interpreting script supervisor’s notes.
- Learning documentation that supports the editing process.
- Stringouts, assemblies, and rough cuts.
- Introduction to the principles of editing.
Topics covered include:
- Transitioning from the rough cut to the fine cut and achieving picture lock.
- Techniques for narrative editing: building a performance, cutting for emotion, pace, suspense, continuity.
- Techniques for documentary editing: evidentiary, verite, montage, working with archival
- Best practices for hiring and collaborating with editors: understanding roles, enhancing communication, and fostering effective editor-director relationships.and reenactments.
- Test screenings.
- Sourcing temp score.
- Finding and collaborating with a composer.
Topics covered include:
- Overview of the turnover process to sound, music, and color.
- Music: score; importance of music supervisor and needledrops.
- Visual effects: CGI, Compositing, MoCap.
- Color correction: white balance, exposure, skin tone, LUTs, color grading & stylization.
- Sound design, SFX, ADR, mixing.
- Understanding deliverables: what they are, how to prepare them, and ensuring they meet distribution specifications.
Team

Julia Kots
Instructor
Julia Kots is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and a refugee from Ukraine. Her first narrative feature film, INEZ & DOUG & KIRA (2020), was awarded a NYFA/NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre Grant. It stars Tawny Cypress (YELLOWJACKETS) and Michael Chernus (SEVERANCE). Julia is currently in post-production on a feature documentary, called NO BABY ON BOARD, which was selected for the Kartemquin Films KTQ Labs. Julia has worked as an editor for over 15 years. Her editing has won 3 NYC Emmys, as part of her work for Thirteen/NJPBS. Julia’s award-winning short films have screened at dozens of festivals worldwide, including Slamdance, Cinequest, Woodstock, Hamptons, Edmonton, and Chicago International. Julia’s work has been supported by IFP, Coca Cola, New Line Cinema, ASCAP, AMPAS, and the MacDowell Colony. She holds an MFA in film directing from Columbia Film School and a BA in playwrighting from Yale University.
FAQ
In Sundance Collab’s Live Online courses, participants attend live, virtual class sessions on the same day and time for a specified period. These sessions are led by an instructor and in some cases, supported by a team of advisors. In some courses, you are given assignments with submission deadlines to help you take the next step with your work.
- Each week you will be able to attend live lectures via Zoom video and ask questions of your instructor.
- In some courses, you will receive individualized feedback from your course advisor on elements of your work.
- In some courses, you will have the opportunity to have a 1-on-1 session with your advisor. Depending on the course, this session may be included or may be purchased separately for an additional cost. Check the course description for specifics.
All members of the Sundance Collab community are welcome to register for Sundance Collab courses. Please review the course description and any eligibility requirements to ensure the course is a good fit. If you have any questions about a course, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.
Note that space is limited. If the registration window is open, you will see a “Register” button on the course page. If there is an application, applications are considered as they are received and applicants are accepted on a rolling basis until the course is full or the deadline has passed, whichever comes first.
We do not allow creative partners to do our live online courses as a team. However, both creators can individually register for the course.
Part of Sundance Collab's unique educational approach is to create a teaching team for every course. Each class is led by an instructor who may be accompanied by additional course advisors. This allows us to keep an intimate ratio of participants to advisors and to provide a diversity of voices and approaches to the course content.
We often offer a limited number of need-based, full or partial scholarships. Check the course description to see if that course currently has scholarships available. Scholarships are prioritized for one per person per year (from the date of issue). Scholarship applications are available up to one week before the registration deadline. To apply for a scholarship,complete the registration form by clicking the REGISTER button and selecting the option to apply for a scholarship, if available.
Applicants will be notified about their scholarship decision prior to the first day of the course. Due to the volume of applicants, we are not always able to provide a scholarship, but we may still offer a spot in the course. In this case, depending on the course, payment plans may be available and can be selected at checkout.
Yes, we offer two or three-part payment plans for Live Online courses, depending on the length of the course. In all cases, the first payment is due at the point of registration. The remaining payment(s) are spread out throughout the course term. For specific payment plan dates for a course, please reach out to our team at: collab_courses@sundance.org.
Yes, you are welcome to take a live, online course even if you can’t make the live sessions. Recordings of each class session are available online by the following day so you can keep up with the course lectures. For courses that include a 1-on-1 session with an advisor or instructor, the meeting is scheduled according to your (and their) availability.
All sessions are recorded and usually made available within one business day. The videos will also contain the chat and transcript from the class session, viewable in the video playbar.
Participants will have access to the recordings for one year following the last class session.
All participants will receive a Certificate of Completion. The certificate will include the name associated with your Sundance Collab account.
You can find any courses that you are enrolled in or have already completed in the profile section of your Sundance Collab account under “Courses.”
You can join a course via a computer or mobile device. All of our live, online courses are conducted via Zoom.
Download and set up the Zoom software (https://zoom.us/download) and make sure you have the latest update. Here are some great resources from Zoom’s Knowledge Base to take a deeper dive into using Zoom:
- Watch Zoom's Video Tutorials or review training materials on the Getting Started page
- Join a Live Training from Zoom
If you have any further questions, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Please contact us at (435) 776-7790 or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to ask any questions or to discuss your specific needs after you have been accepted into the course.
No currently scheduled sessions
Interested in hearing about the next session of this course?
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