Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1547041
he phrase "let's fix it in post" helped to define post production as the industry's problem solver. As film and TV pipelines evolved, post teams inherited growing technical and creative complexity, while working under increas- ingly tight delivery expectations. When CGI first entered the indus- try, it was a creative tool before it was anything else, and provided a way to do things on-screen that simply weren't possible before. However, as the tech- nology matured, it shifted focus from new creative possibilities to solving challenges. Post production was built to be flexible, and some of that flexibility was being spent on compensation rather than en- hancement. Unfortunately, in many cases, post and VFX became a safety net for decisions made (or not made) earlier in the process. But recently, post is moving away from being typecast in the role of saviour. From relay race to integration The filmmaking pipeline used to be very segmented, with content handed off from department to department. There were today's problems and tomorrow's problems, and many of them were passed on to the next stage. Now the degree of collaboration is changing across those traditionally-separate parts of produc- tion. Departments that once operated in sequence are involved much earlier in the process, with creative decision-making and technical problem-solving happening in parallel. This integrated approach is all about clear communication. Of course, editing is technically what happens after principal photography. But increasingly, the different areas of creation aren't just passing a baton and moving on. The idea that all visual effects work belongs to post hasn't been accu- rate for a long time, if it ever fully was. Previs is built and sent to VFX vendors before principal photography starts. Scanning begins during pre-production, but continues throughout principal pho- tography and later stages as a project evolves. None of that is post. It's plan- ning and creative from the outset. We all benefit when we're able to join the dots between production processes. Clear Angle works concurrently across dozens of projects worldwide, and we have noticed patterns in how workflows are evolving in practice. We're seeing a much more connected methodolo- gy across global production, and it's apparent that this will produce better outcomes in the long run. Reclaiming the creative process This shift shows up in smaller, telling ways too. What used to get called a "reshoot" is now, more often, planned as "additional photography." It's scheduled and budgeted for from the start, instead of being triggered by something going wrong. It's a small change in language that reflects a bigger one in mindset: that production as a whole is becoming more proactive. Despite the talk of budget pressure and industry consolidation, there's a real and observable shift happening. Directors and producers are reclaiming the craft, and the instinct to do more for real, in-camera, is returning. Crucially, this isn't happening at the expense of VFX because it's treated as part of the toolkit. Creatives are reclaiming the creative aspects of filmmaking. This is driven by a desire to minimize risk, and post stake- holders now have a hand in the overall outcome. But none of it works without treating each stage as a collaborative process. From a capture perspective, we know that getting reference right, in detail and in likeness, is what allows VFX artists downstream to do their best work. The data is going to be used later in a very deliberate, pre-considered way, and it's evidence that the creative process has already accounted for what happens next. As industry technology continues to evolve, it will naturally impact the overall pipeline. Recent innovations mean that capture data itself is more malleable and useful to post sooner. One example is Gaussian Splatting, the advanced digital capture and rendering technique that can reconstruct lighting, reflections and dependent colors with a high degree of realism. It can dramatically shorten the path from capture to a lifelike visual result. Over the coming years, we'll continue to see reductions in processing timelines, giving artists more time to spend on the craft. Not every problem belongs in post None of this is to say post doesn't solve genuine problems, because it does. But teams are much more mindful of how production complexity is changing the demands placed on post workflows. Ultimately, viewers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and good at spotting imperfections, and that pressure sits with post. Audiences will register when something is "off," even if they can't articulate why, so managing the seamless integration of the real and the unreal in post is what makes a film or TV series fully immersive and engaging. Being conscious of how different functions and departments will feed into a project is a collaborative instinct. More so than any single technology, collaboration and communication determines whether "fixing it in post" becomes unnecessary in the first place. It's a compelling case for problem-solving being built into every stage of production. HAS 'FIX IT IN POST' GONE TOO FAR? BY BRIAN LABREC US HEAD OF CAPTURE CLEAR ANGLE STUDIOS WWW. CLEARANGLESTUDIOS. CO.UK POST'S REPUTATION EVOLVES BEYOND PROBLEM SOLVING T POST POSITIONS www.postmagazine.com 22 POST SEPT/OCT 2026 Clear Angle Studios' volumetric capture rig.