Filming is the part everyone sees, but the edit is where a video is really made. Post-production turns hours of footage into a story with the right pace, sound, colour, graphics and captions. This guide explains what video editing and post-production involve, how long they take and how to give feedback that gets you the video you want. It comes from the team at Stir Fry Content, where all post-production is done under one roof in our Subiaco studio.

What is post-production?

Post-production is everything that happens after filming. It usually includes:

  • The edit. Selecting the best takes, building the story and setting the pace.
  • Graphics and animation. Titles, lower thirds, logos, motion graphics and animated explainers.
  • Voiceover. Recorded with professional voice talent in a sound studio.
  • Sound mix. Balancing dialogue, music and effects so every word is clear.
  • Colour grade. Matching shots and giving the video a consistent, finished look.
  • Captions and versions. Subtitles, cut-downs and square or portrait versions for each platform.

Our post-production process

  1. Assembly. We review the footage against the script and the brief and build a first cut.
  2. Graphics, animation and voiceover. Our in-house graphic designers and animators build what the story needs, and we record voiceovers in our own custom-built sound studio.
  3. Draft edit. We send you a draft to review.
  4. Feedback and changes. We action your feedback and amend the video until you are happy with the result.
  5. Finishing. Once you sign off, we colour grade, mix the sound and deliver the finished files.

Because the sound studio is our own, we can deliver professional voice recording and sound sweetening at very competitive rates. It is one of the reasons we can produce quality online content quickly and cost-effectively.

How long does editing take?

On most of our projects editing takes about a week, inside an approximate three to four week cycle from brief to delivery: one to two weeks for scripting, planning and shooting, a week of editing, then a final week of review, changes and delivery. A complex edit with a lot of animation takes longer. A short social clip can be much faster.

How to give feedback on a draft edit

  • Use timecodes. "At 0:42, swap this shot" is faster and clearer than "the bit in the middle".
  • Collect feedback in one place. One combined list from your team avoids changes that contradict each other.
  • Check the facts. Names, titles, spellings, figures and logos are your area of expertise.
  • Judge it against the brief. Ask whether it says what it needs to say to the audience it is for.

Can you edit footage we already have?

Yes. Many organisations have footage from past events, campaigns or phone recordings that is never used. We can review what you have, tell you what will work, and fill gaps with new filming, graphics or animation. See our guide to animation and explainer video for when animation is the better choice.

What files will I get?

By default we deliver 16:9 landscape, high-resolution 1080p MP4 files, and we can export or convert to any other format you need. If you want square (1:1) or portrait (9:16) versions for Instagram, TikTok or Stories, tell us at the start so the shoot is framed for every version. We supply captions either burned into the video or as a separate SRT file you can switch on and off on each platform.

Examples of our editing and animation work

From recruitment campaigns such as Teach in WA to tourism campaigns such as the Wadjemup Rottnest Island winter campaign and explainers such as Summit Fertilizers explainer animations, every Stir Fry project is edited, graded and mixed in house. Browse our work.

Get your video edited in Perth

Stir Fry Content has more than 20 years of production experience and a studio in Subiaco with editing, animation and a sound studio under one roof. See our corporate video and animation video production services, or request a quote.