Post production technical operator

Knowledge

K1: Understand the purpose of post-production within the end-to-end production process. Back to Duty

K2: Understand the commercial context of post-production with the film, TV and advertising industry. Back to Duty

K3: Understand the importance of agreed workflows and how to adapt these to meet the needs of a production. Back to Duty

K4: Understand the importance of accurate, effective and timely communication with own team, other departments and customers to ensure efficient progress of the work in hand. Back to Duty

K5: Know the relevant health and safety legislation and company policies to ensure a safe working environment for themselves, colleagues and customers. Back to Duty

K6: Understand the principles of video signals for film and TV in the digital and analogue domains including: resolution, sampling, colour science, display technologies and emerging and legacy video formats/standards. Back to Duty

K7: Understand the principles of audio signals in the digital and analogue domains including: Signal path basics, mono, stereo, surround sound, object-based audio, audio levels and loudness. Back to Duty

K8: Understand the use of metadata and other forms of content documentation. Back to Duty

K9: Understand the use of timecode and other frame labelling protocols. Back to Duty

K10: Understand why it is business critical to use unambiguous labelling of content, clock numbers and file naming conventions. Back to Duty

K11: Understand the importance of agreed workflows and how these may be adapted to meet the bespoke needs of a production. Back to Duty

K12: Know and understand the structure of and appropriate application of, audio and video file formats in common use in production, post-production and delivery. Back to Duty

K13: Know the formats that are used for still images and graphics held as bitmaps or vector images, and which file formats are used for moving images held as sequential single frame files Back to Duty

K14: Understand the principles of encoding, transcoding and compression of digital audio and video. Back to Duty

K15: Understand the capabilities of different connection standards for portable storage devices. Back to Duty

K16: Understand the principles of high speed file transfer across Local Area Networks (LAN) and Wider Area Networks (WAN). Back to Duty

K17: Know and understand the protocols for secure, audited receipt and dispatch of content via physical and electronic transfer. Back to Duty

K18: Understand the principles of computer systems, IP networks and shared storage systems as applied in post production. Back to Duty

K19: How media is managed throughout the data lifecycle including production storage, shared storage, nearline storage and archive, whether on premises or in the cloud. Back to Duty

K20: Understand the bandwidth requirements and disk configurations necessary to ensure reliable playback and record performance at the required resolution for one or more clients from shared storage or directly connected storage. Back to Duty

K21: Understand the principles of good digital content governance, resilience, RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks), security, confidentiality. Back to Duty

K22: Understand the value of media content to the business and its customers. Back to Duty

K23: Understand the principles of non-linear editing systems. Back to Duty

K24: Understand the functional role, capabilities and limitations of the equipment used in offline editing. Back to Duty

K25: How to provide operational assistance and first-line support to creative personnel and problem solve within agreed governance constraints. Back to Duty

K26: Understand the principles of non-linear picture and sound finishing systems. Back to Duty

K27: Understand the functional role, capabilities and limitations of the equipment used in online editing, colour grading and audio dubbing. Back to Duty

K28: Understand the technical standards and customer specifications used for UK and international delivery of programmes, films and commercials to cinema, TV broadcast and online distribution platforms. Back to Duty

K29: Understand the requirements of international productions to aid localisation, such as textless backgrounds and audio stems. Back to Duty

K30: Understand the correct environment in which to perform quality control and assessment. Back to Duty

K31: Understand the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) classification of quality issues and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) 5-point quality assessment scale. Back to Duty

K32: Know and understand the regulations to comply with in regard to flashing images and stimuli causing photo sensitive epilepsy. Back to Duty

K33: Understand the regulations and specifications for on-screen text and graphics such as: safe areas, minimum text height and minimum durations for legal information in commercials. Back to Duty

K34: Understand the importance of intelligibility of dialogue and how this is impacted by a complex range of factors, especially age-related hearing loss. Back to Duty

K35: Know and understand the relevant health and safety legislation and company policies. Back to Duty

K36: Know and understand legacy video standards such as standard definition PAL and NTSC and their conversion to contemporary standards. Back to Duty

K37: Know and understand legacy video and audio tape formats. Back to Duty

K38: Understand the implications of using legacy formats in contemporary workflows. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Work in line with agreed workflows, adapting to operational changes as they occur. Back to Duty

S2: Multitask on simultaneous projects, often for different clients, prioritising the work to ensure that all tasks are completed on schedule. Back to Duty

S3: Analyse and interpret the work order and technical specification to complete the scheduled tasks. Back to Duty

S4: Use process documentation and work order reporting systems for efficient, accurate and timely communication with other departments about the progress of the work in hand. Back to Duty

S5: Work accurately with a high degree of attention to detail. Back to Duty

S6: Analyse and advise on the quality of audio, video and data throughout the post production process to colleagues, customers and suppliers. Back to Duty

S7: Follow post production processes to ensure the necessary quality is achieved. Back to Duty

S8: Access and interpret the relevant information pertaining to technical specifications and client requirements, and apply to the post production process. Back to Duty

S9: Use appropriate technical vocabulary to document and communicate compliance with, or exceptions from, technical standards. Back to Duty

S10: Assimilate information from multiple sources and apply to task in hand. Back to Duty

S11: Ensure data is transferred securely between client supplied sources and post production storage systems, performing data integrity and virus checks. Back to Duty

S12: Ingest and export media content and metadata to/from post-production systems, syncing the audio to video and applying colour transforms (LUTs) as required. Back to Duty

S13: Arrange media content in agreed folder structures, using consistent and unambiguous folder and file naming conventions. Back to Duty

S14: Prepare graphics and still images for ingest using software such as Photoshop where basic manipulation is required. Back to Duty

S15: Encode and transcode audio and video data to required specifications. Back to Duty

S16: Export finished content or work-in-progress with metadata from post-production systems to required specifications and naming conventions. Back to Duty

S17: Provide technical advice to clients and colleagues on an appropriate file specification for a given requirement. Back to Duty

S18: Dispatch and receive physical assets to/from external organisations and audit the process. Back to Duty

S19: Use file transfer software for fast, secure and audited delivery of assets to external destinations. Back to Duty

S20: Communicate work progress to colleagues and clients as appropriate. Back to Duty

S21: Manage access by clients to shared storage systems according to company protocols. Back to Duty

S22: Ensure data integrity when moving media between storage systems. Back to Duty

S23: Backup, archive and restore media, sequences and metadata according to company practice. Back to Duty

S24: Safely delete media as instructed and complying with company protocols. Back to Duty

S25: Maintain content security measures, both electronic and physical as required by the employer and their clients. Back to Duty

S26: Enact business continuity procedures. Back to Duty

S27: Prioritise the workload to ensure the scheduled tasks are completed on time, liaising with colleagues and clients. Back to Duty

S28: Provide frontline operational support to clients in editing suites, to ensure that they can find and work with their media. Back to Duty

S29: Take ownership to resolve and/or escalate faults/incidents to the appropriate person, within agreed governance constraints. Back to Duty

S30: Connect and set-up post production editing equipment using appropriate cables and connectors. Back to Duty

S31: Perform and check data conforms of sequences prior to colour grading or online editing. Back to Duty

S32: Transfer picture data between grading and editing systems, ensuring the data integrity of content and sequences is maintained. Back to Duty

S33: Relink ingested media to updated sequences as editorial changes occur. Back to Duty

S34: Prepare and transfer audio data to the dubbing suite. Back to Duty

S35: Perform basic editing functions necessary for the preparation of media and sequences for creative processes, or for formatting of finished content for delivery (e.g. adding line-up signals, idents, patching in QC fixes, audio laybacks). Back to Duty

S36: Analyse and interpret the results of reports from audio and video test equipment. Back to Duty

S37: Consistently assess and identify faults in content, using the correct terminology to accurately describe and record them. Back to Duty

S38: Use own judgement and discretion to decide what is acceptable and what is not in relation to quality control, depending on the context of the material, its intended use and the required technical specifications and customer requirements. Back to Duty

S39: Deliver accurate and concise Quality Assessment Reports with clear indications of mandatory failures, advisory warnings and client approved exceptions. Back to Duty

S40: Provide technical advice on remedial action to correct faults identified. Back to Duty

S41: Communicate findings to both clients and colleagues accurately, and in a diplomatic manner. Back to Duty

S42: Comply with company Health and Safety policies and practices, identifying, mitigating and reporting any incidents or risk to the appropriate person. Back to Duty

S43: Consistently work in a safe manner for self, colleagues and clients. Back to Duty

S44: Use appropriate legacy media physical handling procedures. Back to Duty

S45: Carry out basic operation of videotape recorders and audio recorders. Back to Duty

S46: Digitise tape content into editing systems. Back to Duty

S47: Playout finished content from editing systems to tape. Back to Duty

S48: Provide technical advice to clients and colleagues on the implications of using legacy format in contemporary workflows. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Displays a strong work ethic and commitment to meet the standards required - upholding ethical and professional standards. Back to Duty

B2: Demonstrates a passion for post production, the media industry and its productions - proactively keeping up to date with latest developments within the industry. Back to Duty

B3: Maintains company and customer confidentiality, acting as an ambassador for their employer. Back to Duty

B4: Acts in a manner that supports the commercial customer relationship acting as an ambassador for their employer. Back to Duty

B5: Demonstrates attention to detail and not willingly accepting second best; whilst at the same time being pragmatic about balancing client expectations against the available time and budget. Back to Duty

B6: Proactively keeping up to date with latest developments within the industry. Back to Duty

B7: Thinks creatively and logically to solve technical issues - contribute to a process of continual improvement of workflow and technique. Back to Duty

B8: Delivers good customer service in a creative environment. Back to Duty

B9: Balances the quality threshold which it is practical to achieve within time and budget constraints, and the customer expectations. Back to Duty

B10: Works with a high level of sustained concentration and attention to detail. Back to Duty

B11: Works safely to ensure a safe working environment for themselves, colleagues and customers. Back to Duty