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Best Practices: Learning from broadcast production

Broadcast is one of the most demanding production environments. Quality and consistency are critical. Delivery deadlines are absolute. Turnaround time needs to be calculated with precision. And everything has to work every day. Broadcast, therefore, provides a perfect laboratory for post-production efficiency.

What can we learn from broadcast production?

The core principles of efficient broadcast production apply for all video content creators:

  • Keep it simple
  • Standardize workflows
  • Automate repetitive tasks
  • Concentrate on content, not codecs

Integrating production tools

In the simplest terms, integrations put extra features at your fingertips. They save you time and money by avoiding the disruption of navigating multiple applications and systems. Aside from simply working faster, deep integrations can transform how broadcasters (and all video professionals) create content.

Premiere Pro and the Adobe Creative Cloud applications are designed as open platforms with extensive APIs for third-party technologies. Hundreds of companies have created extensions and integrations that accelerate productivity and save costs. You can find Adobe technology partners here: Adobe Video & Audio Partner Finder.

Examining use-cases in broadcast, this Best Practices guide provides an overview of integration tools that allow users to accelerate, automate, and standardize their workflows. The principles that apply for high-performance broadcast production are valid for all types video production.

Red Giant offers powerful plugins and extensions for Premiere Pro and After Effects
Red Giant offers powerful plugins and extensions for Premiere Pro and After Effects

Bring media into the editing application

Most broadcasters standardize on certain capture formats and mezzanine codecs for post-production, which provides predictability and allows them to optimize for specific formats. In the real world, though, anything is possible and media may be delivered in any format. We have seen landmark productions request 25 fps and receive 29.97 fps. We’ve seen 8 K rushes delivered for an HD production, and overshooting your ratio by up to 40% - resulting in a mountain of media that needs sorting, transcoding, and prepping for an edit. The Adobe applications and third-party integrations can automate and streamline the ingest process, allowing broadcasters to manage their media efficiently.

Edit and enhance content

Having to leave Premiere Pro in the middle of an edit can really disrupt the creative process. In fact, The New York Times has reported that it can take 25 minutes to get back on track after every interruption. Integrated panels and plug-ins bring the power of bespoke third-party applications directly into the editing process, allowing users to creatively enhance their edits from a single interface without interrupting their flow. One of the most common mid-edit distractions is searching for files, whether in your own system or on stock image websites.

Incorporate branded graphics and audio elements

Content is global. The increase in delivery platforms and the worldwide syndication of media means that the average video has to be delivered in multiple versions. Not only are numerous formats required, each piece of media might have to be tailored to a geographical area, a demographic… an individual. How do you keep up with the increased content velocity while ensuring brand consistency?

Adobe recognizes that ensuring consistency across deliverables is a challenge throughout the industry and has enabled broadcasters and post-production companies to automate large portions of the workflow through third-party integrations.

Collaborate with other teams and team members

To access the best talent around the world, low latency sharing of media, projects, and sessions, across continents, is vital and collaborative workflows have become a necessity. Teamviewer and GoToMeeting do not suffice. Uploading to Vimeo and asking for comments takes too long. Requesting stakeholders to travel across a country or continent to see that the latest version is a waste of time and money.  There is a hunger for productions to collaborate not just during the review process but also while creating.

Export for viewing platforms

When turnaround times become tight, streamlining the delivery workflow can make the difference between making or missing a deadline.  The more that can be done prior to export the more likely it is to hit deadlines.

What can individuals and small studios learn from broadcast workflows?

Mocha Pro from BorisFX provides powerful tracking tools within After Effects and Premiere Pro
Mocha Pro from BorisFX provides powerful tracking tools within After Effects and Premiere Pro

There are several principles that can help any studio or editor, regardless of budget or pipeline. 

About these Best Practice guides

Adobe helps you get to the finish line faster. Learn more in our new Best Practices guides for video editing and production.

Contributors

  • Joe Newcombe is head of sales and marketing at Support Partners, a system integrator for broadcasters and post-production facilities. He’s based in the UK. 
  • Jeff Greenberg is a consultant, master trainer, and author of Adobe Premiere Pro Studio Techniques. 
  • Maxim Jago is a Paris-based filmmaker, master trainer, and author of Premiere Pro Classroom in a Book. 
  • Alex Macleod is a production professional, broadcasting consultant, and owner of Media City Training in the UK. 
  • Jarle Leirpoll is a filmmaker, editor, and Master trainer based in Norway. He is also the author of The Cool Stuff in Premiere Pro
  • Ian Robinson is a broadcast motion designer, and regular Adobe MAX trainer. Ian is based in Silverthorne, Colorado.

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