#142 - Cut/daily Meets... Post Producer David E. O'Brien

David E. O'Brien is a Post Producer.

If you've never had the opportunity to work with one, you may be wondering:

What does a Post-Producer do?

and

If I ever get to work with one, how can I make them love me?

Well that's what I was wondering anyway.

In this issue of Cut/daily Meets... David E. O'Brien, a Post-Producer on shows such as the latest season of Master of None, and Post-Supervisor on shows like Flesh and Blood and The Last Kingdom was kind enough to answer both of these pressing questions and share a ton of valuable insights on working successfully in post-production.

David's next project looks pretty exciting and is A Spy Among Friends for Sony, Britbox, Charter & ITV and you can follow him on Twitter here.

For those who have never worked alongside one, what does a Post Producer do?

A Post Producer (PP) is responsible for the successful completion of a project through the post stage of production.

It is their responsibility to make sure all elements including but not limited to editing, grade, audio mix and VFX/title creation are completed to the schedule and within the confines of the budget.

The role is similar to that of a Post Production Supervisor but Post Producers tend to be more involved in the creative decision making. Some productions refer to this role (PP) as Associate Producer/Post.

What can those working with a Post Producer do, to make their life easier?

Post Producers need to maintain an up to date knowledge of all post production elements across the various departments. Members of the post team can help make their life easier by communicating timely and concise updates and flagging potential issues as early on as possible to the PP.

A PP relies heavily on the specific expertise of each member of the post team in order to move a production forward successfully and make the correct decisions at the right time.