Trisha Studios Editorial Team
Knowledge Centre
The Planning Failure
Post-production timelines are consistently underestimated, and the consequences of underestimation are consistently absorbed at the end — by the colourist asked to grade a film in three days that needs two weeks, by the re-recording mixer asked to deliver an Atmos mix overnight, by the QC operator trying to find errors in a deliverable that needs to be on a platform in six hours.
The pressure at the end of post-production is almost always the consequence of a planning failure at the beginning. Productions that plan realistic post-production schedules — accounting for the full pipeline, the dependencies between processes, and the realistic time required for each stage — finish on time. Productions that plan optimistically shift the problem forward, where it becomes both more expensive and more difficult to solve.
Feature Film Timeline: 20–24 Weeks
Weeks 1–4: Offline editing begins during principal photography. The editor assembles scenes as they are shot, building a first assembly that will significantly exceed the final runtime.
Weeks 4–12: Offline editing continues post-production. The director and editor work through multiple cuts: first assembly (typically 20–50% longer than the intended final runtime), director's cut, producer's cut, and the picture lock. This phase commonly takes 8–12 weeks for a feature film.
Week 12: Picture lock. The online conform begins immediately. VFX plates are delivered to the VFX team.
Weeks 12–14: Online conform. Rebuilding the cut from original camera files, integrating and checking all material, exporting to the colour facility.
Weeks 14–17: Colour grade. Three to four weeks for a feature film. Runs parallel with sound design and score recording.
Weeks 12–18: Sound design, music recording, pre-dubbing — all begin at picture lock and run parallel with the grade. The final mix cannot begin until the grade is approved.
Weeks 17–19: Final sound mix (Dolby Atmos). Two to three weeks, depending on complexity.
Weeks 19–20: QC and deliverable preparation.
Week 20+: Platform submission and theatrical delivery.
OTT Series: 3–6 Weeks Per Episode
Series post-production runs as a pipeline: while episode one is in the grade, episode two is completing offline; while episode two is in the grade, episode three is in the grade and so on. The overall series timeline is approximately 3–4 weeks per episode from picture lock — but this assumes all episodes have locked before the pipeline begins.
A 10-episode series that begins the grade pipeline when episode one locks, with subsequent episodes locking at weekly intervals, can complete all grades and mixes in 14–16 weeks. The challenge is usually that episodes do not lock on schedule, creating a bottleneck in the grade pipeline.
Where Delays Actually Come From
Picture lock slippage is the most common cause of timeline compression at the back end. Every week that picture lock is delayed is a week removed from the finishing pipeline — unless the release date moves, which is rarely possible for streamer premiere commitments.
VFX deliveries are the most common cause of grade delays. A colourist cannot finish a scene until all VFX shots in that scene are delivered. When VFX shots arrive late — one day before the colour session ends — the grade is not finished, the mix is not finished, QC is not finished, and the delivery fails.
Scope changes after picture lock — a scene restructured at the distributor's request, an additional scene required by the streamer — can invalidate sound work already done and require a re-conform. The cost of a one-scene change three weeks into the sound mix is a multiple of what it would have cost at picture lock.
Common Questions
Is 20 weeks realistic for a Bollywood feature?
It is realistic for a production that is planned properly. Many Bollywood features have a condensed post timeline — 10–14 weeks — because of production calendar pressures. Condensed timelines are achievable with a single-facility pipeline and a team working in parallel, but they require strict picture lock discipline and VFX deliveries on time.
Should we start post-production planning before shooting?
Absolutely. The post-production plan should be drafted as part of pre-production: identifying the facility, confirming the pipeline, establishing the picture lock date, and working backwards to determine what shooting schedule is needed to achieve it. Post-production planning that begins after shooting wraps is almost always reactive.
Plan Your Post-Production at Trisha Studios
Speak to our production team early. We will help you build a realistic schedule that accounts for every stage of the pipeline — before, not after, the pressure starts.
Discuss Your Schedule