Video post-production: why an integrated workflow saves you time and budget

The bottleneck nobody sees

Traditional post-production works like this: the editor cuts, passes the project to the colorist for grading, then the project goes to the VFX artist for effects, then back to the editor for conform, then maybe back to the colorist for adjustments. Every handoff is an export, an upload, a meeting, a chance for error.

I've seen projects where 30% of total post-production time went to handoffs between professionals. Not creative work — logistics.

What "integrated workflow" means

I manage the entire post-production flow in a single environment: editing, VFX, motion graphics, color grading, finishing. This doesn't mean I do everything in one piece of software — it means one person controls the entire path from start to finish.

In practice: I edit in Premiere or DaVinci Resolve, create visual effects in After Effects and 3ds Max, do color grading in DaVinci, deliver the final master. Everything under the same roof. No handoffs, no briefs lost in translation, no "that's not what I meant."

Three concrete advantages for the client

Time. A project that takes six weeks of post-production with a traditional workflow takes three to four with an integrated one. Not because I work faster — because there's no dead time between steps. When I finish editing and see that a scene needs a visual effect, I do it immediately. I don't write a brief, don't wait for the VFX artist, don't schedule an alignment call.

Budget. One professional instead of three. No external coordination needed, no project managers to keep vendors aligned. For mid-budget productions — commercials, short films, corporate content — this can mean 30-40% savings on post-production.

Creative coherence. This is the advantage clients always underestimate. When the same person edits, creates effects and does color, every creative decision is coherent with the others. The edit is already designed for the effects to come. The grade accounts for VFX elements. There are no "surprises" at conform.

When it works and when it doesn't

The integrated workflow works perfectly for commercials, short films, documentaries, corporate content, music videos, 3D product animation — the vast majority of projects that agencies, brands and mid-budget productions handle every day.

Where it doesn't work: feature films with hundreds of VFX shots requiring a ten-person team, Marvel-level productions with industrial pipelines. Those projects need large studios with dedicated departments — and that's as it should be.

But the truth is that 90% of projects circulating in the Italian market — and most international mid-budget ones — don't need an industrial pipeline. They need a competent professional who manages the entire flow with precision.

Concrete examples from my portfolio

For Pleiadi I handled direction, editing, color grading and VFX in a single flow. Every editing decision was already designed for the grading and effects. The result: a music video with visual coherence that would have been impossible with three separate professionals.

For Along Came Ruby, a short film with complex visual effects — dimensional portals, energy, particles — I managed all VFX and post-production. The director had a single point of contact for everything: from timeline to final compositing.

For the spots for Italy's Equal Opportunities Ministry, editing, effects and color in a single flow with tight deadlines. No handoffs, no delays.

AI as an integrated workflow accelerator

The arrival of AI video production tools has made the integrated workflow even more powerful. I can generate visual elements with AI, integrate them in compositing, edit them into the timeline and do the grade — all without ever leaving my workflow.

For Roche I created an entire video with generative AI then managed all the finishing in post-production. A project that in a fragmented workflow would have involved four or five professionals.

The right question isn't "how much does it cost"

The right question is: how many people are touching my project, and is each handoff adding value or just complexity? If the answer is "complexity," an integrated workflow is the solution.