Ingest and Organization
Every shoot day ends with the same routine. All cards are backed up to two locations: a Samsung T7 SSD and a cloud upload to Google Drive. Files are renamed using our convention: DATE_LOCATION_CAMERA_SEQUENCE. A 5-day shoot generates roughly 800-1200 individual clips and 500-800 stills. Without naming conventions, finding anything in post becomes impossible.
We rate footage in-camera. A 3-star rating means "definitely use." A 1-star means "usable B-roll." No stars means it only gets looked at if we are desperate. This rating happens during review on the travel day after each shoot. By the time we sit down to edit, 70% of the footage is already sorted.
The Edit
Primary editing happens in Adobe Premiere Pro. We chose Premiere over Final Cut because the Dynamic Link to After Effects is seamless for motion graphics and title animations. Our template project file has pre-built sequences for every deliverable format: 16:9 for YouTube, 9:16 for Reels and TikTok, 1:1 for feed posts, 4:5 for carousel covers.
We cut the hero video first. This is the longest piece (60-90 seconds) and it defines the visual language for everything else. Music is selected before the first cut. We use Artlist for 90% of our music licensing because their subscription covers commercial use globally. The hero video gets 3-4 revision rounds with the client. Once approved, everything else is cut to match its style and pace.
Color Grading
Color grading happens in DaVinci Resolve. We grade the hero video first, then apply the look across all other deliverables with adjustments for individual clips. Every client gets a custom color profile saved as a PowerGrade that we reuse on future projects for that brand. This keeps their content library visually consistent over time.
The grading process: First, we correct exposure and white balance. Then we apply a base LUT that matches the camera profile (S-Log3 for Sony, D-Log M for DJI). Then we grade creatively .. adjusting shadows, highlights, saturation and individual color channels to match the mood of the property. Warm tones for tropical destinations. Cool tones for urban or mountain properties. Muted tones for minimalist luxury brands like Aman.
Sound Design
Sound separates professional content from amateur content. Even when a video is watched on mute (60-70% of social viewing), the 30-40% who watch with sound are more likely to engage, comment and share. We layer three elements: music, ambient sound and sound effects.
Ambient sound is recorded on location with the DJI Mic 2. Ocean waves, restaurant chatter, birdsong, city traffic. We record 5-10 minutes of ambient audio at every location even if the final video will not use dialogue. Sound effects are subtle .. a door closing, footsteps on marble, a cocktail being poured. These details make the viewer feel present in the space.
Delivery Pipeline
Final exports go through a quality control checklist. Resolution correct. Aspect ratio correct. Audio levels normalized to -14 LUFS for social platforms. Captions rendered in the correct position. Brand watermark applied if required. Metadata embedded. Each asset is exported in 2 versions: a master file (ProRes 422 HQ) and a delivery file (H.265 at the platform's recommended bitrate).
Everything uploads to a shared Google Drive folder organized by content type. The client gets a delivery document listing every asset with a thumbnail, filename, recommended platform, suggested posting date and performance benchmark. Turnaround from final shoot day to complete delivery: 10-14 business days for a standard project of 30-50 assets.