Frequently Asked Questions

ABOUT STILETTO

  • STILETTO is a full-service post-production and finishing house based in New York City. We handle every stage of a project after the camera stops rolling, including video editing, color grading, visual effects (VSFX), photo and image retouching, post directing, and final delivery. Producers, agencies, brands, and directors come to us when they need one team to take footage or stills from raw to broadcast-ready, instead of juggling separate editors, colorists, and retouchers across a handful of vendors.

  • We're primarily a post-production and finishing house, though we do take on select productions for partners when it makes sense. We can provide directors and DPs, but for most post-production projects we're brought in to edit, grade, retouch, and finish footage or stills that already exist, or are being shot by a director, agency, or production company. Some of our team also offers post-directing, guiding the creative and technical decisions of the finishing process on a client's behalf.

  • STILETTO was founded in 2024. We’ve worked on projects for Louis Vuitton, Necessaire, Innisfree, PUMA, Chico's, Soma, and White House Black Market, among others. Our three founders bring over 40 years of combined experience in the creative and fashion industries across New York and LA, having worked in-house with major luxury brands and top creative agencies. Creative integrity and quality post-production are what we care about most.

  • We're based in Soho, New York City. That said, plenty of our work happens with clients who aren't anywhere near NYC. Remote review-and-approval tools, live remote color sessions, and secure file transfer mean you don't have to be local to work with us, even though a good chunk of our client base is NYC agencies, production companies, directors, producers, and brands.

    • Video editing: offline and online editing, assembly, conforming, and trims/versioning for different platforms and durations

    • Color grading and color correction: creative grading, look development, HDR and broadcast-spec delivery

    • VSFX (visual effects): compositing, cleanup, CG integration, motion graphics

    • Photo retouching: product, portrait, and campaign retouching, compositing, and image finishing

    • Post directing: creative and technical oversight of the finishing process from edit through final delivery

    • Finishing and delivery: conform, mastering, and delivery to broadcast, streaming, and social specifications

    • Production: on select projects, we'll run the full 360 process from concept through final delivery

  • Both. A lot of campaigns need matching video and stills at the same time, think a commercial plus social cutdowns plus a print or product photography set, and having one team finish everything keeps the color, tone, and brand look consistent no matter the format. We handle photo retouching and image finishing right alongside video editing, color, and VFX.

  • Yes we grade and deliver to spec across the board, from social platforms to broadcast, streaming, and theatrical, including HDR10 and Dolby Vision when a project calls for it.

  • Both. That can mean basic cleanup like wire removal, screen replacement, sky replacement, or stabilization, or it can mean compositing and CG integration for more involved VFX shots.

  • Yes. We can put together lower thirds, animated logos, kinetic type, and other motion media elements as needed.

PARTNERING WITH US

    • In-house brand and marketing teams who need reliable finishing without building an internal post team

    • Producers and production companies who need a finishing partner once the shoot wraps

    • Advertising and creative agencies managing a brand's campaign end to end

    • Directors who want continuity of creative vision from edit through final color

    • Photographers and studios who need retouching support at scale

  • Both. We can plug into an agency's existing production pipeline as the finishing vendor, and we also work directly with brands and in-house marketing teams that don't have an agency of record for a given project.

  • Commercials and broadcast/streaming spots, branded content, social and digital campaigns, music videos, documentary and long-form content, and e-commerce/product photography. Fashion films, campaigns, and fashion social videos come up a lot for us, along with beauty films, beauty campaigns, and beauty social content, CPG, wellness (beverages, hospitality), experiential editing, event recap films, corporate films, and work for apps, software, tech, hospitality, and travel brands.

  • Yes, depending on the project, we can come in mid-pipeline for one specific stage, whether that's color grading only, VFX only, or retouching only, rather than the full offline-to-delivery process. Let us know where the project currently stands and we'll scope just the piece you need.

  • Yes. Some projects start as footage or stills shot by a separate production team, director, or photographer. You don't need to have shot with us to finish with us.

PROCESS, TIMELINES & WORKING TOGETHER


    1. Kickoff: you share footage or stills, references, brand guidelines, and delivery specs

    2. Edit, if it's in scope: offline edit and revisions to lock picture

    3. Color, VFX, and/or retouching: applied to the locked cut or final image set

    4. Review: cloud-based review-and-approval links for client notes and sign-off

    5. Finishing and delivery: conform, mastering, and export to your required specs

  • It really depends on scope. A single color pass on a locked 30-second spot moves a lot faster than a full offline edit plus VFX plus color on a longer piece. We can give you a concrete turnaround once we've seen the final brief and had an initial project call.

  • Yes, we can offer rush or expedited turnaround. We are flexible and highly adaptable and can quote estimated turnarounds based on project scope and budget.

  • Typically two to three rounds of revisions are included at each stage (edit, color, VFX, retouching), and additional rounds get billed hourly. Every team works differently though, so we stay flexible and can arrange rounds around your project schedule with the right resourcing in place.

  • Yes. Clients can join live remote color sessions and use cloud-based review links to leave time-stamped notes on edits, VFX, and retouching without needing to be on-site.

  • Pricing gets scoped per project based on the services needed (edit, color, VFX, retouching), length or volume, complexity, and turnaround time, rather than one flat hourly rate across the board.

  • Yes. Unreleased campaigns, embargoed footage, and confidential brand content come through regularly, so signing NDAs is standard practice for us.

TECHNICAL & LOGISTICS

  • That depends on what the project needs, whether it's specific VSFX requirements, original music composition, or something else. We're happy to be flexible with our tools when a project calls for it.

  • We can adapt our workflows to most file formats and specs, and we're flexible on delivery specs based on what a client needs. During the initial project meeting we align on inputs and outputs together and lock that in at the SOW stage. Any deliverables added later would need an updated or secondary SOW.

  • Yes, and it's one of the real advantages of finishing both video and stills under one roof. The same colorist and retoucher team can carry a consistent look across a commercial, its social cutdowns, and the accompanying product or campaign photography.

  • Both. We do online and conform work as needed too.

GETTING STARTED

  • Reach out to studio@stilettopost.com with your name, contact info, and a brief description of the project, along with your timeline and the services you need (edit, color, VFX, retouching, or full finishing). From there we'll scope the project, put together an estimate, and once everything is signed off in a project SOW, we get started.

  • No minimum. We take on quick social projects to large complex projects at all scales depending on scope and budget.

  • Yes. We can step in at any stage, whether that's a locked offline cut that needs color and VFX, a rough retouching pass that needs a final polish, or a full project that needs a second opinion on the finish.

Have a question that isn't covered here? Reach out at studio@stilettopost.com. We're happy to scope any post-production, finishing, editing, color, VFX, or retouching project.