PPSD (Post Production Stress Disorder):

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PPSD (Post Production Stress Disorder):
noun /ˈpōst prəˈdəkSH(ə)n stres disˈôrdər/

A highly underdiagnosed condition affecting editors, mixers, and post-production folks who must endure the chaotic aftermath of decisions made on set or in the recording studio by people who clearly thought “planning ahead” was someone else’s job.

Symptoms include:

  • Cold sweats when someone says “We’ll fix it in post”

  • Auditory hallucinations of mouth clicks and HVAC hum

  • Sudden rage when seeing vertical video

  • Uncontrollable twitching at inconsistent mic placement

  • Panic attacks triggered by the words “render failed”

  • Existential dread caused by clients saying, “Can we just make it pop more?”

Common triggers:

  • Actors who improvise wildly around continuity

  • Drummers who move mics mid-take

  • Boom shadows

  • Studio engineers who record everything in one mono track called “Final_FINAL_UseThis.wav”

  • Directors who say, “Just capture the vibe—we’ll sort it out later”

Treatment:

  • Screaming into a soundproof booth

  • Heavy sarcasm

  • Color-coded timelines

  • Naming your export “AbsolutelyNotFixingThisAgain.mov”

  • Accepting that your career is basically digital janitorial work with a creative twist