An in-depth guide to delivering your first DCP like a pro
Luke Ross invites Cinematiq Co-Founder Aaron Owen and Colorist Joey D’Anna to explain how to render and deliver a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) as a freelance colorist without the tech support of a post-production facility.
This is a seriously in-depth Insight packed with practical details, so if you’re planning to tackle your first DCP, it’s well worth watching for 1 hour and 20 minutes and making your own notes as you go.
Client: “You can deliver this for theatrical too, right?”
Imagine this: you’re taking a client call, and it’s going well. The client is impressed with your work, and they’re explaining the deliverables that they’ll need.
They run through the normal list of deliverables, but then, out of nowhere:
”Oh, could you also export a file for cinema projection?”
If that sentence sends a shiver of fear down your spine, this Insight is for you.
Rendering a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is a uniquely complex workflow with many considerations. It’s important for both freelance colorists and their clients to understand the additional steps required to ensure that the export is error-free and plays in the cinema as intended.
Not only that, but there are (too) many acronyms when it comes to exporting files destined for the silver screen. This Insight will cover all the jargon so that you will be confident with the relevant terms when speaking to clients.
Key takeaways from this Insight
By the end of this Insight, you should understand how to:
To finish, we’ll share our tips and tricks for approaching this workflow.
Note: This Insight targets freelance colorists with an online/broadcast-capable reference monitor and has minimal post-facility support.
You don’t need a post house, but it helps
The first thing to clarify: you can do it!
You don’t have to apologize profusely and direct the client to the nearest post-production house. If you have DaVinci Resolve, a calibrated broadcast monitor, and access to a local cinema in your area, I would argue that you have all the tools to quote and bid on jobs destined for the silver screen.
However, there are a few caveats and limitations on what you can do without access to a grade theatre with a calibrated projector and the support of a post-production facility, so let’s discuss them.
Caveat #1 – The biggest caveat: an online or broadcast calibrated reference monitor and viewing environment are not the ideal color space and viewing environment for cinema deliverables.
As we will discuss later, this isn’t a deal breaker but is significant.
Caveat #2 – Without a Post-house, there is less support available for media wrangling, project set-up, client services, deliverables, and archival tasks. As a solo operator, things take longer, and no runners bring in tea and biscuits for the client. It sounds silly, but hot tea or coffee can make a big difference to the client experience.
Caveat #3 – It can be overkill to try and emulate an industry-standard Hollywood workflow.
Creating a DCP isn’t a one-click button workflow.
Digital Source Masters (DSMs) and Digital Cinema Distribution Masters (DCDMs) are traditionally precursors to a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) in a standard Hollywood workflow.
As a solo operator, offering a lean delivery package customized to suit the client’s needs is common – and it’s a great service to offer.
What is a DCP?
First, it’s important to understand that a DCP is not a singular file but rather a package.
It’s a collection of assets bundled together in a precisely named folder, including video and audio streams, subtitle assets, and metadata files.
Although this package is usually huge for feature films, it can be sent online (you can send up to 15TB files with MASV) or transferred to a specially formatted external drive and delivered to a cinema’s server, where it is ingested and prepared for playback on the big screen.
To prepare a DCP for delivery, it’s important to prepare your timeline and export the required assets in the correct format.
Preparing the timeline – set the frame
When setting up your timeline for a DCP workflow, there are a few important factors to consider (we’ll discuss color management shortly), but one of the biggest is the project’s aspect ratio.
Luckily, there aren’t many options to choose from.
There are just two frame options: Flat and Scope.
The ‘Flat’ aspect ratio is 1.85:1 and is a great option for content shot to fit into a 16:9 frame. This slightly wider aspect ratio ensures a relatively painless reframing process or simply adding pillar boxing for quick conversion.
The ‘Scope’ aspect ratio is 2.39:1, the classic widescreen format that cinema-goers know and love. This is mostly an incompatible option for 16:9 content, but content that has been framed for 2.35:1 can easily fit into this container.
There are no other container options.
Crazy, right?
Now, don’t get me wrong, you can still add your own letterboxing, pillar boxing, or custom blanking to these aspect ratio sizes, so it’s not a jail cell, but you are confined to working in either a 1.85:1 frame or a 2.39:1 frame.
As you can imagine, it is important to talk with your client as early as possible to ensure they will (or did) frame their film with one of these two aspect ratios in mind. Otherwise, they may have to do a pass fitting their images into one of those frame sizes.
When you deliver your DCP, your timeline resolution in Resolve needs to be set to either Flat or Scope.
This brings us to another important factor to consider when delivering your project: the resolution.
2K and 4K resolution sizes can be chosen for cinema delivery.
DCI 4K DCP
| ASPECT RATIO | RESOLUTION |
| Flat (1.85) | 3996 x 2160 |
| Scope (2.39) | 4096 x 1716 |
| Full Container (1.90) | 4096 x 2160 |
This means if you’ve shot in 4K (4096 x 2160), you’ll have to crop your final image either a little (horizontally—letterboxing) for the Flat (1.85) ratio or a lot (vertically—pillar boxing) for the Scope (2.39) ratio. Or if you’ve got UHD material (3840 x 2160), you’ll need to blow it up slightly.
DCI 2K DCP
| ASPECT RATIO | RESOLUTION |
| Flat (1.85) | 1998 x 1080 |
| Scope (2.39) | 2048 x 852 |
| Full Container (1.90) | 2048 x 1080 |
Preparing the timeline – choose the standard
You should be aware of two main DCP standards: InterOp and SMPTE.
While the older InterOp DCP standard is guaranteed to play in virtually any cinema worldwide, the newer and better SMPTE standard supports many more frame rates and handles subtitles and encryption more robustly.
For context, InterOp was launched in 2001, and SMPTE was launched in 2009.
So, you should be safe with SMPTE 15 years later!
Most DCPs also need to be DCI compliant.
Preparing the timeline – manage the color pipeline
Many freelancers have a modest grading suite with a calibrated reference monitor tailored for broadcast and online work (like me) and do not have ready access to a cinema grading suite.
As a freelancer working on a project in this manner, one of the biggest worries when delivering a DCP is the fear that the color pipeline is suboptimal or just plain wrong.
I agree that it is a sub-optimal workflow; you can use your broadcast monitor to grade content for cinema. It is important to note that you need to commit to it.
For example, let’s say my broadcast monitor is calibrated to Rec.709 / Gamma 2.4. My project’s color management should be geared toward these output values.
Do not set up your color management to mimic a cinema environment if you work in a broadcast environment. A reference monitor that is set up for broadcast or online work paired with color management that supports this (so, a business-as-usual approach) will allow you to grade the film with accuracy and confidence.
As Joey mentions in the Insight – any other approach will lead you into a world of question marks. That’s not where you want to be.
Unless you have a compelling reason to master the P3 gamut (it’s unlikely that you do), stick with the color management workflow designed for the best reference monitor you can access.
Preparing the timeline – select the audio format
I can guarantee that no matter how pretty your grade is, the client won’t be happy if they sit down at their film’s premiere and the audio channels are not configured correctly.
There are two options here, and we’ll finish with a bonus tip from Aaron.
The first option is using a two-channel stereo format. Although Resolve will prompt you that this is incorrect, most cinemas will support a DCP that contains stereo audio channels.
The second option of 5.1 audio is the industry standard and guarantees consistent playback across cinemas.
In both scenarios, it is important that the audio track and the Fairlight bus both match your chosen format.
Aaron recommends that if the client doesn’t have the budget for a 5.1 mix, a Left-Centre-Right (LCR) mix is a great compromise. This is a stereo mix with the dialogue on a third-center channel.
This allows everything else to be split across the left and right speakers while the dialogue comes through the middle. This alleviates issues that may arise from LR panning (especially in larger cinemas) and takes advantage of how the cinema speakers are tuned and optimized.
Keep it lean
In a traditional Hollywood workflow, a Digital Source Master (DSM) and a Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM) are created as building blocks for the DCP’s final render. However, in a freelance setting, keeping this workflow lean and efficient is recommended to save rendering time and file storage.
The DCDM, typically a 16-bit TIFF image sequence with separate mono audio channels in broadcast WAV format, is primarily used for large-scale Hollywood productions that require extensive revisions and quality control across multiple facilities. As a freelancer, you likely won’t require this level of complexity.
Instead, a high-quality ProRes 4444 or uncompressed 10-bit file can serve as your DSM, eliminating the need for a separate DCDM and significantly reducing hard drive space and processing time. This streamlined approach is sufficient for most independent films and short films, especially those intended for festivals or limited distribution.
Delivery methods: choosing the right approach
Once you have made your DCP, you need to get it to the cinema/theatre/projectionist on a correctly formatted drive or digital transfer that they can ingest into their specific system.
Large cinema chains will use a Linux-based Theatre Management System (TMS), while smaller festivals may use rented, often Windows-based projection systems. Unless you know this for certain, it is best to stick to a Linux-formatted drive.
If you have the option, a digital delivery is by far the simplest delivery method.
Online delivery: ensuring a smooth transfer
For projects where digital upload is an option, it’s highly recommended to compress the DCP into a single archive file (ZIP, 7-zip, tar, etc.) before transferring. This ensures that all the necessary files are delivered together and helps prevent transfer errors during upload or download and potential ingest failures due to missing files during synchronization on services like Dropbox or Google Drive.
Services like MASV allow for transfers of up to 15TB single files.
The best way to deliver a DCP on a hard drive
The most reliable way to deliver a DCP on a hard drive is to use a Linux-formatted drive with an EXT2 or EXT3 file system and a 128-inode size. This specification ensures compatibility with most cinema projection systems worldwide, including those used in festivals and independent cinemas.
If you know what you’re doing, you can format using the Linux command line. If you don’t, use DCP Transfer, a Mac OS application that handles the formatting and drive transfer for you (DCP Transfer was created by Aaron’s company, Cinematiq).
Here’s why the drive format is crucial:
Compatibility: Many cinema projection systems run on Linux, requiring a compatible file system like EXT2 or EXT3 for proper ingestion. Using NTFS or exFAT can lead to compatibility problems and potential playback issues.
Inode Size: The inode size, also referred to as block size, affects the drive’s performance and data integrity2. The ISDCF Document 3 standard, widely adopted by the cinema industry, mandates a 128-inode size for DCP delivery. Using a different inode size can lead to issues like bit-flipping, resulting in checksum errors and ingest failures.
Partition Map: The drive should use a Master Boot Record (MBR) partition map with a single partition. This older partition map style is more compatible with legacy cinema projection systems.
Why you should avoid exFAT and NTFS
While NTFS formatting might work for some Windows-based cinema servers, it’s not universally compatible and carries the risk of data corruption.
exFAT should be avoided entirely due to its unreliability and potential for confusion.
Using Cinematiq’s DCP Transfer
Cinematiq’s DCP Transfer is a valuable tool for freelancers who must create a precisely formatted Linux drive for DCP delivery. It simplifies formatting the drive with the correct EXT2 or EXT3 file system and 128 inode size, ensuring compatibility with cinema projection systems.
DCP Transfer also helps organize files and verifies checksums, providing confidence that the DCP will be ingested correctly.
However, it’s important to note that DCP Transfer is currently only available for macOS.
All active members of Mixing Light can save 10% on DCP Transfer with the coupon code “MIXLIGHT10”
All active Mixing Light Premium members can save 19% on DCP Transfer with the coupon code “MIXLIGHT19STEAL”
Regardless of the delivery method, testing the DCP in a cinema environment, if possible, is always recommended to ensure everything looks and sounds as intended. This provides the ultimate peace of mind and allows for necessary adjustments before the final screening.
Mentioned in this Insight
Related Mixing Light Insights
Chapters
Questions or Comments? Leave a comment!
I’ve successfully rendered a few DCPs for cinema, but even so, I picked up several tips and tricks over my chat with Joey and Aaron. Big thanks to them for taking the time to discuss this fascinating topic.
What would you have asked them? Drop any questions below in the comments!
– Luke
