414 The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, 4E

Everyone has had the experience of creating a text file and then making some backup copies and then getting confused as to which file is the most recent and sending out the wrong version to your professor or boss.

File-based digital media of all types runs the same risk. The simplest way to avoid any confusion is to create a final version of your film and store it on digital videotape, optical disk (DVD or Blu-ray), or a special hard drive and make any copies off that version, the master.

With digital file-based workflow, you will need to keep two masters. One is the master project file from your editing application that contains the final edited sequence of your film and the other is an uncompressed output of your film saved in a digital file format such as QuickTime, XMF, or DPX. (We’ll talk more about digital file formats for finishing your film later.)

If you need simple copies, you’ll use the digital file master as a source to transcode your project into various digital delivery formats. If you need something more complicated, such as a different audio mix, you’ll use the master project file to create secondary digital master files as needed.

What to Do Now

Most likely, you have no idea what will happen to your film once you’ve finished postproduction. Will you need a digital projection print or simply a DVD? The most cautious choice is to start small but keep your options open: create a “do-it-yourself ” file-based master with the best color grading and audio mix that you can afford; put your trailer or clips up on the Web; and make some DVDs and Blu-ray Discs as viewing copies to pass around and send to festivals. Be sure to back up your media and your project in case you want to go back and re-edit or re-master it and eventually finish it on film, videotape, or digital cinema. We recommend that you read this entire chapter before proceeding.

Preparing for Film Festivals

If you’re planning to put your film on the festival circuit, your first step will be to create a polished cut to send out with your festival applications. Most film festivals prefer to get DVDs for the initial submission or that you use a Web-based submission service, such as Withoutabox. Some festivals are more lenient than others when it comes to submitting “rough cuts” or works in progress, but bear in mind that there is a lot of competition out there, and that it’s always better to show a finished product if possible.

If your film is accepted to a festival, you will then have to make a festival print of your film, according to their technical guidelines. Most film festivals will screen 35mm film prints or digital videotape masters, usually HDCAM. A few of the bigger festivals, such as Cannes, can screen file-based digital cinema. The rules are usually pretty strict and very specific.

Many filmmakers choose to create a festival print that is not necessarily the final version of the film. This print may have temporary elements, such as music that is only licensed for festival screenings. Temporary elements are often borne of financial necessity, and the idea is that if the film is sold to a distributor at the festival, the distributor will cover the costs of properly finishing the film.