Capstone: a delivery plan and QC checklist for an HDR streaming series

This capstone brings the course together in a single project. You are the director of photography on a fictional eight-episode drama series, Harbor Lights, commissioned by a global streaming service with HDR delivery. Working with the post supervisor, DIT and colorist, you will build a delivery plan that covers capture, pipeline, mastering, deliverables, audio and timed text coordination, QC and archive, and you will prepare a QC checklist for the picture. The figures are illustrative and chosen to practice the calculations from earlier lessons; on a real project, you would take every value from the service's current specification and your production's own data.

The brief

Harbor Lights is a coastal crime drama.

• Eight episodes of about 50 minutes each, 23.976 fps, main aspect ratio 2.00:1 inside a 3,840 × 2,160 container.
• The service requires a true 4K sensor, 10-bit or greater capture, an example minimum data rate of 240 Mb/s for compressed formats and about 90 % of runtime from approved cameras.
• Deliverables include an HDR master as an IMF Application 2E package with JPEG 2000 picture, PQ, Rec. 2020 container and P3-D65 mastering at 1,000 nits, Dolby Vision metadata, an SDR version derived and trimmed through Dolby Vision, textless elements, a 5.1 mix and a stereo mix at the service's loudness target, M&E, SDH and subtitles in several languages, and an audio description track.
• A Canadian broadcaster co-financed the series and needs an HD SDR file at 29.97 fps with closed captions and described video, plus archive materials.
• The night harbor scenes feature sodium and LED practicals, wet reflections and a lighthouse beam, all of which challenge HDR mastering and QC.

Your job is to anticipate where things can go wrong and plan to prevent it.

Step 1: Capture and camera plan

Start with the camera plan for approval (Lesson 2).

• Main cameras: two approved large-format cameras recording raw at a resolution above 4K, with a 2.00:1 extraction that remains wider than 3,840 pixels.
• Specialty: an approved drone for exteriors, and a compact camera for boat interiors, which is not on the approved list.
• Frame lines: 2.00:1 main frame with 16:9 protection for the broadcaster's version and a center-weighted vertical crop for promotion.
• Tests: lenses, practicals for flicker at 23.976 fps, the lighthouse beam at the planned shutter angle, and wet-surface highlights in HDR.

Step 2: Pipeline and monitoring

Next, design the pipeline (Lesson 4).

• Working space: ACES with ACEScct for grading, using one documented ACES version for dailies, VFX and finishing.
• Show look: built during tests in the working space, checked through both SDR and 1,000-nit PQ output transforms.
• On set: SDR monitoring for most of the crew; a calibrated HDR monitor at the DIT station that reaches at least 1,000 nits, with nit readouts on scopes.
• Dailies: SDR dailies for editorial and producers; weekly HDR review of selected scenes with the director and colorist.
• VFX: scene-referred OpenEXR plates in ACES2065-1 with CDLs and the show look as reference.

Step 3: Mastering and metadata

Plan the mastering work (Lesson 5).

• Grade HDR first on a 1,000-nit P3-D65 reference display, then run Dolby Vision analysis and trim SDR for the 100-nit target.
• Schedule enough time for SDR trims and a full SDR review.
• Measure MaxCLL and MaxFALL after the final render, and check gamut reports for the sodium and LED practicals.
• Review a sample of scenes on a consumer HDR television in a neutral picture mode.

Step 4: Deliverables and versions

List the picture deliverables and estimate storage (Lesson 6).

• HDR IMF package per episode with Dolby Vision metadata embedded or attached.
• Supplemental packages for localized title cards and credits.
• Textless elements for all shots with on-screen text.
• For the broadcaster: an HD SDR version at 29.97 fps with 2:3 pulldown or a standards conversion, closed captions in a broadcast format and a described video track.

Step 5: Sound and timed text coordination

The DP does not mix sound or write subtitles, but the plan should confirm that the camera department supports them (Lessons 7 and 8).

• Jam timecode at call and after lunch; slate clearly; record speed changes in camera reports.
• Flag shots with on-screen text, such as phone screens, signs and documents, for subtitle placement and forced narratives.
• Keep important on-screen text away from the bottom of the frame where possible.
• Share cut-downs with the audio describer early so they can plan around dialogue density.

Step 6: QC plan and checklist

Plan QC at every stage (Lesson 9). Ask the DIT and dailies lab to report technical faults daily, run internal QC at the finishing facility before delivery and keep a log of creative-intent notes, such as grain, flares and the lighthouse's bloom, to declare to the service.

Step 7: Archive plan

Finally, plan the archive (Lesson 10).

• Archive original camera files, grading projects, LUTs, CDLs, Dolby Vision metadata, masters, VFX finals, audio stems and timed text.
• Write two LTO copies stored in different places, plus a cloud copy of masters and project data.
• Include a look document describing the intended look, references and the lighthouse highlight decisions.
• Meet the broadcaster's and funders' archive requirements as listed in their delivery schedules.

Presenting the plan

Bring all the steps together in a short delivery plan document for the producers, post supervisor and the service's technical contact. A good plan includes a one-page summary, the camera plan and runtime table, the pipeline diagram and versions, the mastering approach, the deliverables list with owners and dates, the QC checklist and the archive plan. It should list open questions and the dated specification versions it follows. Review it at milestones: before shooting, at picture lock, before the grade and before delivery. A plan that is shared and updated keeps everyone working toward the same result and gives the cinematographer's work the best chance of reaching every viewer as intended.