Camera approval and capture requirements

The first technical decision on a streaming production is the camera package. Premium services set minimum capture requirements because the original camera files are the raw material for every later version of the title: the HDR master, the SDR version, visual effects plates and future remasters. If the capture is weak, nothing in finishing can fully repair it. This lesson explains the kinds of capture requirements services publish, how to read them, how to plan framing for several aspect ratios and how to document the camera plan for approval. Figures quoted here are examples from public sources at the time of writing (October 2026); always check the current requirements for your production.

What capture requirements usually cover

Capture requirements tend to cover the same set of properties, even when the exact values differ between services.

• Sensor resolution: many premium services ask for a true 4K sensor, meaning the sensor has at least about 3,840 photosites across the active width used for the image, not an upscaled HD image.
• Bit depth: 10-bit or greater recording, so that gradients survive HDR grading without visible steps.
• Encoding: raw formats or scene-referred log encodings with a documented transfer function and gamut, rather than baked-in display looks.
• Codec and data rate: intraframe or raw codecs with a minimum data rate, so compression does not damage fine detail and noise.
• Chroma sampling: 4:2:2 or better, or raw, so that color edges and keys hold up.
• Frame rate: the project frame rate agreed with the service, recorded consistently, with high-frame-rate material planned and labeled.
• Approved list and runtime rule: a share of the final runtime must come from approved cameras, with listed exceptions.

Netflix, for example, has publicly described requirements that include a true 4K UHD sensor, 10-bit or greater recording and a minimum data rate of about 240 Mb/s at 24 frames per second for compressed formats, and a rule that about 90 % of the final runtime must come from cameras on its approved list. Other services publish similar but not identical rules, and some do not publish them at all, sharing them only with productions. Treat these figures as examples and confirm the current rules for your production.

Why each requirement matters

Each requirement maps to a problem it prevents.

The table explains why a service will reject a request to shoot a whole series on a camera that records 8-bit 4:2:0 at low data rates, even if the pictures look acceptable on a phone. They will look very different after an HDR grade on a 1,000-nit display.

Approved lists and exceptions

An approved list names camera models and, often, the recording modes that meet the service's requirements. A camera might be approved in raw and high-bitrate intraframe modes but not in its long-GOP or lower-bitrate modes. Some lists also include notes about firmware versions or settings. Exceptions are common for practical reasons:

• Specialty cameras: crash cameras, small action cameras, underwater housings and drones, where approved cameras would be impractical or unsafe.
• Archival and found footage: material shot long ago or by others, such as news footage or home video.
• Documentary and unscripted work: some services apply different rules to unscripted genres.
• Creative choices: film origination, vintage video or intentionally low-fidelity looks, agreed with the service.

The usual process is to describe the camera plan in a pipeline document, estimate how much final runtime each camera will supply and request written approval for anything outside the list. Some services want test footage from the camera in the exact mode planned.

Resolution, sensor modes and extraction

Cameras can record using different areas of the sensor. A large-format sensor might offer full-width, Super 35 and anamorphic modes. The resolution that matters is the number of photosites across the area used to make the delivered frame, not the camera's headline figure. For example, if a camera records 4.6K across its full width but the production uses a 2.39:1 extraction from the center of a 16:9 recording, the active image is still more than 3,840 pixels wide. If the production crops heavily in post or uses a small window of the sensor, the effective resolution may fall below the requirement.

For a 3,840-pixel-wide delivery at 2.39:1, the active picture height is about 3,840 ÷ 2.39 ≈ 1,607 pixels, and the rest of the 2,160-pixel frame is black bars or protected area. Many services still want the full 3,840 × 2,160 container, with the picture letterboxed inside it.

Framing for multiple aspect ratios

Streaming titles often need more than one aspect ratio. The main version may be 2.00:1 or 2.39:1, while some territories, broadcasters, promotional clips or social media need 16:9, 1:1, 4:5 or 9:16. Some services also ask for a 16:9 full-frame version for certain devices. The cinematographer handles this with frame lines and protection.

• Choose a common center or common top for the frame lines, depending on how other versions will be extracted; the figure shows centered frame lines.
• Protect the area outside the main frame from booms, lights and crew when other versions will use it.
• Agree a vertical-crop plan with marketing if promotional cuts will be made, and keep key action near the center where possible.
• Record frame-line metadata where the camera supports it, and send the frame-line files to dailies and editorial.

CINE-330 covered social-first deliverables for commercials. On a series, the main frame comes first, but a quick check of the 16:9 and vertical safe areas on the monitor can prevent problems later.

Frame rates and high-frame-rate material

Streaming services usually accept common frame rates such as 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97 and 50 or 59.94 frames per second, depending on territory and genre. Scripted drama in North America is usually 23.976 fps. The rule is to choose a project frame rate with the service and keep it consistent. High-speed shots for slow motion should be planned, recorded at a rate that divides cleanly into the project rate where possible, and labeled. Lesson 6 covers frame rate conversions and pulldown for deliverables.

In the United States, most scripted series use 23.976 fps, and network broadcast versions use 29.97 or 59.94 fps. International sales to territories that use 25 fps may require a converted version.

Writing the camera plan for approval

A clear camera plan helps the service approve the package quickly. It should be short, specific and honest about exceptions.

• Main cameras: model, sensor mode, resolution, codec, bit depth, chroma sampling, transfer function and gamut.
• Lenses and filtration: anything that affects resolution or flare, such as heavy diffusion or vintage lenses, with test footage if needed.
• Specialty cameras: models, modes and expected runtime.
• Frame rates: project rate and any high-speed rates.
• Aspect ratios and frame lines: main ratio, protection and extraction plan.
• Monitoring and LUTs: how the image will be viewed on set, in HDR and SDR.
• Data and dailies: recording media, copies, checksums and dailies color.
• Estimated runtime by camera: a simple table showing how the runtime rule will be met.

Attach test footage and a short note on any creative reasons for exceptions. Keep the approved plan with the production records.