Blog
Articles on filmmaking technique, production planning, and industry knowledge.
Showing 12 of 31 posts (Page 2 of 3)
Audio Delivery Standards for Film and Television: A Complete Format Guide
Covers broadcast, streaming, theatrical, and festival delivery specs - sample rate, bit depth, channel configuration, LUFS targets, and true peak limits per platform. The reference to hand your mixer before the session begins.
Mono vs. Stereo vs. 5.1 vs. Atmos: Which Audio Format Does Your Film Actually Need?
A decision framework for choosing the right audio format for your independent film - covering what each format requires technically, which platforms expect it, what it costs to produce, and the realistic breakeven point where investing in 5.1 or Atmos is justified versus where stereo is the right call.
What to Do When Your Audio and Picture Are Out of Sync in the Edit
Covers the four root causes of audio-picture sync drift in the edit - sample rate mismatch, frame rate conflicts, timecode breaks, and import offset errors - with a diagnosis and fix workflow for each cause.
How to Negotiate a Music License for Your Indie Film: The Conversation Nobody Teaches You
Covers the practical mechanics of negotiating sync and master use licences for independent films - including how to approach rights holders, what information to have ready, which terms are negotiable, and how to use the Music Licensing Cost Estimator to anchor your budget before you make the first call.
BPM and Picture: How Editors Cut to Music Without Losing Their Mind
The practical mechanics of cutting picture to a musical tempo - how to calculate frame-accurate beat intervals, how to use the BPM Sync Tool to pre-calculate cut points, and when cutting to music serves the scene versus when it works against it.
Delivering Audio for Netflix, Amazon, and Apple TV Plus: The Spec Differences That Matter
Covers the platform-specific audio delivery specifications for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV Plus - comparing loudness targets, channel format requirements, codec preferences, and the delivery mistakes that trigger rejections at each platform's QC stage.
The Editor's Guide to Music Temp Tracks: Licensing Risk, Temp Love, and How to Brief a Composer
Covers the practical and legal risks of temp tracks in the editing process - including how temp love locks in the wrong musical identity, how to quantify the sync licensing cost of your temp selections, and how to brief a composer so the final score serves the film rather than imitating the temp.
How Many SSDs Do You Need for a Feature Film? A Pre-Production Calculation Guide
A step-by-step pre-production calculation guide for determining exactly how many SSDs or hard drives a feature film production needs, covering acquisition volume, backup redundancy, proxy storage, and the timing of drive purchases versus rentals.
RAW vs. ProRes vs. H.265: The Storage Cost of Each Codec in Real Numbers
A line-item storage cost comparison for RAW, ProRes, and H.265 acquisition across a full feature film production, with real bitrate figures, drive counts, hardware costs, and the workflow implications that make cheaper codecs not always cheaper in total.
Building a Data Management Workflow for a Small Crew: Who Backs Up What and When
A practical data management framework for productions without a dedicated DIT - covering card offload sequences, checksumming, drive labelling, proxy creation, and how to structure responsibilities across a 2-3 person crew so nothing gets missed.
Sample Rates in Film Production: 48kHz vs. 96kHz and When Higher Actually Matters
Covers the Nyquist theorem in plain language, why broadcast requires 48kHz, when 96kHz or 192kHz actually matters and when it is workflow overhead, and the storage implications of each choice for film and television audio.
Closed Captions and Subtitles for Film Delivery: Formats, Standards, and Mistakes to Avoid
Covers SRT vs. VTT vs. SBV vs. TTML - which platforms require which format, how to convert without losing timing accuracy, and the compliance requirements for Netflix, Amazon, and broadcast delivery.