The complete film deliverables checklist.

The mezzanine you will never delete. ProRes 422 HQ for SDR, ProRes 4444 XQ for HDR. Native resolution (HD or UHD). Native frame rate. One second of black and silence at head and tail. Full multi-channel audio embedded with stereo fold-down included. Color primaries and transfer characteristics flagged in the file metadata so a downstream encoder does not have to guess.

The thing tier-1 streaming actually wants. SMPTE ST 2067-21 Application 2E, required by Netflix and accepted by Amazon, Apple TV+, and Disney+. JPEG 2000 video in MXF, uncompressed PCM audio in MXF, IMSC1.1 subtitles, CPL/PKL/AssetMap XML metadata. Run it through Photon (Netflix's open-source validator) before you hand it over.

A Dolby Vision XML metadata sidecar with Level 1 metadata on every frame (CM v2.9 or v4.0), plus a separately-graded SDR trim pass. Auto-tone-mapped down-conversions do not count. Netflix and Apple both bounce them.

A full-length version with all on-picture text and graphics removed so foreign markets can composite localized versions. Take out main titles, credits over picture, location stamps, lower thirds, animated text. Leave production logos, diegetic text (signs, papers in the story), brand logos that are part of the narrative.

SMPTE DCP. Interop DCPs still work in most theaters but nobody's proud of shipping one anymore. JPEG 2000 in MXF at 250 Mbps max, XYZ 12-bit color, 2K (2048×1080) or 4K (4096×2160), audio in SMPTE channel order with 5.1 minimum. Filename follows the ISDCF Digital Cinema Naming Convention.

Same format specs as the feature master. Theatrical trailers attached to MPA-member studio releases cap at 2:30 under the MPAA voluntary guideline. Teasers run :60 to :90. Streaming trailers 60 to 150 seconds.

H.264 in MP4, 8-15 Mbps HD or 20-30 Mbps UHD. Awards and press screeners usually want two layers of watermarking: a visible burn-in with recipient name and timestamp, plus a forensic invisible watermark (NexGuard, Verimatrix, Cinavia, Friend MTS). Password-protect the download link and set a short expiration.

The full stereo. 48 kHz, 24-bit BWF. Loudness target depends on where it's going: -24 LKFS for US broadcast (CALM Act), -23 LUFS for EU (EBU R128), -27 LKFS dialog-anchored for Netflix. True peak under -2 dBTP. A 1 kHz 2-pop two seconds ahead of program start plus five seconds of room tone at head and tail.

Six discrete channels in SMPTE order (L R C LFE Ls Rs). Netflix, Amazon, and Apple all reject the older ITU/broadcast order. If your dub stage calls it "5.1 broadcast layout," that's ITU. Politely correct them. Six separate mono WAVs preferred over interleaved. LFE low-passed at 120 Hz.

Only deliver Atmos if the deal actually asks for it. Netflix accepts it on Originals but does not require it. When you do deliver: ADM BWF mixed in a room that's at least 7.1.4. Dolby certification of the room is not required. Beds and objects separated. 48 kHz, 24-bit.

Fully filled. Every non-dialogue sound present: ambience, foley, principal music, source music, effects, walla. Pan and level matched to the original mix so a foreign dub sits on top and sounds identical except for the language. Zero dialogue leakage. Check the sub-audible range for bleed from omni mics; that is where indie M&Es routinely fail QC.

The surround version of the M&E for international dubbing. SMPTE channel order (L R C LFE Ls Rs). Same fully filled rule as the stereo. Any deal that includes international sales will ask for this.

Just the dialogue. Production dialogue, ADR, narration. No music, no effects. Has to be paintable on top of the M&E to reconstruct the full mix. Same 2-pop and head/tail as the composite.

The music, on its own. Score and source together or separated. Save this one. If a sync license lapses two years after release, the music stem is how you replace the cue without opening a session file that may not still work on a machine you own.

Hard effects, foley, backgrounds. One stem or separated sub-stems, whatever your mix stage delivered.

Verbatim dialogue plus sound descriptions and speaker IDs. Delivered as a bundle: IMSC1.1 or TTML1 for Netflix (they have their own Text Profile), iTT for Apple TV+, SRT for Amazon and as universal fallback, SCC (CEA-608/708) if the deal includes US broadcast rights. UTF-8 encoding. Netflix timing rules apply across formats: minimum 5/6 second per event, maximum 7 seconds, 2-frame minimum gap.

A separate track that appears only when foreign-language dialogue or on-screen text needs translation. Same format bundle as captions.

The traditional theatrical delivery document. Timecoded transcript of every line of dialogue, narration, and song lyric, plus shot-by-shot continuity and subtitle spotting cues. For a feature it runs 100 to 300 pages. A foreign dubbing house works from this document. PDF plus editable DOCX.

Verbatim text of all on-screen main titles, chapter cards, lower thirds, and end credit crawl. For localization and dubbing houses. PDF plus editable DOCX.

Per-language subtitle files for territories beyond the original language. ISO 639 language code in the filename. UTF-8. Full Unicode for non-Latin scripts. Translated from the CCSL, not machine-translated (which shows up in QC and gets rejected).

Harding FPA test pass certificate confirming the picture doesn't exceed PSE thresholds (per ITU-R BT.1702). Required for UK broadcast under Ofcom Rule 2.12. Netflix requires it for all animated content. Certificate is a PDF from an approved vendor (Harding, Cambridge Research Systems).

Clean poster art, no laurels or billing block on the base layer. Fully layered PSD with title treatment on its own editable text layers (not rasterized). Photography embedded at native resolution. Minimum 3840 pixels on the long edge (Netflix's canvas floor). Aspect variants: 2:3 vertical, 16:9 horizontal, 1:1 square, 9:16 vertical mobile. RGB for digital, CMYK only if the deal includes print. Ignore DPI. Only pixel dimensions matter for digital delivery.

The film's logotype as a separate file, transparent background, layered PSD or vector EPS/AI. Multiple color variants (black, white, on-image color). Reused across every downstream marketing asset.

At least 20 images. Hero portraits of each principal, key scene stills, ensemble shots. Shot by a unit photographer during production, not framegrabs from the edit. IPTC metadata embedded on every file: photographer, copyright, caption, date, subject. Press desks auto-reject images missing IPTC. Minimum 3000 pixels on the long edge. Adobe RGB preferred.

20 or so on-set images: director, DP, actors between takes, camera and lighting setups. Same technical requirements as production stills. IPTC identifying subjects matters here since context-free on-set photos are useless to press.

Web-optimized H.264 MP4 that gets distributed. Different from the ProRes trailer master. 60 to 150 seconds for streaming, 2:30 max for MPA-attached theatrical. Also usually requested: teaser (:60 to :90), TV spots (:30 and :15), and social cutdowns in 9:16 vertical and 1:1 square.

A PDF plus an organized folder. Logline, short synopsis (50-100 words), long synopsis (300-500 words), production notes (5-20 pages), director's statement, cast bios (~250 words per principal), crew bios, filmographies, full cast and crew lists, technical fact sheet, publicity contact.

Documentary-style making-of or shorter featurettes on specific topics. Usually 3 to 10 minutes each. H.264 MP4 for web plus ProRes 422 if broadcast press might use it.

Two to four short scene clips cleared for press use with no NDA restrictions. :30 to 1:30 each. Also useful: uncut interview footage with cast and director (5 to 30 minutes each) and 5 to 20 minutes of B-roll on-set footage.

Every cast member with character names, in billing order per the contract. Getting the billing order wrong is a fast way to get an angry call from an agent.

Key crew with titles and departments. Above-the-line at minimum; below-the-line as far down as the payroll company can pull.

One or two sentences that describe what the movie is. Max 200 characters.

Full-paragraph version for catalog listings, press releases, and platform detail pages. 200 to 2000 characters. Doesn't spoil the ending.

Total runtime, ideally to the second. Some deals want a note on whether it includes end credits, which can add a couple of minutes.

Primary genre. IMDb/IMDbPro list is the practical vocabulary; EIDR has more granular taxonomy for programmatic use. Titles usually carry one to three genres.

MPA rating (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17, Unrated) or equivalent from whichever territory-specific board rated it. Unrated is fine to note. The actual rating certificate is a separate legal deliverable.

The original spoken language of the film.

Country of production. Co-productions list multiple countries with treaty-defined percentage splits, which get complicated if the film qualifies for national tax credits in more than one place.

Year the film was finished. This is the year on the copyright card, not the year of first festival play or theatrical release.

Festival selections, nominations, wins. Used in marketing materials and platform listings. Leave off the ones nobody will recognize.

Entertainment Identifier Registry ID for the title, format 10.5240/XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-C. Register at eidr.org. Funded by MovieLabs, Amazon, Google, Netflix, Sony, and the majors, and how they cross-reference titles across programmatic supply chains. Increasingly expected on tier-1 delivery.

IMDb title ID once assigned. Format tt0000000. Every downstream system that touches your film uses it as the cross-reference.

A package, not a document. A binder tracing ownership of every creative element from source material through the current rights holder. Underlying literary rights if adapted (book, article, play, life rights). Original screenplay with writer employment agreement, WGA Certificate of Authorship, USCO Form PA. Subsequent writers. Production company assignment. Producer agreements. Financier and investor rights. Distributor and sales agent assignments to the current rights holder. Underlying music rights. Talent agreements. Prepared by production counsel or a title-clearance company. Typically 200 to 500 pages. If yours is 30 pages, it's not done.

The one where the numbers on the internet are all slightly out of date. Industry baseline for indies is $1,000,000 per occurrence / $3,000,000 aggregate, $10,000 deductible, 3-year term. Tier-1 platforms and higher-profile titles sometimes want $3M/$5M or $5M/$5M. Ask the acquiring distributor what they need before you buy the policy. Coverage has to trigger on copyright infringement, defamation, invasion of privacy, right of publicity, plagiarism, and breach of underlying-materials contracts. Distributor and subsidiaries named as Additional Insured on the actual certificate, not just the policy.

USCO certificate on Form PA (Performing Arts). Register the screenplay before or during production. WGA registration is not a substitute. Only USCO registration lets you claim statutory damages if you have to sue over infringement.

USCO Form PA for the completed film. Register on completion; deposit copy required.

Three reports, usually one package. Title Report (USPTO, state trademarks, existing titles, domain names) from Thomson CompuMark or Dennis Angel. Script Clearance Report (character names, product mentions, song lyrics, visible logos) from De Forest Research or Act One. Copyright Search Report confirming no prior conflicting registration.

Fully executed contracts or deal memos for cast in main titles (top 5 to 10 billed roles). Long-form agreement or deal memo, SAG-AFTRA Standard Agreement if union, Certificate of Engagement, riders (nudity, stunts, likeness, publicity, moral clauses), Consent to Use of Likeness in perpetuity, W-9 or W-8BEN.

Above-the-line and key creative crew contracts, all work-for-hire with full IP assignment. Director's Agreement (DGA if applicable), Writer's Agreement plus WGA Certificate of Authorship (critical for chain of title), Producer's Agreements, DP, editor, composer, production designer.

Every pre-existing recording needs two licenses: a synchronization license from the publisher (composition), a master use license from the label (recording). Original score usually covered by one composer work-for-hire. Grants cover all media (theatrical, non-theatrical, home video, SVOD, AVOD, TVOD, FAST, broadcast, international), all territories, in perpetuity, and all contexts (film, trailer, TV spots, promos, EPK, festivals, awards screeners). Trailer sync is often a separate negotiation. If the license doesn't explicitly cover the trailer, it's not covered.

Every piece of music with cue number, title, composer(s) and percentage share with PRO affiliation, publisher(s) and percentage share, duration, in/out timecodes, and use type coded per ASCAP conventions (VV, BV, VI, BI, TO, TC, L). PDF plus Excel/CSV. Filed with PROs (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC in US; PRS in UK; SACEM in France; GEMA in Germany). The RapidCue format lets you email it to cuesheets@rapidcue.com and populate ASCAP and BMI at once. Excel is preferred, because PROs re-key PDF submissions by hand.

Contract with the composer for original score. Specifies work-for-hire status, assignment of all copyrights, delivery of masters/stems/mix files, publishing arrangement (buyout, co-publishing, or 50/50), composer's PRO affiliation.

Licenses for every stock or archival clip. Include a log: source (Getty, Shutterstock, Pond5, National Archives, Library of Congress, network archives), license terms, timecode in/out, duration, reference number. Terms sheet confirming coverage of all delivery media, territories, and term.

A signed release for every filmed location. Private property releases plus governmental filming permits. One release per location. If you shot in a coffee shop and didn't get the owner to sign, that scene is a liability.

Signed release from every on-camera person not covered by a SAG contract. Documentary subjects. Extras with speaking roles. Real-world bystanders visible in the frame. For biopics or dramatizations of real people, add depiction releases from the individuals portrayed (or their estates).

Also called the Lab Letter or Delivery Materials Access Letter. Authorizes the distributor to request masters and materials from your post facility or storage vendor directly. Without it, if you become unreachable, the distributor can't pull materials from the vault. Single most-forgotten legal document in indie delivery.

If US-rated by the MPA, the rating certificate PDF from CARA. Skip if unrated or Not Yet Rated. Equivalent territory rating certificates (BBFC, ACB) if you got them.

Technical QC report from a third-party approved lab. Netflix maintains a Netflix Preferred Vendors list; Amazon and Apple have their own. Standard automated tools: Interra Baton, Tektronix Cerify, Venera Pulsar. Common QC houses: Chace, Deluxe, Picture Head (US); Molinare, ENVY (UK).

Setup documentation for the ongoing residual obligations. SAG-AFTRA: Final Cast List with SAG IDs, signed Contract, Preliminary and Final Cast Reports, Residuals Reporting, performer Direct Deposit forms. DGA: Director's contract, Deal Memo, Weekly Work List. WGA: Notice of Tentative Writing Credits, Final Writing Credits, Writer's Agreement, Certificate of Authorship. IATSE and crew unions typically handled through payroll (Entertainment Partners, Cast & Crew).

W-9 for US persons/entities receiving royalty payments. W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E for non-US rights holders to establish tax treaty benefits and correct withholding rate. State withholding forms as applicable.

Director or cast commentary track. WAV, 48 kHz, 24-bit. Sync-locked to picture. Usually recorded well after the film is finished.

Documentary-style making-of, usually 20 to 60 minutes for a feature. Same picture and audio format as the master.

Deleted or extended scenes. Music and effects rights still need to be cleared. An unlicensed music cue in a deleted scene makes the deleted scene unusable.

Outtake and blooper reel. Usually shorter than everyone remembers it being.

Cast and crew interviews, 5 to 30 minutes per subject, uncut. Different from the promotional press clips. These are for the physical-media package or streaming extras tab.

Production storyboards or concept art. Useful for bonus content and marketing when the film has a distinctive visual approach.

A document listing every file delivered: filename, size, MD5 or SHA-256 checksum, and which line item on the delivery schedule it satisfies. Standard practice for tier-1 delivery. Lets the distributor verify integrity after transfer and gives both parties an auditable record when the argument about what was delivered comes up eighteen months from now.