Production Checklists

Use these as gates, not as substitutes for a tested show specification.

Pre-Production Pipeline

[ ] Name an owner for the image pipeline.
[ ] Name an owner for every handoff and define the escalation path.
[ ] Confirm every camera, sensor mode, recording format, raster, and frame rate.
[ ] Choose and document the color-management approach.
[ ] Define input transforms, working spaces, viewing transforms, and output transforms.
[ ] Establish the Show LUT or viewing pipeline.
[ ] Review principal and VFX lens choices with the DP and VFX supervisor.
[ ] Shoot distortion grids and lens charts for every production lens.
[ ] Test Cooke /i, ARRI LDS, ZEISS eXtended Data, or other required camera and lens metadata.
[ ] Establish sequence, shot, file, folder, frame-number, and version conventions.
[ ] Define the tracking system and source of truth for assets, versions, notes, and approvals.
[ ] Define transfer, access, security, checksum, backup, and retention methods.
[ ] Set editorial proxy format and metadata requirements.
[ ] Set VFX plate, working, review, and final-delivery formats.
[ ] Set DI turnover and conform requirements.
[ ] Obtain likely distributor, streamer, broadcaster, and festival specifications.
[ ] Define HDR, SDR, theatrical, and archival masters.
[ ] Issue one versioned show specification and vendor-onboarding package.
[ ] Complete camera-to-dailies-to-VFX-to-DI round-trip tests.
[ ] Review the tests on calibrated target displays.

[ ] Remove timewarps and pull every source frame needed to rebuild them.
[ ] Remove editorial color, display transforms, resizes, and repositions unless specified.
[ ] Include the agreed handles.
[ ] Preserve source dynamic range and gamut.
[ ] Match the specified raster, pixel aspect ratio, and data window.
[ ] Preserve or provide source clip name, timecode, tape name, and camera metadata.
[ ] Include framing reference, editorial reference, and pull manifest.
[ ] Validate first and last frame numbers.
[ ] Check the plate through the approved viewing transform.

[ ] Use the approved shot name and version.
[ ] Deliver the exact frame range and handles.
[ ] Match the specified format, compression, channels, and bit depth.
[ ] Match the plate raster, pixel aspect ratio, display window, and data window.
[ ] Render in the specified scene-referred output encoding.
[ ] Remove slates from the production frame range unless instructed otherwise.
[ ] Include required mattes and label every channel.
[ ] Check for missing, duplicated, frozen, or corrupt frames.
[ ] Compare against the plate and previous approved version.
[ ] Gamma-, exposure-, and difference-check the complete frame.
[ ] Confirm the review movie and full-quality render show the same version.
[ ] Include a delivery manifest and checksum.

[ ] Lock or clearly label the turnover cut.
[ ] Flatten unnecessary tracks and remove obscured clips.
[ ] Decompose nested sequences and multicam clips.
[ ] Join through-edits where possible.
[ ] Keep titles, VFX, opticals, and camera originals on agreed tracks.
[ ] Preserve source names, tape names, timecode, and frame rate.
[ ] Export the requested EDL, XML, AAF, or FCPXML.
[ ] Export a reference movie with timecode, source name, and sequence name.
[ ] Provide leaders, two-pops, tail-pops, and sync references.
[ ] Identify every optical, speed change, resize, reposition, freeze, and split screen.
[ ] Identify the exact approved version of every VFX shot.
[ ] Consolidate and checksum required source media.
[ ] Compare the first conform against the offline reference.

[ ] Obtain the current delivery schedule from the recipient.
[ ] Confirm raster, aspect ratio, frame rate, color encoding, codec, and wrapper.
[ ] Confirm HDR and SDR mastering requirements.
[ ] Confirm audio configuration, stems, M&E, sample rate, and loudness.
[ ] Confirm captions, subtitles, accessibility tracks, and language versions.
[ ] Confirm texted and textless picture requirements.
[ ] Confirm DCP, IMF, ProRes, or other package requirements.
[ ] Confirm naming, metadata, artwork, trailer, and legal deliverables.
[ ] Run automated file validation.
[ ] Watch and listen to the complete final deliverable.
[ ] Validate captions and accessibility tracks on the target system.
[ ] Retain delivery manifests, checksums, and acceptance reports.