We offer a 100% refund or redo if your new DCP is rejected by the projection QC process for any issues that are our fault. We must be given ample time to redo or correct the issue.
If your DCP is rejected by QC at the theater due to issues with the DCP creation, you can send us a corrected master and we will recreate the DCP to correct the issues. If the DCP is rejected due to problems that are inherent in the original movie file, we can try to fix it or redo the DCP with a new file at a 50% discount.
If your DCP is rejected by QC at the theater due to issues with the DCP creation, you can send us a corrected master and we will recreate the DCP to correct the issues. If the DCP is rejected due to problems that are inherent in the original movie file, we can try to fix it or redo the DCP with a new file at a 50% discount.
Send us your movie, either online or on a physical hard drive. We create the DCP and send it directly to your festival or to you as either a digital upload or hard drive in the mail.
File format:
.MOV – Quicktime ProRes (4444XQ, 4444, 422HQ, 422, 422LT)
.MP4 – H.265 or H.264 with at least 20 Mbps for 2K / 40Mbps for 4K, “high profile” or better)
Audio: Stereo or 5.1
Frame rate: 23.976, 24, 25 (These are the only rates we accept)
File format:
DCP – 2K Flat 1998 x 1080 or 4K Flat 3996 x 2160, 24fps, 5.1 (The 5.1 will be created from your stereo track if you don’t have a native 5.1 master)
These are the only DCPs we create. If you need scope or other parameters, we can’t be of service.
Delivered online or via hard drive in the mail – We prefer to upload it to the festival directly. We can put it on a regular hard drive but some festivals won’t accept it unless formatted as EXT2 (which is not readable without a DCP server)
2K – Looks fantastic in most theaters, especially if you shot in 4K or higher. The file sizes are smaller than 4K, so it’s cheaper and takes less time for DCP creation. Audiences would be unlikely to determine that it is 2K, especially if the story is working.
4K– It’s not uncommon for a 4K flat DCP to exceed 200GB. That creates transfer and storage issues. We recommend 2K unless you have more time and a bigger budget.
Note: All DCPs, either 4K or 2K, are limited to 250mb/s
Due to various projection and sync issues associated with subtitles and captions, we only create DCPs that have burned-in, visible captions.
Subtitles or captions must be burned into the original master. We don’t create any DCPs with external (sidecar) subtitles/captions.
Stereo – If you give us your stereo master, we will deliver a 5.1 surround sound DCP. This is the only option we offer because it is most compatible format for theaters. It’s not a true surround sound, but it will send all of your stereo sound to the proper speakers. The sound quality doesn’t improve because it wasn’t mixed in proper 5.1 surround sound. But it will play in proper stereo through the front and back speakers.
5.1 Surround Sound – If you give us 5.1 audio, we merely pass the audio straight through to the DCP in 5.1
The aspect ratio of a film is the shape of the image. It can be a tall rectangle, a wide rectangle, a square, or any variation of quadrilateral. So now, we have to fit that shape into the shape of a movie screen. But don’t worry. Whatever the shape of your movie, we will place it properly inside the 1:1.85 aspect ratios of most theaters. If you shot 16×9, it fits nicely in the 1.85 with mild letterboxing. If you shot in the “scope” format, your movie will have bigger letterboxing and will project more like a wider skinnier rectangle.
Yes. All DCP servers can project 4K, regardless if it is a 2K projector.
We prefer to deliver directly to the screening facility or festival, typically by a link they provide for this purpose. This elevates common issues. Otherwise, we can either send you the DCP directly via a file-sharing service or drop it onto a hard drive and ship it to you in the mail.
Note: This can cause issues as DCPs usually require a file server that is formatted in EXT2 format.
We don’t create encrypted DCPs and we don’t recommend it for festivals.
We use industry-standard specifications and we validate the DCPs with specialized software. Our DCPs should look exactly as good (or as bad) as your original movie file. If your master has imperfections, those same artifacts will appear on the big screen. But assuming your master looks perfect, the DCP should also be perfect. However, we strongly suggest testing your DCP at the festival theater well in advance of your screening so that we have time to correct any issues that may arise. Festivals and theaters sometimes charge for this, but it may be worth the peace of mind. But some festivals/theaters don’t charge you for this.
We charge your card after receiving your file and verifying it will make a proper DCP. But you can cancel prior to that.
But once we notify you of the DCP viability, we don’t allow cancelations after that point.