What are the technical requirements for the delivery of my film?

There are a number of technical questions that come up when aemi speaks with filmmakers about both budgeting and delivering final versions of their films for funding bodies, festivals, etc. There are many standard practices to consider and specifications can vary, however there are some considerations to keep in mind.

There are questions to consider around the specifics of captioning / accessibility requirements, DCP standards, and more general film formatting with many variables to consider. It is also an area where standards and expectations can change. Where possible aemi do try to stay informed but it is also important for us to create opportunities for exchange between filmmakers so they can share their knowledge and not have to figure out these issues in solitude. Sometimes these considerations are also best understood on a case by case basis. With that in mind if you are approaching any of these issues and would like to discuss them further you can always contact us directly. In instances where speaking to someone about your project would help aemi set this up, but we are also happy to look at how mentorship might help address these issues. For more info contact [email protected]

Below then are some rough guidelines, with some links to further supports, that deal with the various stages of consideration when preparing your film for delivery or preparing a budget with these deliverables in mind. As is usually the case, often the worst time to start thinking about deliverables for your film will be when the film is complete. Try to plan early so you have considered fully the complexities of what it involved with completing your film so it is ready to go for festivals, cinemas, etc.

With all that in mind we will start then at the beginning:

I’m preparing a budget for my film, or applying for funding, and need to start thinking about what will be required for delivery?

In preparing a budget for your project you will already be required to start thinking about what will be required for final delivery of your project. What you will be considering here then is where the film will ideally be going (festivals, cinemas, online?) but what you will also have to consider here are the specific requirements of funding bodies.

Funding bodies for example may have very specific requirements when it comes to delivery of your project and these will need to be considered, and budgeted for, when applying for funding. Even if your budget is speculative, or the project is funded in a more hands off way, it is still worth considering early on what costs will be involved in finishing and presenting your film, what you can do yourself, and what will require outside help?

In putting together a budget for your film there are some key aspects to consider:

accessibility requirements  

Thinking about accessibility requirements in relation to your film early on is important. Many funding bodies, including the Arts Council, now require that you submit versions of your work that incorporate captioning for deaf audiences and/or audio description. These processes however will also be an opportunity for you to learn more about your practice and work by engaging thoughtfully and creatively with the specifics of these frameworks and integrating these processes into your project at the earliest stage possible will result in the best outcomes.

aemi have run a number of workshops and information sessions on this subject, including this conversation between Jenny Brady and Elaine Lillian Joseph. When approaching this issue in relation to your own project and putting a budget together it may also help to speak with someone working in the field, aemi may be able to help with this, get in touch.

DCP, file formats, and other technical requirements

When budgeting for your film you will need to consider all that is involved and required for delivering your film. Again different funding bodies may have very different requirements for this and it also worth considering current standards for festivals, whether or not you are working in 4K for example, how you are designing your sound to make it compatible with cinema systems, etc.

There will be many factors to consider here and every project will need particular consideration. Within the budgets typical of artist film as an initial marker it is worth assigning 10% of your overall budget to cover accessibility requirements and the technical delivery of the project. Depending on the scale and scope of the project some of the costs to consider here include captioning, audio description, colour grading, DCP production and more general file preparation. Again there will be a lot of variables to consider here at budget level and an additional area of your budget can be assigned as contingency to allow for these variables.

I’ve received funding for my film project and now want to consider more carefully the requirements for delivery?

First up, congratulations! Anytime you receive funding for a project it is a huge sign of confidence in your practice and a very important benchmark of achievement. Well done!

This then is also the time to start thinking more carefully about what will be required for delivery of your film, getting it out in the world, and sharing it with others. You also probably want to think about this early in order to avoid budget being absorbed elsewhere in the busy process of completing a project. If there will be others involved in the delivery of your film, and there typically will be, from audio description services, captioning, to colour grading, and file preparation, this will be the time to start having those conversations (alongside all the other conversations involved in the production of a film). You may want to start having more detailed conversations with individuals involved in final delivery, filling out the detail of your budget and thinking about the final work in more concrete terms. This will take time so try to budget for your own time in relation to this also as well as the time of others.

Identify some questions about the project at this stage, for example duration, level of complexity in terms of dialogue/design, how you want to approach accessibility, etc. If you have previous funded projects think about what was involved and what will differ in this project? What new or additional requirements are involved? What can you do yourself and what will you have to pay others to do? What are the time requirements likely to be not only in terms of collaborators but also in terms of your own time?

Again it will be useful to speak to others at this stage as you try to fill out these details. This may be something aemi can help with, get in touch if this is the case.

I’ve completed my film project and now need to think about delivering it?

As mentioned previously the best time to think about deliverables for your film project is not typically when the project is complete. The problems you are likely to encounter include not having budgeted accurately for what will be involved in the delivery of your film. This is why it is important to have informed conversations as early as possible in the process as you want to avoid compromising your film by not having the resources available to deliver it satisfactorily, and ultimately to screen it for audiences in a way that meets your ambitions for the project.

The requirements for delivering a final version of your film will vary greatly but there are some issues to consider:

Festivals and cinemas?

Some, although far from all, festivals will require DCP (Digital cinema package) formatted versions of your film. This is generally a preference for festivals (and most cinemas) but festivals will in some instances be able to provide these services for you. If a festival is providing this service for you it is generally a good idea to ask them for a copy of the DCP once generated. A lot will depend then on your budget for the film but even if you can’t currently afford to create a DCP of your film don’t let that stop you submitting it to festivals. Have a high quality master of the film ready to go, and if and when the film is selected for festivals do try to access and hold on to the DCP once created. In addition to the ‘master version’ it will also be good to have another reasonable sized ‘screener’ version of the film. This can frequently take the form of a password protected version of the film on sites like vimeo.

Outside of the technical requirements of the film there are other considerations that will help when getting your film into festivals including stills, synopsis, poster, trailer, etc. Many of these are outlined and described in the communicating your practice section of aemi’s Toolkit for film artists.

Funding bodies? 

As stated earlier funding bodies will have different requirements for delivery of your project. For example the Arts Council recently updated what is needed for final delivery of your film project, in terms of technical requirements and accessibility standards. In instances like this a portion of your funding may be held back until delivery is complete. In the case of the Arts Council they now require a DCP (which is then held by the IFI Irish film archive for posterity). DCPs are complex file formats with many variables, especially in combination with audio description and captioning variables. If this is the case it is important to allow for the time and expertise involved in delivering your project. Again if this is something you are having issues with aemi may be able to help, get in touch.