Welcome to the Netflix Partner Help Center. Have a question or need help with an issue? Send us a ticket and we'll help you to a resolution.

Menu

Introduction

The exchange of images between a finishing facility and VFX vendor(s) is a crucial aspect of post production with a major impact on the quality, schedule, and cost of VFX. The guidelines that follow are intended to maximize image quality and reduce errors and ambiguity. These best practices are derived from experience across a wide range of content and workflows; however, the best choices for an individual project may depend on a combination of factors.

 If you have questions, Netflix is here to help. Please reach out to your Post Production Management or VFX contact at Netflix.

For VFX Delivery Specifications see Post Production Branded Delivery Specifications.

 



CAMERA & FRAMING

  • Framing charts should always  be shared between all vendors to ensure resolution and framing consistency and pixel-for-pixel accuracy throughout the entire imaging pipeline.
    • Please contact your Post Management or VFX contact at Netflix if you feel you will have issues fulfilling this requirement.
  • A framing chart per sensor mode should depict both the exact resolution that the sensor mode will capture and the intended active image resolution(s). VFX can work with the camera department to capture these charts.
  • Shooting lens distortion charts, per lens type, per sensor mode for VFX vendors is strongly recommended during camera testing, especially when a significant amount of 3D tracking is anticipated. VFX should provide lens grids and work with the camera department to make sure that images are captured appropriately.

 

 

VFX PULLS

  • VFX pulls should always include dailies color reference (QuickTime or reference frames) along with any CDLs and/or LUTs used in the dailies process. This is to help ensure that editorial proxies of VFX shots can easily be matched to the original dailies proxy.
  • To avoid debayering inconsistencies, we recommend that pulls are debayered and exported from the DI facility or a dedicated vendor who is aligned with the DI facility’s pipeline and setup.
    • The pull facility should debayer pulled plates to a standardized color space (such as ACES) that will allow CDLs and LUTs to apply in a way that is consistent with the dailies color pipeline.
    • We don’t encourage this, but if the plates are to be in a mix of camera color spaces, the different color spaces should be clearly communicated by the pull facility, per plate, and must be tracked.

 

 

ASPECT RATIO, CROPPING & SCALING

  • All vendors should align with the Post and/or VFX Supervisor with any plans to crop/reframe material.
  • Methodology for scaling should be standardized across vendors to ensure pixel-for-pixel consistency (resize filters, order of operations, etc.). 
  • Framing charts should demonstrate the scaling and cropping operations for each type of plate resolution vendors will receive.
  • Vendors should be given step-by-step instructions on how to get from any plate resolution to the final delivery resolution.

 

IMAGE RESOLUTION

  • VFX pulls and deliveries should always have an intended active image area of at least UHD (3840 square pixels in width).
  • For anamorphic capture, VFX vendors should be aligned with the DI facility to confirm whether the finishing pipeline will be in a squeezed or un-squeezed format. 
  • The working resolution should always be equal to or greater than delivery resolution.

 

 

COLOR PIPELINE

  • Color pipeline should always be established and communicated to all vendors.
    • Round-trip tests between VFX vendors, Editorial and the Digital Intermediate (DI) vendor must be performed early in the process to verify color pipeline consistency.
    • Please inquire about more detailed requirements.
  • Pre-grading plates prior to delivering to VFX vendors is discouraged and should never be baked in. If a pre-grade exists, it should be delivered as a sidecar file (such as .cc or .cdl).
  • If required by the VFX vendor, any balancing or neutral grading should be performed using debayered plates in a scene-referred color space, and corrections should be limited to reversible non-destructive operations, such as the ones that are available in CDLs (slope, offset, power and saturation). 

 

 

EDITORIAL

  • Editorial should provide proxy media format requirements for VFX proxy media that is to be delivered by the VFX vendor for inclusion in the offline project. 
    • This format may differ from the format requested for studio reviews. The DI facility can provide detailed instructions for accurately rendering proper color into proxy files.
    • In a color-managed pipeline, this most commonly involves applying CDL and LUT in the defined working color space in order to match original dailies color.
    • Proxy or intermediate QuickTime files should only be used for reference during editing and work-in-progress reviews, and not for final delivery or inclusion in the conform.

 

VFX DELIVERY, ARCHIVAL & WRAP

 

  • VFX vendors should be provided with specs for the final delivery format for the DI facility, including the image container (i.e., DPX, EXR) and compression type (i.e., uncompressed, ZIP, PIZ). The production team should confirm these specs with the DI facility.
  • Final delivery to DI should be submitted as ungraded shots.
  • The VFX Producer, VFX Supervisor, or Post Production Supervisor should ensure that final deliveries are in alignment with the documented post specs on their show to ensure that any final VFX shots will align in quality to non-VFX shots in the DI.
  • VFX material should be uploaded directly to Content Hub Workspaces using a folder directory as specified by your VFX Operations contact.
  • Note for Content Hub uploads:
    • LegalCharacters:  [ a-z ], [ A-Z ], [ 0-9 ], [ . ], [ _ ], [ - ]
    • Illegal: Spaces or any other symbols/characters
    • Illegal: Duplicate files and folder names
  • For Netflix Series, archival material can be delivered throughout the project as episodes are finalized via Content Hub.
  • If there are VFX shots containing texted graphics, project files for those shots along with textless versions and accompanying mattes, if not already embedded, may need to be provided to help with localization. Please confirm with your Post Production Supervisor to see if this is a requirement on your production.

 

 

TRANSLATIONS

CHANGE LOG

09-27-2022

Removed "Requirements" section, instead linking to delivery specifications. Consolidated Best Practices. Removed British English translation.

11-19-2021

Updated / Added translated articles.

11-18-2021

Added British English language translation.

 

 

 

 

Was this article helpful?
37 out of 39 found this helpful