Intro

This guide provides an overview of how the Netflix Dailies system works. It explains the logic behind the system’s major functions, how results are displayed in the Content Hub interface, and the key algorithms that run behind the scenes. Use this document as a reference to understand both how the system operates and how to provide clean inputs to achieve the best possible results.

This is not a procedural “run book” or step‑by‑step guide for performing dailies. Instead, it is a system-level reference intended for readers who want to understand the underlying workflows and behavior of the Dailies system.

As the system continues to evolve, this document will be updated to reflect new features, changes in logic, and improvements to the overall workflow.

What’s Different About Netflix Dailies?

Traditional labs expect chaos and fix it overnight. You can hand over partial rolls, send LUTs later, provide additional verbal direction and rely on operators to patch things up.

Netflix Dailies however is a system

• The system starts processing as soon as camera files upload.
• It does not wait for you to clean things up later.
• It expects clean, complete, standardized inputs:
  • Camera rolls with ASC‑MHL
  • Matching sound rolls with ASC‑MHL
  • AMFs (if you want per‑shot looks)
  • FDLs (if you want custom framing)
  • Reference stills (if you want color validation)
  • Script Notes Top Sheets (if production wants circle takes marked)

If these are there and correctly organized, Dailies will be processed without any additional communication, intervention or concern

Please note, a pre requisite for using the Netflix Dailies system is that all OCF (original camera files) and OSF (original sound files) need to be uploaded through the Netflix Footage Ingest application.

Project Configuration / Settings

Enabling Dailies / Gaining Access

Within the Content Hub, General Settings page, you'll be able to see whether Dailies have been enabled for your project. 

Enabling the service is something the Netflix team will take care of for your show.

Configuring Framerate

Within the Content Hub General Settings page, there is also a place to configure the project's framerate.  This framerate should match the editorial and final IMF framerate.

Access/Permissions

In order to see the Dailies Tab within the Settings page, or see the Dailies main page within Content Hub, a Netflix representative will need to grant you permission. If you do not see the Dailies tab within the settings page, or do not see the Dailies tab in the main Content Hub navigation, this is probably due to a lack of permissions being granted.

Content Hub - Dailies Pages

Context

The Netflix Dailies system has a front end user interface within Content Hub. This interface is still considered to be in a Beta phase with feedback and updates impacting it daily.  However it is a place where users can expect to see status updates, as well as eventually interact with it to perform reprints, download reports and more. 

 

Intro to 'Dailies Overview Page'

Within Content Hub, within the Dailies tab, you will see each batch of dailies divided into its own row.  Therefore each unique: CalendarDate/Day/Unit/Block  will get its own row.

Within this 'overview' page, you can see how many camera and sound rolls were captured that day, as well as whether Dailies for that day are still in progress, or completed.

 

'Dailies Breakdown Page' - Progress/Confidence reporting

If you click on any of the rows within the Dailies Overview page, you will enter into a full screen view for that specific day.  

Each of the processes that the Netflix Dailies system runs (Sound sync, color correction, rendering, etc) not only have a progress bar to show whether they have each completed - But that progress bar is also color coded to provide one more incite - Confidence in whether or not the task was executed properly.

If you look at each individual shot, you will see each process has a color assigned to it:

• Green = High Confidence
• Purple = Medium Confidence
• Pink = Low Confidence

Each of the individual processes run will have their own logic for determining this confidence. Please see each of those sections below for details.

 

Within the header of each camera roll within the Dailies Breakdown Page, you may also see a red rectangle noting how many 'Notes' have been added for that particular roll.  This is the total number of QC notes that have been added to this particular camera roll.  More info on what things are checked for quality control can be found below.

 

'Dailies Breakdown Page' - Stats & Useful Info

At the top of the Breakdown page, you will see:

• # camera rolls recorded that day
• # sound rolls recorded that day
• # of video clips recorded that day
• Status on whether the dailies have been completed, or are still in progress
• Status on whether or not Dailies have been delivered to Editorial.

 

Uploading / Prep 

& How To Start Dailies Processing

 

Context

Any time the Netflix Footage Ingest application has been used for uploading content, the system will scan the directory for what files are being received. It looks to understand, which folders are camera rolls, which are sound rolls, which files are look files, etc.  

The upload will prioritize the look files and sound rolls before uploading camera rolls. As each camera roll finishes uploading, the dailies process for that roll automatically begins.  As an example if:

A001 - Just completed uploading

A002 - Still uploading

B001 - Still uploading

B002 - Still uploading

A001 will automatically begin its sound syncing, look application, QC, etc, workflows. 
(There is no manual trigger for dailies processing to begin.  The system also does not wait for the entire day to finish uploading before it begins)

As each roll finishes, dailies processing will begin for that media

 

Camera Folder Directory Structure

The Netflix Dailies system has a few requirements for how media should be organized / prepped.

• All camera rolls should have an ASC MHL checksum
• All sound rolls should have an ASC MHL checksum
• All media for processing should be uploaded together.   

Due to this requirement, if as an example you have two units (Completely separate camera teams, shooting simultaneously):

• Main Unit
• 2nd Unit

Each of these must be uploaded independently.  The sound files for each unit must be with the camera files for that unit. Therefore if you were to:

1. Upload the Main Unit directory (And this contains sound and look files for 2nd unit as well)
2. And then upload 2nd Unit original camera files next

Sound and looks will not get applied to the second unit.  It is important to keep the look files and sound files together with the OCF they are meant to go with.  The one exception to this rule, is CLF files. More on this in the look files/color management section below.

 

Look files / Color Management

The Netflix Dailies system has been built to work with 2 inputs for applying/verifying color correction:

• AMF's should be delivered for every shot
  • Naming Convention: No Netflix requirement 
  • CLF's only need to be uploaded once - Once uploaded, it will be made available for any future AMF to point to
  • Naming Convention: No Netflix requirement 
  • CDL's should be embedded within the AMF files 
• Still reference images should be provided for every shot
  • Naming Convention: Match original camera filename
  • Framing: If framing is to be verified by the Dailies system, the desired framing should be baked into the still image.
  • Burn In's & Overlays should not be on the image.  The image should be clean, with no framelines, watermarks, or burnt in text

The files can be placed anywhere within the directory being uploaded as long as they are outside of the OCF folder. 

Dailies Processing “Batches”

When uploading through the Netflix Footage Ingest application, media is grouped for dailies processing based on four fields:

• Shoot Date (mandatory – taken from the ASCMHL)
• Shoot Day (optional – manually entered during upload)
• Unit (optional – manually entered during upload)
• Block (optional – manually entered during upload)

A Dailies Batch is defined by the combination of these four fields.

• Multiple uploads can belong to the same Dailies Batch, as long as these four fields match.
• Any change to one or more of these fields creates a separate Dailies Batch.

 

Splitting a Large Day Into Multiple Uploads

Uploads for a single shoot day may have needed to be split into two (or more) uploads because the full day’s folder is too large.

Morning upload (Upload 1):

• Shoot Date: 2026-03-25
• Shoot Day: 05
• Unit: Main Unit
• Block: 101

Afternoon upload (Upload 2):

• Shoot Date: 2026-03-25
• Shoot Day: 05
• Unit: Main Unit
• Block: 101

Because all four fields are identical, Upload 1 and Upload 2 are treated as one Dailies Batch.

Within that batch, all uploads are merged together in the system once each upload completes.

Example: Not Splitting Sound Rolls

For instance, if the day’s media is too large:

• Upload 1 might contain:
  
   
  • All sound rolls for the entire day
  • Camera rolls A001–A005
• Upload 2 might contain:
  
   
  • Camera rolls A005–A010
  • No sound (because the sound was already uploaded in Upload 1)

This is valid. You do not need to re-upload the same sound with Upload 2.
As long as all required sound, look, and framing files for that Dailies Batch have been uploaded in any of the uploads with the same 4 fields, the batch can be processed correctly.

 

Timing and Required Sidecar Files

• Processing for a Dailies Batch begins as soon as an upload for that batch completes.
• The system will use all files that have been uploaded so far for that batch, across all uploads with matching fields.

To avoid warnings or incorrect processing for part of the batch:

• Make sure that by the time processing needs to occur, all required:
  • sound files,
  • look files (CDLs/LUTs),
  • framing/metadata files, etc.
    have been uploaded in at least one of the uploads that belong to that batch.

 

Separate Units = Separate Dailies Batches

If you have multiple units shooting on the same day, they should be treated as separate Dailies Batches.

Main Unit upload:

• Shoot Date: 2026-03-25
• Shoot Day: 05
• Unit: Main Unit
• Block: 101

Second Unit upload:

• Shoot Date: 2026-03-25
• Shoot Day: 05
• Unit: Second Unit
• Block: 101

Because the Unit field differs, these will be processed as two distinct Dailies Batches, even though the date, day, and block are the same.

Each unit must upload its own:

• Original camera files,
• Original sound files,
• look files,
• framing files,

organized and labeled for that unit’s batch.

 

Quick Rules of Thumb

• Same 4 fields (Shoot Date, Shoot Day, Unit, Block) → one merged Dailies Batch.
  • You can split a day into multiple uploads (e.g., morning/afternoon); the system combines them.
• Any change in those 4 fields → a new, separate Dailies Batch.
  • Different Unit (e.g., Main vs Second) always creates separate batches.
• Sidecar files (sound/looks/framing) should be uploaded in the first batch to avoid issues.
  • They do not have to be re-uploaded with each subsequent upload, as long as they already exist in the system, within that dailies batch.

Sound Syncing

Context

The Netflix Dailies system is capable of syncing sound to picture.  The system is able to be set it's sound syncing to be by the Frame, or the Perf.  This is a show wide setting and not one that can be changed for individual shots. 

 

How the system performs sound sync

Here is a simple breakdown detailing the order of operations the sound syncing workflow takes:

1. Perform timecode sync
   1. The system will find which audio file goes with which video file by comparing timecode
2. Look for a clapper board
   1. The system will look within the video file for a clapper board
   2. If found, it will then look for the specific frame where it claps
3. Look for audio clap
   1. The system will then look for an audio clap within the master WAV file, taking into account the timecode clap from video.  
4. Audio is slipped 
   1. If a clap was found on both picture and audio, the audio will be slipped to match
   2. If a clap could not be found on video, or audio, the shot will remain synced by timecode but flagged for review/fixing by the Netflix team    
5. Final Sound Sync QC
   1. If audio was slipped due to finding a clap, the system renders the file, and automatically re checks the result

If the system cannot find a matching audio file, cannot find a slate, or for other reasons determines that it may not have gotten the sound sync correct, this will be flagged within the Content Hub user interface.

 

Color Correction

Context

The Netflix Dailies system is capable of applying on set color correction to original camera files.  The color framework utilized by Netflix Dailies system is ACES, using AMF's for applying grades.  The system is also capable of comparing the applied color against still reference images for verification.

 

How the system applies looks

1. The system will look for an AMF file for each shot
   • To do so, it will check each AMF files 'ClipID' metadata field, to try to find a match to the original camera filename.
   • Once it finds the matching AMF, it will then look for any additional referenced files (like CLF's)
2. It will then look to see if it can find a reference still image
   • To do so, it will look for a still image with a matching file name to the original camera files.
   • If a reference image is found for the shot, it will compare the original camera file with the grade applied against the still image 

Results:

Green = The still image provided from set matches the applied color grade

Purple = The original camera file has a grade applied, but there was no still found to compare against

Pink = The still from set does not match the original camera file with a grade applied

 

Framing

Context

The Netflix Dailies system applies framing based on ASC FDL files (Framing Decision Lists). It is important to distinguish if your show will be adjusting framing on each shot, as an example, lenses being switched out on each shot within the same camera roll.  Or is your show going to have 1 framing preset for each camera format.

 

How the system applies framing

1. Per‑camera‑format FDL:
   • If framing is constant, one FDL per camera format should be created
     (Camera formats are made up from the following attributes: Camera, Codec, Resolution, Lens Squeeze Factor & an additional optional field of Camera Letter)
   • These FDLs should be uploaded into the camera format page within Content Hub.  This camera format page can be found in two different places within Content Hub:
     • The Settings page
       Or within the Footage Management page, Camera Formats tab.
       
        
2. Per‑shot FDL:
   • If framing changes shot‑to‑shot (e.g., switching lenses or different framing decisions within the same Camera Format ), an FDL per clip must be provided with the `clipID` field matching the Tape Name.
   • These FDL’s should be uploaded along side the OCF during upload.  
     • Similar to AMF files, these FDL’s can be placed anywhere outside of the camera roll directory. As an example, you could create a folder titled 'Framing_Files' and place all FDLs within this directory.

If FDL's per shot are required, please speak to our Netflix Representative for guidance on the workflow to make this happen.

If you do not provide FDLs:

• The system assumes a fit all, scaled into the delivery container, while maintaining the source lens squeeze ratio (e.g., full sensor → Fit All → HD 16:9).
• Any creative extraction/framing you expected will not be represented in dailies.
• Downstream renders through MPS VFX Pulls will be limited to export as Full Source Resolution or Scaled to UHD.

Scene/Slate/Take Naming

Context

The Netflix Dailies system extracts the Episode, Scene, Slate, and Take fields from the original sound files. When a shot has synced audio, these metadata fields are used for labelling the NLE’s Episode, Scene, Slate and Take columns for editorial, as well as naming the Review proxies for creative review.

 

How the system names each shot

Many sound recording devices only provide basic fields (typically Scene and Take). To accommodate this, the Netflix Dailies system can extract multiple attributes from a single field.

For example, if the sound mixer enters the following text into the Scene field:

101-37

the system can be configured so that:

• 101 = Episode
• 37 = Scene

The system identifies the separator between values (in this example, the dash -). It then applies a consistent rule such as:

• Numbers before the separator → Episode
• Numbers after the separator → Scene

Because of this behavior, it's critical that the sound mixer is consistent in how these fields are entered. Main unit and second unit mixers must be aligned on a shared naming convention so the system can interpret the data reliably.

Within the Netflix Dailies configuration, you can map and extract the following attributes from the sound mixer’s metadata fields:

• Episode
• Scene
• Slate
• Take

The Take field can also have specific rules applied to it.  As an example, if the take field has been written as:

• 01

And you would like to have this auto corrected to:

• 1

This can be configured to automatically be adjusted.  The main thing to request from the sound mixer however is that they remain consistent with how they label this field. 

Handling incorrectly named or missing metadata

The Netflix Dailies system automatically detects:

• Shots with missing required metadata (Episode, Scene, Slate, Take)
• Shots where duplicate values are detected (e.g., multiple clips with the same Episode/Scene/Slate/Take)

Any time these values are duplicated, or completely missing, the system will correct them.

However, if the Episode/Scene/Slate/Take values themselves are incorrect as entered by the sound mixer (for example, a typo in the scene number), the Dailies system will pass them through as-is. The system does not “guess” or rewrite incorrect creative metadata; it uses what was tagged on set.

 

 

Downstream usage (Editorial & Review)

• Editorial:
  The Episode, Scene, Slate, and Take values are passed through into dedicated NLE columns for editorial. This allows editorial to sort, filter, and search based on the same metadata captured on set.
  The Name column for master clips, or sub clips can also be configured to make use of these metadata attributes.
• Review platforms (e.g., PIX):
  For review deliverables, these same Episode, Scene, Slate, and Take fields are used to name the files delivered to review systems, ensuring consistent identification across tools.

Marking Selects

Context

The Netflix Dailies system is capable of automatically marking select takes. This behavior is configurable on a show-by-show basis: you can choose to enable or disable automated select marking during Dailies processing.

When automated selects are enabled, the system expects to receive a Script Notes “Top Sheet” as a PDF. This Top Sheet must:

• List each shot that was recorded by camera
• Indicate which takes are selects

The ideal Script Notes include the original camera file names. When camera file names are present, the system can reliably match Script Notes to camera originals with minimal ambiguity.

If camera file names are not available in the Script Notes, the system can fall back to matching based on:

• Scene
• Slate
• Take

However, this approach relies on the Script Supervisor and Sound Mixer using matching Scene/Slate/Take values. Misalignment or inconsistencies between their naming conventions will reduce reliability. For this reason, including the original camera file name is strongly preferred.

Note: The system does not require the lined script pages that Script Supervisors typically create during production. Only the Top Sheet is needed. Understanding this distinction can significantly reduce the time and effort required for Script Supervisors to prepare files for the Dailies workflow.

 

How the system marks selects

1. Ingest and detection
   After the original camera files are uploaded through the Netflix Footage Ingest application, the system automatically looks for the Script Notes (Top Sheet PDF) in the same upload directory.
2. If Script Notes are missing
   • If no Script Notes are found, the system:
     • Continues processing dailies without marking selects.
     • Automatically sends an email notification to the Script Supervisor indicating that Script Notes are missing and that selects will not be marked until they are received.
   • If, after 6 hours, Script Notes still have not been received:
     • The system sends a second email, this time including the Post Supervisor/Producer, stating that Script Notes are still missing.
     • At that point, the system proceeds and delivers dailies without Script Notes for that batch and no shots will be marked as selects.
3. If Script Notes are available
   • When Script Notes are found, the system:
     • Parses the Top Sheet to identify select takes.
     • Matches those entries to the ingested media using:
       • Primary method: original camera file name
       • Fallback method: Scene, Slate, and Take (when camera names are not provided)
     • Flags the corresponding clips in the Dailies system as select takes, which will then be visible in the Content Hub and downstream tools (per your show configuration).

 

Delivering Script Notes to the system

Script Notes (Top Sheets) can be supplied to the Netflix Dailies system in either of the following ways:

1. Upload via Netflix Footage Ingest
   • Include the Top Sheet PDF(s) in the same upload as the camera originals.
2. Upload via Google Drive
   • Use the Google Drive link provided to your production during pre-production. Files uploaded to this location are automatically ingested by the Dailies system, subject to timing and configuration.

Quality Control

Context

The Netflix Dailies system is capable of performing a few specific quality control checks on video footage uploaded into the system. 

 

Quality Control Algorithms

• Lit Pixel Detection
  • This algorithm will detect lit pixels within your video footage and flag them within the Dailies Lab Report, as well as place these notes within the Dailies Comments column for editorial
• Production Equipment in Frame
  • This algorithm will detect cameras in frame, dolly's, light stands, track and many more various types of equipment within frame.  These will be noted within the Dailies Lab Report, as well as place these notes within the Dailies Comments column for any Avid Bins generated
• VFX Shot
  • This algorithm will detect blue screen, or green screen within any video file and make note of this within the Dailies Comments column for any Avid Bins generated

Each of the QC Notes created for the algorithms above can be noted in the following languages:

• English
• Japanese

 Each of the algorithms will also note the timecode range where the issue has been detected, as well as the Netflix QC Glossary Code number.

Deliverables

Context

The Netflix Dailies system supports two primary deliverable types:

• Editorial
• Review

Each type has its own configurable settings, allowing you to tailor how media and metadata are prepared for editorial workflows versus review platforms (for example, PIX).

The system is intentionally limited to these two deliverable categories. You cannot create an unlimited number of custom deliverable types; instead, you configure:

• One set of settings for your Editorial deliverable
• One set of settings for your Review deliverable

 

Available deliverables

Editorial:

The Netflix Dailies system can be configured in 3 modes:

• Avid
• Premiere
• Final Cut 

Once this has been set up, you can configure various settings with specific options available:

 

Avid Bin Options:

Option 1:	Option 2:
All Tracks Master Clips	Video Master Clips
Mix-down Only Sub-Clips	Audio Master Clips (with all tracks)
	Mix-down Only Subclips

 

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