The Missing Handles and the Two-Frame Retime
You are the delivery coordinator at a small roto vendor. The client ordered shot 110 as frames 1001–1100 with 12-frame handles on each side, naming sh110_roto_v###.exr, straight alpha. Your artist delivers frames 1001–1100 only, as shot110_roto_v01.####.png. The client's editor has retimed the sequence from 25 fps to 24 fps, so the conform is now offset by two frames. At 16:00 the client's production manager emails that the matte 'does not line up' and the comp team is waiting. Final delivery to the broadcaster is 18:00. The artist says the extra frames were not in the EDL and that naming should not matter. You have the original delivery spec, the EDL, and a file list. What do you do?
1. Identify the failures and set out your first 30 minutes of triage.
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There are four separate failures: missing handles, wrong file format, wrong naming convention, and a frame-mapping problem caused by the 25-to-24 fps retime. I would not simply rename the PNGs, because that would leave the comp with 8-bit files and no handles. In the first 30 minutes I would compare the delivery spec, EDL and file list; calculate the required handle range, which is 989–1112 for a 1001–1100 order with 12 frames each side; confirm the retime offset with the editor's EDL; and ask the artist to render the missing handles from the original plate as 16-bit EXR with straight alpha. In parallel I would tell the production manager what is confirmed, what is still being checked, and an ETA. I would send a manifest listing exact frames and naming so the comp team can test one frame immediately. If the full range cannot be rendered by 18:00, I would propose a partial delivery with a clear list of what is missing, rather than letting the client discover it at the deadline.
2. Draft the key points of the email you would send to the client's production manager at 16:20.
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Subject: Shot 110 update: frame range, handles and ETA. I would state the facts plainly: we have delivered 1001–1100; the spec requires 989–1112 with 12-frame handles; the current files are PNG rather than the specified EXR; and the 25-to-24 fps retime introduces a two-frame offset that we are confirming against the EDL. I would not blame the artist or the editor. I would give a concrete plan: a corrected test frame by 16:45, the full handle range as 16-bit EXR by 17:30, and a manifest by 17:35; if the retime requires a different mapping, we will confirm before rendering. I would ask the production manager to have the comp lead test the 16:45 frame and confirm the expected frame numbers. I would close with the impact: if the test is approved, the 18:00 delivery remains achievable; if not, we will flag the risk by 17:00. The email should make it easy for the client to act, not just explain the mistake.
3. What prevention steps would you put in place for the next delivery?
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I would use a one-page delivery checklist at ingest: frame range including handles, file format and bit depth, alpha type, naming template, colourspace, and version. I would require a single test frame approved by the comp lead before the full render. I would keep the EDL, retime information and delivery spec in the shot folder, not only in email. I would add an automated QC script that checks frame count, missing frames, resolution, channel count and naming, and produces a manifest with checksums. I would also make handles a written line item in the vendor agreement, because 'not in the EDL' is not a defence when the spec is explicit. Finally, I would schedule the vendor delivery at least two hours before the client deadline so there is time for a conform check. These steps are cheaper than a 18:00 crisis and make responsibility clear on both sides.