Production Pipeline, Shot Management and Deliverables
Domain focus
This domain covers the production pipeline, shot management, and deliverables. The exam tests shot naming, version control, review status, frame rate, handles, and delivery specifications.
Core rules and concepts
- A shot moves through ingest, editorial, VFX, review, and final delivery. Each department needs the correct colour space, resolution, and frame range.
- Use consistent naming: project, sequence, shot, department, version, and extension. Never overwrite a delivered version; increment it.
- Track status in a shot management tool: waiting, in progress, review, approved, delivered. Dailies and review notes are part of the record.
- Deliverables specify resolution, frame rate, colour space, file format, bit depth, handles, and slate. Handles are extra frames before and after the shot for transitions.
- Check the cut: editorial changes can alter frame ranges, so confirm the current edit before delivery.
Worked example
A roto matte is requested for a 100-frame shot at 24 fps. Deliver 16-bit OpenEXR at 1920x1080, with 10-frame handles, in the approved colour space, named with the shot and version. Reasoning: the extra handles let the compositor blend transitions; 16-bit EXR protects edges; 24 fps matches the editorial cut. Delivering a 30 fps QuickTime would fail the spec even if the matte looked correct.
Traps that cost marks
- Missing handles, which breaks transitions.
- Delivering the wrong frame rate or resolution.
- Using a compressed review file as the final deliverable.
- Overwriting an approved version instead of incrementing.
- Ignoring the current edit and rotoing an outdated cut.