Festival deliverables checklist for indie films

Festival deliverables are the files and documents a festival needs to screen, programme and promote your film. For most indie films that means a high-quality master, a screening copy (often a DCP), subtitle files, sound stems, stills, a poster, a trailer, a press kit and a few documents such as a music cue sheet. Every festival publishes its own technical spec, and the spec always wins over any general list, including this one.

What follows is a working checklist of what is commonly asked for, what each item is, and where the usual problems hide. Along the way we note which parts cinemaOS produces directly and which need an outside service, because knowing that early saves money and panic.

Start with the festival's own spec

Before you export anything, collect the technical requirements of every festival you have been selected for, and of the ones you are likely to be. Read them side by side. Note:

• Screening format. DCP, ProRes file, or both. Some accept an H.264 or HEVC file for smaller venues.
• Frame rate and resolution. Most want the film at its native frame rate. Ask before converting.
• Audio. Stereo, 5.1 or both, and any loudness target.
• Subtitles. Burned in, a separate file, or embedded in the DCP. Which formats.
• Deadlines. Screening copies are often due weeks before marketing materials, or the other way round.

Make one spreadsheet with a column per festival. It feels like admin. It is what prevents a third re-export the night before shipping.

The core checklist

Picture

• Mezzanine master. A ProRes 422 HQ or ProRes 4444 file of the finished film at full resolution and native frame rate. This is the source for everything else, including the DCP. Keep it archived and never edit it.
• Textless version or textless elements. The film without burned-in titles and on-screen text, or the affected shots appended after the end. Distributors ask for this more than festivals do, but it is cheaper to make now.
• DCP. The Digital Cinema Package most cinemas play. A DCP is made from your mezzanine master by a lab, a post house or a dedicated DCP mastering tool, and it should be checked on a real cinema server before the festival. cinemaOS exports the mezzanine master; it does not author DCPs.
• Screener. A smaller H.264 file for programmers, press and juries, often watermarked by the platform you upload to.

Sound

• Final mix. Stereo and, if you have it, 5.1.
• Stems. Separate dialogue, music and effects tracks that together make the final mix.
• M&E (music and effects). The mix without dialogue, used for dubbing into other languages. It must be complete: any effects recorded with the dialogue need to be rebuilt or replaced, or the dubbed version will have holes.
• Loudness report. A measurement of the mix against the required standard.

Text

• Subtitle files in the languages the festival asks for, usually English at minimum, plus captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences if requested. SRT is common; some festivals and broadcasters want EBU-STL, IMSC1 or others. The differences matter more than people expect; see subtitle formats explained.
• Dialogue list or transcript, if requested.
• Credits list in text form, spelled exactly as on screen.

Marketing

• Production stills. Several high-resolution frames or set photos, cleared for press use.
• Poster / key art in the sizes requested, often portrait plus a landscape banner. Making key art from your own frames covers this step.
• Trailer and sometimes a shorter clip for programme announcements.
• Press kit. Synopsis in short and long versions, director's statement, bios, credits, technical details (runtime, format, aspect ratio, sound, language, country) and contact details.

Documents

• Music cue sheet. Every piece of music, with timings, composer, publisher and usage. Festivals and broadcasters often need it for performance rights.
• Music and archive licences covering festival screening at minimum.
• Chain of title, releases and E&O insurance. Usually needed for sales and broadcast more than for festivals, but having them ready makes a deal at a festival much easier.

What cinemaOS covers, and what it does not

cinemaOS is built around the last stretch of this list, so here is an honest map.

Covered in the app:

• Master files. File ▸ Export ▸ Add Master File to Queue (⇧⌘M) writes ProRes 422, 422 HQ or 4444, H.264 or HEVC. Exports never overwrite an earlier file; a second export gets a new name.
• Stems beside the master. In the Deliver panel, tick Write audio stems beside the master. If you built your mix in the SOUND console (⌘⌥S) with dialogue, music and effects on their own buses, this is how you get stems and the basis of an M&E in the same pass.
• Loudness. The delivery preflight measures loudness following BS.1770-4, and Apply Correction brings the mix to target. Read loudness standards for delivery before you pick one.
• Surround. The Spatial Theatrics room delivers 2.0, 5.1, 7.1 and 7.1.4 PCM WAV.
• Subtitles. Finisher ▸ Localize ▸ Captions exports SRT, WebVTT, ASS, SCC, EBU-STL, iTT, IMSC1, EBU-TT-D and FCPXML, with QC in Strict or Compatible Repair mode, or Burn In for a subtitled screener.
• Screeners and stills. Export Review file writes a half-resolution H.264; Export Still Frame (⇧E) and Export Contact Sheet cover stills.
• Poster and sizes. Atelier's Layout room, with Export All Aspects (⌘⌥E).

Not covered: DCP or IMF authoring, Dolby encoding, and stem separation. That last one matters: cinemaOS cannot split a finished stereo mix back into dialogue and effects, so keep your tracks organised from the start of the sound mix if you will need an M&E.

Package it as a Delivery Bundle

Once the master is right, use Export Delivery Bundle. It writes the master together with a checksum and a QC report. The checksum lets the lab or festival confirm the file arrived intact; the QC report gives you a record of what was checked before it left.

A delivery folder that works well for most festivals:

1. 01_Master with the Delivery Bundle
2. 02_Audio with mix, stems, M&E and loudness report
3. 03_Subtitles with one file per language and format
4. 04_Marketing with poster, stills, trailer and press kit
5. 05_Documents with cue sheet and licences

Name files with the film title, version and date. A file called final_FINAL_v3.mov will be the one someone plays by mistake.

Common mistakes to check before you ship

• Wrong frame rate after an accidental conversion. Compare the master against the timeline settings.
• Subtitles out of sync because they were timed against an earlier cut. Re-check after any picture change.
• Missing M&E effects where sounds were only on the dialogue track.
• Clipped or over-loud mixes that fail a cinema check.
• Uncleared music still in the trailer.
• No backup. Keep at least two copies of the master on separate drives. In cinemaOS, File ▸ Project Safety ▸ Create Verified Archive… keeps the project and its media together for the long term.

FAQ

Can I make a DCP myself?

You can, with a dedicated DCP mastering tool, but most indie filmmakers use a lab or post house for festival screenings, and anyone making their own should test it on a cinema server first. cinemaOS exports the ProRes mezzanine you give them.

What is the difference between stems and an M&E?

Stems are the separate dialogue, music and effects tracks of the final mix. An M&E is the mix without dialogue, with any effects that were recorded on the dialogue track rebuilt, so another language can be dubbed on top.

Do festivals all want the same files?

No. The categories above are common, but formats, sizes and deadlines vary. Always follow each festival's published spec.

Next step

If your delivery is still a list of tools and handoffs, try producing the master, stems, subtitles and Delivery Bundle from one project. cinemaOS has a 60-day free trial, no card required. Hand the mezzanine to your lab for the DCP, and keep the rest in one place.