DCP Projection

What can someone tell me about getting digital film prepared for DCP projection at theater? What are the costs and specs needed. I understand the final product is projected from hard drive?
 
There are two DCP specs, the older DCI and the newer SMPTE spec. If you are talking about screening your film at one specific cinema then your best bet is to contact that cinema and find out which of these two specs their cinema supports. The SMPTE spec is probably the easiest to comply with for indie/amateur filmmakers as it supports video speed, whereas the DCI spec is more widely used but requires film speed only (24fps). BTW, both specs require a minimum 3.0 audio mix (not 2.0 stereo), although the de facto minimum for commercial DCPs is 5.1.

There is free DCP creation software available, so in theory you can create a DCP for just the cost of a hard disk but if you don't really know what you are doing then using an authoring house would probably be the wisest option.

G
 
The final product is a disc basically - what blu ray is to DVD , DCP is to Blue Ray. The Few times I needed one it was like any other conversion. I provided the highest quality master for me these day pro res 422 HQ and the authoring entity making the DCP handled the conversion. I am a DIY person and DCP was not worth me learning. So leave it to the experts you just worry about the highest quality master. Remember - garbage in = garbage out
 
The final product is a disc basically - what blu ray is to DVD , DCP is to Blue Ray.

This is not really true, especially as Blu-Ray and DVD have never been used as a mass distribution format for cinema projection, and DCP is not a format for home video distribution.

A dcp could sit on a disc in theory, but it isn't a medium like Blu-Ray or DVD. It is a file (or more accurately a 'package' of files) and is more commonly delivered on a hard drive, or digitally.

The rest of what you say is pretty accurate. There is a conversion involved, and it is better to leave it up to those who have done it before and know what they're doing to ensure consistent results.
 
To add to the old thread, I did one recently. Rendered an uncompressed version of my film. Chucked into DCPomatic, set the aspect to 'scope' and it spat out a 15gb package that played flawlessly at the cinema. I think it took about 45 mins to do a 12 minute film. Bish bash bosh. They offered to do it in house but i wanted a bash myself. I also had a .h264 as a backup on my hard drive.
 
I wouldn't mind hearing what some people are using in 2017. I have the DCP option in Adobe Premiere, but have not tried it, yet.

So, who has done it and what are you using?

We did our latest indie film using the Premiere DCP export. Was super easy and worked right out of the box at our local theater. They had zero problems with it and the whole process was smooth.

Edit:

Forgot..one issue was the estimated file size was WAAAYYYYY off. It estimated like 1 TB of space..it ended up being about 80GB if I remember correctly.
 
We did our latest indie film using the Premiere DCP export. Was super easy and worked right out of the box at our local theater. They had zero problems with it and the whole process was smooth.

Edit:

Forgot..one issue was the estimated file size was WAAAYYYYY off. It estimated like 1 TB of space..it ended up being about 80GB if I remember correctly.

I used that for a test. Everyone swore me away from Wraptor though...
 
Hello, everyone. Could I ask a question about DCP? For instance, Sundance film festival accept 1920*1080 files . But the aspect ratio is 1.78:1. The aspect ratio of cinema are 1.85:1 and 2.40:1. Can DCP make 1920*1080 mp4 file be broadcast on the silverscreen in qualified aspect ratio? Thank you for your answer.
 
Quick update, this is from last year's submission rules, para 31.

http://www.sundance.org/pdf/submissions/2016_Submissions_FAQ.pdf

31) If my film is selected for the Festival, what exhibition formats do you accept?
We accept DCP, and 35mm film prints for exhibition at the Festival. Feature films delivered on DCP must include two copies on CRU drives and a non DCP backup. All DCPs must be DCI compliant with drives formatted with EXT 2 or 3 file systems (single partition,master boot record). All encrypted DCPs must supply DKDM keys that remain open for the duration of the festival. Bluray or ProRes file backup copies must be provided for both shorts and features on DCP. For 35mm film prints, we screen 24fps in aspect ratios of 1.37, 1.66, 1.85, or 2.39. We accept sound formats of mono, Dolby SR and Dolby SRD (Dolby Digital). Please note that these specifications are subject to change at any time. If your film is accepted into the Festival, we will provide you with the most up to date exhibition specs and deadlines for delivery of your master at that time.
 
To: Joe hall

Thank you for your reply. I have read the faq. The things
which I confused is the conversion of dcp. For instance, if I have a 1920x1080 24p mp4 file. Can dcp conversion qualify this file to 2.40:1 cinema? 1920x1080 is only 1.78:1.
 
To: Joe hall

Thank you for your reply. I have read the faq. The things
which I confused is the conversion of dcp. For instance, if I have a 1920x1080 24p mp4 file. Can dcp conversion qualify this file to 2.40:1 cinema? 1920x1080 is only 1.78:1.

The DCI spec allows for 16:9 aspect, despite not being specifically defined. If you conformed 1.78:1 to 2.40:1 you could either have a squashed or cropped frame. You'd be better off slightly cropping to 1.85:1, but your best bet would be to use the full 16:9 frame.
 
The DCI spec allows for 16:9 aspect, despite not being specifically defined. If you conformed 1.78:1 to 2.40:1 you could either have a squashed or cropped frame. You'd be better off slightly cropping to 1.85:1, but your best bet would be to use the full 16:9 frame.


To: jax_rox

Thank you for your words. I have read many indie film festival's FAQ, and they said DCP is for exhibition. But if we broadcast 1920*1080 files in DCP without adjustment , then there will have some blank on the screen. Like this.
http://wicuslab.com/creating-dcp-from-hd/

However, for many indie film maker, they only can use digital camera for their film, and most of them can only make 1920*1080 files. I wish the film festival won't mind the blank on the silverscreen.
 
If you plan to exhibit in a given aspect ratio, shoot in that aspect ratio. Sure, the camera sensor will capture 1920X1080 pixels, but you don't put anything you want to keep in post in the areas that will be cropped out in post. You can get an aspect mask to put on your viewfinder/monitor if you don't have the ability to show crop lines in camera/monitor. If all else fails, you can use Scotch tape to mask the "safe zone."
 
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