COLOR PREP SPECS

1) Picture Lock & Timeline

• Locked picture only. Provide one master timeline (Premiere .prproj, AAF, XML, or EDL).
• Start TC: 01:00:00:00. Frame rate: match camera. Resolution: final master (no timeline resizes).
• Remove temp effects, nests, timewarps; bake retimes in editorial.

2) Media for Color

• Preferred: OCF with full card structure + verified checksums; include ALE/metadata (reel, TC, clip, fps, ISO, WB).
• Alternative: 12/16-bit LOG intermediates (EXR/DPX) — no LUTs baked. ProRes for grading only if pre-approved.

3) Color Management

• Default: ACES 1.3 (scene-referred). Provide OCIO if custom; list IDT/ODT per camera/output.
• If not ACES, deliver show LUT as .cube (33×33 or 65×65) + one-page pipeline diagram (input → viewing).

4) Looks, References & Transforms

• Deliver CDL (.cdl) and/or BLG per shot. Include any editorial LUTs and where applied.
• Provide calibrated reference QT (ProRes 422 HQ) with burn-ins: show, reel/scene, shot, TC, frame, LUT name.

5) Framing, Charts & Monitoring

• Include day-one charts (ColorChecker/grey/framelines) if available; provide framing guides as transparent PNG overlays.
• State offline monitor target (e.g., Rec.709 2.4, D65, 100 nits). For HDR, specify PQ mastering level (e.g., 1000 nits).

6) VFX & Online Integration

• All VFX returns: linear EXR 16-bit with alpha/mattes or AOVs + shot manifest with exact cut ranges.
• Declare scene-referred (pre-LUT) vs display-referred (post-LUT). Default = scene-referred.

7) Naming & Folder Structure

ProjectName/
  Editorial/
    MasterTimeline.xml   (or .aaf/.edl)
    Offline_Ref.mov
  Color/
    OCF/                 (or EXR/DPX intermediates)
    LUTs/                (show_LUT.cube, monitoring_LUT.cube)
    Looks/               (CDL/BLG per shot)
    Charts/              (ColorChecker, grey, framing)
  VFX/
    Plates_Returned_EXR/
    Manifests/shot_manifest.csv

8) Offline Reference QuickTime

• ProRes 422 HQ (or DNxHR HQX). Include bars/slate, 2-pop @ 01:00:06:00, tail pop, and burn-ins (show, seq, shot, TC, frame, audio ch).

9) Audio (Reference Only)

• Reference QT should include guide mix. No audio in conform media; deliver final mix separately to online.

10) Final Reminders

• No LUTs baked. No timeline resizes. No mixed frame rates unless listed.
• Provide a contact sheet (editorial lead, DIT, color sup, VFX sup, post sup).