SVOD REQUIREMENTS PRODUCTION & POST
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nternet streaming (OTT) platforms, including global giants Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and
Disney+, now commission some of the most exciting and innovative drama and entertainment series on TV. As a consequence, producers face much higher demands in the production, post and delivery requirements for those series.
Preparing to stream Darren Woolfson, director of technology and visual media services at Molinare, observes that production values are more akin to feature films than linear broadcast shows. “It’s all about preparation. Jobs can be more complicated for a whole manner of reasons,” he says. “They mostly ask for material delivered in higher resolution, sometimes at high dynamic range.” “The camera you choose to shoot
on could have an impact above just the look,” says Woolfson. “Typically, with broadcast cameras all at rec.709 and HD, [the choice] wouldn’t have that much impact on the workflow. Now it can affect the resolution and the size of media, the colour space you’re shooting in, and the process for creating your editorial files.” Productions will struggle if they
don’t involve the cinematographer early on. “There needs to be a ‘discovery’ preproduction process where all of this can be laid out, and the implications can be discussed”, Woolfson says. “Particularly if a production is using multiple camera formats. Then, irrelevant of how everything gets shot, we can effectively convert everything to a single working colour space, working resolution, and working frame rate.” Paul Govey, operations manager
for post production at Pinewood Studios Group, says: “there are no real issues regarding creative content, but be wary of the schedule on the back end, particularly if you are delivering to more than one distributor or streaming
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platform.” Workflow consultancy The Collectv
has played a part in many shows for the streamers, including the recent Formula One: Drive to Survive for Netflix. “Forget your preconceptions,” says managing director Chris Sarson. “Many of the streaming services have a different way of operating, their commissioning and delivery processes can be different. Anticipate their input and don’t be afraid to offer up options.” One of those preconceptions might
be that everything has to be in UHD. That isn’t always the case according to Sarson, “what is more apparent is that the technology and the workflow have to fit the editorial needs, as much as the tech spec.” Dan Carew-Jones is post
production consultant for Arrow, which produced Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom for National Geographic on Disney+. “Everything takes longer!” he says. “More data, high frame rates, longer render times and so on. HDR is particularly unforgiving when it comes to focus and exposure. Having high- quality confidence monitoring on set is invaluable.” Cherry Dorrett is production
executive for HiddenLight Productions
which makes premium documentary and entertainment for the likes of Apple TV+ and YouTube Originals. “Our experience is of a more organised and constructive content delivery process, with specific people appointed to deal with the different elements of delivery, alongside a comprehensive guide to post and deliverables,” says Dorrett. “This means more instructive and informative meetings and guidance, and usually a rapid response to questions and queries. The key is to keep them updated. They don’t like surprises!”
Delivering the goods “Deliverables vary according to the streamer,” says Carew-Jones. “There are usually a larger set of deliverables for a streamer, for example, HDR UHD Master, SDR UHD Master and possibly an SDR HD Master – along with the equivalent additional deliverables. Support is always available for clarification of specs, and it is not unusual to have the opportunity to discuss workflows in advance to ensure that everyone gets what they need at the end of the project.” Then there is audio. “The delivery schedule usually comprises of an
itemised list of the assets we need to create for the production, for example, Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment, 7.1, 5.1 and 2.0 mix,” says Govey. “The deliverable specifications
don’t just describe what they want you to deliver, but they may also describe the process by which it’s created,” says Woolfson. “If it’s high dynamic range, it might be in Dolby Vision, HDR+ or hybrid log gamma (HLG). In each case there will be a slightly different set of deliverables. They may want an SDR pass, with some manual tweaks. If you’re delivering in 4K, they may insist that you can’t have anything that’s been up-resed, other than perhaps documentary archive material, but they may be specific about the processes that are used to do the up-res. “You’re often delivering something
that will be viewed on multiple devices in multiple different formats and the streamer may well strike more deliverables from it,” he explains. “It’s important that all of the parts in the process are done correctly.” Another thing to consider is the
life of your content after initial TX, especially in the international market, where the deliverables may differ from those initially specified. “They can be
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