In short, a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is a specially prepared collection of video, audio, subtitles and data used specifically for Digital Cinema. DCP is the standard to create versions of a feature or short that are compatible with cinema digital playback systems, and also adds optional encryption via a KDM key (Key Delivery Message) to combat piracy. DCP’s are encoded following strict guidelines put forth by the Digital Cinema Initiatives, a governing body created by the major studios in 2002 to establish consistency and quality specifications for DCP creation.
KDM (Key Delivery Message) encryption is a tool used in the industry to curb piracy of films. When a DCP is created serve, it can be encrypted in such a way that it can only be played on a specific playback r at a set time. A KDM “key” is sent to the theater on a flash drive to “unlock” the feature for playback. Encryption is instrumental in protecting films from misuse or theft, but is not mandatory.
We can provide and highly recommend the use of a Linux formatted CRU drive, which are designed specifically for digital cinema. CRU drives are the world-wide standard for DCP, and are the preference of digital cinema projections.
Captioning is the on screen transcription of the audio portion of a commercial, television program, film, music video, or any other on screen program, of any relevant audio i.e. speech, sound effects, music, speaker identifiers, etc. Captioning is used when programming sound is inaudible (muted or when background noise is present), or if a viewer has hearing impairments.
Captioning can be either open or closed. Open captions are a burned in to the program, making them always present. Closed captions can be toggled off and on by the viewer based on the viewer’s requirements.
Closed captions are required in a minimum of 90% of all broadcast programming in Canada by the CRTC.
Captions created for broadcast are bound by certain limitations and guidelines (characters per line, formatting, text size etc.) in an effort to provide consistency and appropriate read times for viewers.
Subtitling is the on screen transcription of speech/dialogue and differs from captioning in that it portrays only the speech/dialogue portion of a program, and is primarily used to represent foreign languages, although subtitles are also used to represent the native program language as well.
Subtitling can also be burned into a program, or toggled on and off at the discretion of the viewer.
Subtitling is also more diverse than captions as they are not limited by the same guidelines, and can be presented in different fonts and sizes, without character per line limitations.
This depends entirely on the length and complexity of your creative. A 15 second commercial can be prepared, embedded and delivered within an hour or two, if need be. A full length feature can take a day up to a few days. The more time we have to dedicate to a project, the more opportunity we have to offer you cost savings and quality guarantees.
No, and it is typically easier if we transcribe to text ourselves as this gives us the ability to format the script to our requirements in order to prepare captions or subtitles, saving time and possible issues. If there is already a transcript available, we can work with you to ensure a workflow that works for everyone.