Once you have made the decision to do a Quality Control Report with QC Central, the next step is getting the project to us. The File can be uploaded to a file sharing service. Which we download. This is the most common way we receive which we can download. Examples of download services we use include Media Shuttle, Frame IO, and Yousendit. File share services that are not acceptable include dropbox. If you don’t have access to a service, we can provide one in some instances. The file can also delivered to us on a hard drive, either by dropping off at our N. Hollywood Ca. location, or by mail. (If the project is on tape, just send us the tape.) If the file we will be working on is of a small size it may be able to be delivered by email.
If you are sending a hard drive to us here are the guidelines for what we need.
1. Hard-drive should be USB, preferably a Solid State Drive (SSD) If file is UHD, or 4K or a o e 300gb an SSD drive is mandatory. Flash drives of any type are discouraged and we will not accept USB 2 flash drives
2. Hard drive must be formatted as either Mac OS Journaled or Ex-Fat. It is highly recommended that editing be done on a Mac if possible as it is the industry standard, but if the project was edited on a PC then the file must be on a drive formatted to Ex-Fat which can be used for both PC and Mac. NTFS or other PC based formats are not acceptable.
3. Hard drive should be labeled with clients / Production Company’s name, phone number and email address, also project name. If you are sending packaging you want back please label that as well.
What you are putting on the Drive, or Uploading:
A self-contained Quicktime (preferably .mov) file is required, which is a Quicktime file that has the video and all channels of audio contained within, lined up in the correct order and all audio and video synched together. The files must be exported from a timeline in an editing program into the self-contained file. If you are unable to deliver a self-contained file, you can send us the audio and video tracks separately (a separate file for each audio track) and we can assemble them into a timeline for an extra fee. We will do the QC in that timeline and export to a self-contained Quicktime file on completion to be returned to you.
The file should be in the version that will become the final version that will be sent to the distributor, network or client the QC is being done for, it should be in the correct standard, and timecode that is required. If required the file should have the proper head format (bars, tones, slate, 2 pop) already in place. If you will deliver both HD and UHD versions of a movie it is recommended that both version have a full QC (and the distributor may require it.) It is best to output the larger file first and downconverting to the smaller file (HD) in this case all anomalies in the HD file will also be in the UHD file.
Codecs:
The codec of the file should be one of the following: For HD: (Apple) Pro Res 422, (Apple) Pro Res 422 HQ, (Apple) Pro Res 4444. The industry standard for format and timecode is Apple Pro Res 422HQ 23.98. However the timecode should match what the picture was originally shot in unless otherwise directed by the distributor. For UHD or 4K the codec can be .jpeg2000 (HDR) or (Apple) pro res 422, 422 HQ, or 4:4:4:4. If the file is a different codec please inform us in advance.
The following formats are not acceptable: .mp4, h264, or other non-professional codecs.
Audio Layout:
Unless otherwise specified by a distributor or network the audio layout of the self-contained quicktime file should be as follows:
Ch. 1. 5.1 Left (If applicable)
Ch. 2. 5.1 Right (If applicable)
Ch. 3. 5.1 Center (If applicable)
Ch. 4. 5.1 LFE (If applicable)
Ch. 5. 5.1 Left Surround (If applicable)
Ch. 6. 5.1 Right Surround (If applicable)
Ch. 7. Stereo Mix Left
Ch. 8. Stereo Mix Right
Ch. 9. Stereo M&E Left (If applicable)
Ch. 10. Stereo M&E Right (If applicable)
Ch. 11. 5.1 M&E Left (If applicable)
Ch. 12. 5.1 M&E Right (If applicable)
Ch. 13. 5.1 M&E Center (If applicable)
Ch. 14. 5.1 M&E LFE (If applicable)
Ch.15. 5.1 M&E Left Surround (If applicable)
Ch. 16. 5.1 M&E Right Surround (If applicable)
If there is a 5.1 mix and no M&E mix, 5.1 mix would go on Channels 3-8 in same order listed above.
Stereo Audio:
The biggest issue we run into with projects submitted to us is files being delivered with mono audio. If the export of the project is done incorrectly it will result in the files coming out mono even if they were originally in stereo. This will result in an instant rejection as we cannot make mono audio files stereo. If this occurs we will have to stop the QC and wait for the correct audio files to be delivered. All audio pairs should be in stereo with the exception of the Center and LFE channels of a 5.1 mix. Please make sure that the audio files are in stereo before sending. We use an audio phase scope to check and it is the first thing we look for.
Where to Send:
You will send the package to
Rick Recco
QC Central
6300 Craner Ave.
N. Hollywood Ca.
91606
NEVER SEND PACKAGES SIGNATURE REQUIRED
Payment:
For first time or non-regular clients payment is required upfront (most jobs take 1-3 days). Payment can be in the form of check (made out to QC Central) which can be included in the shipment. We also take Paypal (qccentral@gmail.com) (Friends and Family Option to avoid fees please) Zelle or Venmo (323) 316-8298 We also take credit cards but a small fee will be required.
If you have any questions feel free to reach out to us before you send or upload, we offer free post consulting to our clients. Thank You for using QC Central for you Quality Control and / or post needs.