I realize it’s not a huge market but I just did a quick survey and every mainstream NLE, Compositing App including AE that I can see fails to offer DCI compliant project presets. I realize theatrical has been a traditionally very small part of post but with the DCP world, there is a real increase in low budget content ending up on the big screen.
Since creating DCPs is now 70% of my freelance work these days – and AE is my primary tool, it would be “nice to have” built in markers and safe areas for DCP sizes – I’ve obviously made my own presets and custom sets but AE’s lack of awareness of these global standards is a pain. Worse yet, the current film sizes and preset and irrelevant for almost any theatrical work today.
But for my clients creating in AE, Premiere Pro, FCP, FCPx, Avid etc. – they invariably get the frame sizes wrong, aspect ratios wrong, frame rates wrong. I always have to walk them through custom presets. Of course, combined with the oft-discussed here ignorance of frame rates, aspect ratios etc. – it’s a nice big mess.
Software could definitely help here by supporting DCI compliant presets – with safety markers indicating e.g. how your 16:9 1080p will look in a flat 2K DCP – and maybe some scaling presets to boot.
stephen van vuuren
336.202.4777
http://www.insaturnsrings.com/
http://www.sv2dcp.com/
http://www.sv2studios.com/
A film is – or should be – more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.
–Stanley Kubrick
