In open DCP, we are going to be working in three tabs, the JPEG 2000, MXF, and DCP tabs,
and in that order.
Working in the JPEG 2000 tab, I'm going to leave most of the settings the same.
Open JPEG, leave override existing checked, profile should be Cinema 2K, frame rate should
be 24, and the bandwidth I will leave at the default 125 megabits per second.
125 megabits is just right for 2K, but if you're working in 4K, you may want to go
as high as 250 megabits per second.
Leave the threads at default.
The source color should be sRGB and check xyz and dpx, and leave DCI resize at none.
So the input directory is going to be the folder with the TIFF files.
Keep track of the number of frames your film is, it should be consistent throughout.
In output directory, select the JPEG 2000 folder you created, then select convert.
This is the longest part of the process.
You will need a fast computer to handle this.
This took approximately 12 hours for mine on a Mac Pro Tower with 2 2.4 GHz quad core
Xenon processors.
Each JPEG 2000 image is around 651 kilobytes for 2K, meaning you will need approximately
1 gigabyte a minute of space at 2K.
My 85 minute feature yielded about an 80 gigabyte folder of JPEG 2000s.
Once complete, if you happen to look at your JPEG 2000s on an RGB monitor, they will look
strange, but don't worry, that's normal.
XYZ color space can't be viewed properly on an RGB monitor.
Once your stream of JPEG 2000s is complete, you will need to go to the MXF tab.
In this tab, we are going to do two things, converting the JPEG 2000s and the WAV files
to MXF format.
To start with, make sure it is set to JPEG 2000.
I recommend SIMT for the label, as it is the newest specification.
Some older servers use MXF interop, which is very rare.
If you are unsure, you can check with your venue, but the safest choice would be to
go with SIMT.
The frame rate should be 24.
Stereoscopic is for 3D projects, and you should leave slideshow unchecked.
The picture input will be your folder of JPEG 2000s.
The output is the MXF folder, and I would recommend labeling the MXF file as your film
title underscore video.
Once your JPEG 2000s are converted, in the MXF tab select WAV, leave the label at whatever
you set for your JPEG 2000s in my case SIMT, and then the frame rate should be 24.
For sound input type, you should select mono.
For sound output type, in the output parameters, select whatever your mix is, whether it is
stereo or 5.1.
Then go to the audio folder and import each individual mono file to their respective tab.
For the 5.1 mix, remember that the sub is LFE channel.
The output will be the MXF folder, and I would recommend naming it film title underscore audio.
Once you're ready, click create MXF.
Okay, now you are finally ready to make the digital cinema package.
You can go ahead and pat yourself in the back for making it this far.
The composition parameters are set up with options that suit either a distributor or
a studio.
As a result, there are a lot of naming options, so it's really up to you.
You can also use the title generator, which will create a name for the DCP based off of
the information on your film.
I'll fill in mine so you can see.
I'd leave at XML digital signatures unchecked, an annotation you can leave that blank.
For picture, you will import the MXF video file you created.
Make sure the frames are consistent.
For sound, import the XMF sound file.
Make sure the length of your video and audio is the same.
If it isn't, you need to make sure your audio was conformed to 24 frames per second properly.
Revisit steps 1 through 5 if need be.
If this is the case, as long as your picture was done properly, you could fix just the
audio.
Recreate the MXF and repackage it instead of having to do the whole TIFF and JPEG sequence
stuff again.
Check override existing and move.
Finally, you can click the moment you've all been waiting for, create your DCP.
It will ask you where you want to save the DCP folder, which should be your DCP master
folder.
The final DCP folder should look like this, four XML files and two MXF files.
A lot of tutorials recommend that you deliver your DCP on a Linux EXT-3 formatted drive.
However, most DCP servers do have the ability to read Mac OS formatted drives.
If there is enough time, you can find out if the server at your venue will accept a Mac
formatted drive to save you this grief.
Some venues may put it onto their own drive to play so the formatting of your drive may
be irrelevant.
If you must use EXT-3, you will need software like the $40 Paragon EXT-FS for Mac to format
the drive in EXT-3 and read and write to it.
Regardless of how you format the drive, the DCP folder needs to be in the root directory
of the hard drive.
Do not put it in any subfolders or add any other content to the drive.
Otherwise, the server may not be able to read it.
Have a portable hard drive or thumb drive for the sole purpose of delivering your DCP.
Again, most of you won't have access to a DCP server to test this file.
However, we have used this workflow to successfully create a DCP that played without a problem.
If you are concerned, make sure the venue you are sending it to tests it with enough
time to work out any errors, or you can just get friendly with a projectionist at a local
theater and see if they'll drop it in after their shift.
If you have any suggestions on how to improve this workflow, please email filmequipment.ucf.edu.
And that's it.
Good luck, and feel free to visit the equipment room with any questions this tutorial did
not cover.
Thank you for watching.
