Distribution Deliverables for Indie Films
Updated
What a sales agent, distributor or funder's delivery schedule asks for beyond the master, using three public delivery lists: masters, sound, text, legal paperwork and publicity.
Beyond the Aggregator
An aggregator needs a master, captions, artwork and a trailer; the aggregator delivery guide covers that. Filmhub, for one, doesn't require any documents or E&O insurance, though it recommends E&O and says several of its largest licensing partners require clearance documents. A sales agent, a distributor or a public funder hands you a delivery schedule, an exhibit to the contract that can run to dozens of items, and payment often waits on its approval.
Delivery schedules are contract documents and most aren't public. Three that are give a fair picture of the range: the New Zealand Film Commission Premium Fund list, the Danish Film Institute delivery list (April 2025), and PBS Distribution's technical specifications (October 2025). Your own contract's schedule is the one that counts.
What a Delivery Schedule Contains
Picture
- Texted master (ProRes 422 HQ or the format named), original aspect ratio
- Textless master or textless covers; DFI wants the master without subtitles
- DCP, often an unencrypted clone, plus a DCDM where an archive asks for one
- H.264 viewing copy for sales and press
- Trailer, teaser and clips, each with its own textless and audio
Sound
- 5.1 and stereo printmasters (stereo alone if no 5.1 exists)
- Fully filled M&E for dubbing
- Dialogue, music and effects stems; narration on its own if there is any
- Audio description where funded or required
Text
- Closed captions or English SDH, in sync with the delivered master
- Subtitle files per language
- Dialogue list with timecodes; some buyers ask for a CCSL instead
- Main and end credits as they appear on screen, and the billing block
- Final shooting script or export script
Legal
- Chain of title documents, and a legal opinion on them where asked
- E&O insurance certificate naming the buyer as additional insured
- Music cue sheet, plus music, image and footage licenses
- Cast and crew agreements and releases
Publicity
- Key art, layered poster files, title treatment and logos
- Publicity and behind-the-scenes stills, captioned
- Press kit and EPK
- Synopses, director bio and headshot, running time and tech specs
Three Public Lists Compared
| Item | NZFC Premium Fund | Danish Film Institute | PBS Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProRes master | HD ProRes 422 HQ, 10-bit, 5.1 | ProRes 4444 or 422 HQ, 1920×1080, 24 or 25 fps, without subtitles | ProRes 422 HQ (HD); UHD and HDR10 accepted with a matching HD or SDR file |
| Textless | Not listed separately | The master itself is subtitle-free | Textless master required, texted elements after 2 s of black |
| M&E and stems | Stems held on LTO for 5 years | All soundtracks not on the master, including M+E, as 24-bit WAV | Split tracks for all content: DME, dialogue, music, effects, narration |
| Captions | Closed captions in sync with the master | Danish subtitle and full-text (hard of hearing) files | SCC only, pop-on, for program, trailers and bonus |
| Dialogue list | Export script (no separate dialogue list named) | Danish and English, with timecodes | — |
| Music cue sheet | Yes | Yes | — |
| E&O | Certificate, NZFC as additional insured, 30 days' notice of changes | — | Clearances for every element, for the rights, term and territory |
| Chain of title | Legal opinion and documents | — | See clearances |
| DCP | Clone of the master DCP | Unencrypted, with Danish subtitles where needed | — |
| QC | QC report for the ProRes file | — | Full QC, reports to your contact |
| Trailer | Lab access to trailer masters; clips and teasers if available | If produced | A cleared 30-second promo and a 1–3 minute trailer |
"—" means the list doesn't name the item, not that the buyer won't want it. The DFI also says an incomplete delivery is rejected as a whole and holds up the next payment; the NZFC wants the DI, printmasters and stems held on LTO for at least five years.
E&O, Chain of Title and Clearances
The legal items are where indie deliveries stall, because they can't be made in a week. Start them in prep:
- • Chain of title: the documents that show you own the film and the rights in it: the script and underlying rights, and the cast, crew and composer contracts. The NZFC asks for any legal opinion on them as well.
- • E&O insurance: the NZFC wants a certificate naming it as additional insured, with 30 days' notice of any change. Distributors set their own coverage amounts in the contract.
- • Clearances: PBS Distribution requires every element of the texted and textless program, and of every promo and trailer, to be cleared for the contract's rights, term and territory, and uncleared material removed before delivery.
This is a production checklist, not legal advice. Your entertainment lawyer and E&O broker set what the paperwork has to say.
Music Cue Sheets and Dialogue Lists
Both are timecode documents built from the locked cut. A music cue sheet lists each music cue with its timings and usage, alongside the licenses; Filmhub asks for one for the trailer as well as the film. A dialogue list, in Netflix's definition, is a transcription of the original-language dialogue with in and out timecodes, used by dubbing and subtitling vendors.
Cue durations come straight from in and out points: the Timecode Calculator subtracts them at the project's frame rate, drop-frame included, and so does the free timecode converter in your browser.
Sources: Filmhub: documents, Netflix: Dialogue List scope of work
Sizing the Delivery Drive
Add up the files before you buy the drive. For a 90-minute feature:
- • ProRes 422 HQ at 1080p 23.976 (176 Mbit/s): about 119 GB, and the same again for a textless master
- • DCP picture at the 250 Mbit/s ceiling: at most about 169 GB
- • Each 5.1 WAV at 48 kHz, 24-bit (6.912 Mbit/s): about 4.7 GB; each stereo WAV about 1.6 GB
GB = Mbit/s × seconds ÷ 8,000Decimal units: 1 GB = 8,000 megabits. Uncompressed PCM audio is channels × sample rate × bit depth.
Example: 5.1 printmaster, 90 minutes, 48 kHz, 24-bit
- Calculation:
- 6 × 48,000 × 24 = 6.912 Mbit/s; 6.912 × 5,400 ÷ 8,000
- Result:
- 4.67 GB
Total the master, textless, DCP, printmasters, M&E and stems in Data & Storage, then check how long the upload takes in Upload Time. At full speed, 300 GB takes about 13.3 hours at 50 Mbit/s and about 1.3 hours at 500 Mbit/s. The free bitrate calculator and upload time calculator do both steps in your browser.
Distribution Delivery Checklist
- Get the delivery schedule before you lock, and budget for every item on it
- Keep graphics separate through the online so textless is a re-export, not a rebuild
- Have the mixer deliver M&E and stems with the printmasters, not later
- Collect licenses, releases and contracts as you go; build the cue sheet from the locked cut
- Bind E&O before the first sale and name buyers as additional insured when asked
- Make English SDH from the final cut and keep it in sync with every version
- QC every file, keep the reports, and archive the masters you delivered
Going to TV as well? The broadcast deliverables checklist covers track layouts, PSE testing and QC.
Questions
What is a delivery schedule?
An exhibit to a sales, distribution or funding contract listing every item you must deliver: masters, sound files, captions and subtitles, legal paperwork and publicity materials. Payment often waits on its approval.
Do I need E&O insurance to distribute a film?
It depends on the buyer. Filmhub doesn't require it but recommends it, and says several of its largest licensing partners require clearance documents. Funders and distributors often require a certificate; the NZ Film Commission, for example, wants one naming it as additional insured.
What is chain of title?
The documents that show you own the film and the rights in it: the script and underlying rights, and the cast, crew and composer contracts. Some buyers also ask for a lawyer's opinion on them.
What is a music cue sheet?
A list of every music cue in the film with its timings and usage, delivered alongside the music licenses. Filmhub asks for one for the trailer as well as the film.
Do indie films need closed captions?
For most US distribution, yes. Apple requires closed captions on US feature deliveries, Amazon requires English captions on every US title, and Filmhub requires English SDH on every title.
How big is a feature film delivery?
For 90 minutes: about 119 GB for a ProRes 422 HQ master at 1080p 23.976 and the same again for a textless master, up to about 169 GB for the DCP picture, and about 4.7 GB for each 5.1 WAV.