Overview
MC projects are expected to follow a defined set of production specifications and content parameters. These guidelines are designed to establish manageable limits for production scope, including factors such as page count, shoot days, cast size, locations, visual effects, stunts, intimacy, animals, weapons, and other complex production elements.
These specifications help ensure that projects can be completed successfully within the available schedule, crew size, resources, and experience level associated with the course. The goal is not to limit creativity, but to help students learn how filmmakers shape strong stories within the practical constraints of time, safety, logistics, staffing, and available resources.
Content specs
| Page count | 8 pages (minimum) 12 pages (maximum) |
| Story runtime | 9:00 (minimum) 15:00 (maximum) |
| Credits runtime | 1:00 for credits + 0:10 for leader |
| Total runtime | 10:10 (minimum) 16:10 (maximum) |
| Quantity of scenes | No limit |
| Quantity of locations | No limit |
| Quantity of characters | No limit |
| Children | Yes |
| Animals | Yes |
| Weapons | Yes |
| Stunts | Yes |
| Intimacy | Yes |
| Visual Effects | Must be approved by the Head of Visual Effects before production |
Production specs
| Shooting days | 6 days |
| Length of workday | 12 hours |
| Earliest call time | No earlier than 6:00am on the first day |
| Latest wrap time | No later than 12:00am (midnight) on the last day |
| Night shoots | Yes, with approval from Head of Production |
| Locations per day | No limit |
| Distance to location | Can make a distant location request for outside the studio zone |
| Pick-up days | Can request 0.5 days (not guaranteed) |
Capture specs RED
| Camera package | RED |
| Frame rate | 24.000p |
| Sensor mode | 7K FF |
| Capture resolution | 2048 x 1080 (2K) |
| Capture aspect ratio | 1.90:1 |
| Approved mattes | 1.37:1 • 1.66:1 • 1:85:1 2.00:1 • 2.39:1 |
| Capture format | MOV |
| Codec | ProRes 4444 |
| Gamma/color space | RWG / Log3G10 |
| Color processing | IPP2 |
| Output color space | Rec. 709 |
| LUT | Choose from the available RED LUTs or make a custom LUT |
| Sampling | 4:4:4 12-bit |
| Bitrate | 302 Mbps (VBR) |
Capture specs ARRI
| Camera package | Arri |
| Frame rate | 24.000p |
| Sensor mode | 4K 16:9 |
| Capture resolution | 2048 x 1152 (2K) |
| Capture aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Approved mattes | 1.37:1 • 1.66:1 • 1:85:1 2.00:1 • 2.39:1 |
| Capture format | MXF OP1A |
| Codec | ProRes 4444 |
| Gamma/color space | LogC4 |
| Color processing | N/A |
| Output color space | N/A |
| LUT | N/A |
| Sampling | 4:4:4 12-bit |
| Bitrate | 302 Mbps (VBR) |
Data allocation
| Pages per day | 2 pages |
| Shooting ratio | 99:1 |
| Data rate | 2.6 GB/minute |
| Data per page | 256 GB |
| Data per day | 512 GB |
| Total data | 3,072 GB |
| Dailies per day | 197 minutes |
| Total dailies | 1,181 minutes |
Post-Production
| Pic edit software | Media Composer |
| Pic edit days | 15 days |
| Pic edit location | Post Hall |
| Sound design software | ProTools |
| Sound design days | 9 days |
| Sound design location | Post Hall |
| Sound mix days | 1 day |
| Sound mix location | Mix A, Mix B |
| VFX scope | Must be approved by the Head of Visual Effects |
| VFX software | Must be approved by the Head of Visual Effects |
| VFX days | Variable, based on crew grid (upper limit of 8 weeks) |
| VFX location | Digital Artist Suites |
| Coloring software | DaVinci Resolve |
| Coloring days | 2 days |
| Coloring location | Post Hall |