Safety copy between original and distribution master — protects archive rights and enables future re-releases. Now typically DCP or digital intermediate.
You need a security layer between your original master and what the distributor actually sends to cinemas. The intermediate — or intermediate master — is precisely this intermediate layer. In the past, this was a physical film print; today, in most cases, it is a digital file, often archived as a DCP or as a secured digital intermediate. The idea behind it is simple: your original negative or your master file remains untouched in the vault. The intermediate is the copy you use for distribution, international versions, and archival purposes.
In practice, this means that after the final color correction — after your DI master is truly finished — you export a high-quality, but separately managed file. This has the same technical quality but is subject to different management and security protocols than the original. This becomes particularly important for international releases: every localization — whether subtitles, language versions, or territorial cut versions — is derived from the intermediate, not directly from the original master. This way, your master material remains in its unchanged state for potential future re-releases or restorations.
Legally, the intermediate also serves as your protection. It documents the final technical state of the film at a specific point in time — important for insurance, co-productions, and disputes over image quality or cut versions. Some production companies even store the intermediate spatially separated or with specialized archival service providers to protect against fire or data loss. For older film productions shot on 35mm, the intermediate was classically an internegative or a dupe positive — physical backup copies stored under climate control.
The workflow today is usually: you create your DI master, have an intermediate created from it in DCP standard and possibly in various codecs (ProRes, DNxHD), archive it redundantly, and then give the distributor specific exports for their respective cinema standard. The intermediate itself rarely leaves your technical control — it is the interface between artistic completion and commercial exploitation.