Primary recording format that dictates specs for all downstream deliverables — DCP, streaming, archival. Set at production start, never compromised.
You choose your master format before the first scene is shot. This decision is made during the development phase and determines which resolution, color space, and frame rate will be used throughout post-production—from editing to the final DCP or Netflix master. It's not the camera you use. It's the target specification to which you calibrate everything.
In practice, this looks like this: You might shoot on RED or ARRI—great, flexible raw data. But your master format could still be DCI 4K (4096 × 2160) because cinema distribution is a priority. All grading decisions, all VFX renders, the color correction—they happen in this format. Streaming versions, TV cuts, everything else is derived from it, not the other way around. This saves you massive rework loops and keeps image quality consistent across all versions.
The technical side: Your master format also defines the tools used in editing. If 2K is your master format, you use 2K proxies, and the online edit is done in 2K—faster, less CPU load. If you later want to serve 4K for cinema and 1080p for streaming simultaneously, you need a workflow that scales down from the highest-value format (4K), not the other way around. Upscaling always looks soft.
A common mistake: Thinking of the camera as the master format. An 8K camera doesn't mean 8K is your master format—perhaps your cinema master is 4K DCI, or even just 2K, depending on budget and release strategy. The camera is just the input tool. Your master format is the conscious target decision.
Practical rule: The earlier you decide, the more efficiently post-production runs. If cinema is planned, DCI 4K as the master format. Streaming-first? Possibly 2K or even 1080p if the budget is tight—but then consistently from the start. No switching mid-production. Your colorist, your VFX supervisor, your editor—everyone works towards the same target. That is the master format.