Handoff of finished production to next workflow stage — from production to post, or edit to color. Includes all footage, metadata, timecodes.
After the last day of shooting, the most critical phase of a production begins: the turnover. Here, the set crew hands over all the raw footage — hard drive by hard drive, memory card by memory card — to post-production. Anyone who handles this sloppily is building on sand for the coming months. The turnover is not just about copying files. It's about complete documentation: timecodes, take numbers, lens data, ISO values, color temperatures, notes from the focus puller — everything must be included. A good DP knows that if the editor later sits at the editing bay and the metadata is missing, it will be expensive and take longer.
The practical process looks like this: The DIT (Digital Imaging Technician) or the Post-PA first creates a complete logging sheet. Each reel is cataloged, backup copies are made — at least three, preferably four copies of the entire footage. One backup stays with the production, one goes to post-production, one is archived, and sometimes one is kept by the DP. In parallel, all media files and metadata are checked for checksums. This sounds like a lot of work because it is a lot of work — but anyone who loses 150 terabytes of footage because an external hard drive fails has a real problem.
During the turnover, editing preparations are also determined: In what resolution will the editor work? Proxy footage, yes or no? What format for the offline edit? The DP should already provide clear specifications here — for example: "Please use ProRes 422 HQ for the online edit, 1/4-res proxies for the offline." This saves valuable time later during color correction and DCP mastering. Some productions hand over RAW footage directly to the colorist, while others opt for a compressed intermediate format. This depends on the budget, timeline, and technical requirements.
A professional turnover also includes a test playout session. The editor imports the media, assembles a short sequence, and all involved parties check: Are the timecodes correct? Are all takes present? Are there errors in the logging? It's better to invest two hours now than to search for gaps at the editing bay two weeks later. This is pure craftsmanship — and the difference between a solid turnover and a chaotic one can save costs and nerves throughout the entire post-production process.