Producer Updates as of October 7, 2021
PREFERRED VENDOR NEWS
Please note Discovery’s vendors with preferred rates for transcriptions (field & final) & hard drives!
FIELD TRANSCRIPTIONS – REV.COM
$1.25/min includs timecode & 24-hour turnaround
Offering 100% human-transcribed transcription services, Rev.com’s team of specially-trained experts deliver transcripts at over 99% accuracy. Rev.com is offering Discovery’s content producers field transcriptions with timestamps and a guaranteed 24-hour turnaround for $1.25/min – a 17% discount off their standard rate and more than half the price of the average transcription service. Also exclusive to our production company partners is a unique portal (integrations.rev.com/Discovery) just for Discovery Networks projects, and a transcription template that reflects the standard format preferred by most of Discovery’s partners. Detailed instructions on how to access the Discovery Rev.com portal and activate the Discovery discount can be found on the Producer’s Portal Production Guide under PREFERRED VENDORS > TRANSCRIPTIONS – FIELD
FINAL/AS BROADCAST TRANSCRIPTIONS – TAKE1 TRANSCRIPTIONS
$2.72/min for actual runtime – $57.12 for 21-min runtime (30-min Network clock) and $114.24 for 42-min runtime (60-min Network clock)
Take1 Transcriptions has long been partnered with Discovery, but to establish themselves as our preferred vendor for Final/As Broadcast Transcriptions, they are offering Discovery’s production company partners a discounted rate of $2.72/min and charge for actual run-time (21 min for a 30-min program, 42 min for a 60-min program). This extraordinary rate is 64% lower than the average competitors’ rates! Contact Take1 at (855) 958-2531 or email: production@take1.tv. Detailed instructions on how to request the Discovery discount can be found on the Producer’s Portal Production Guide under PREFERRED VENDORS > TRANSCRIPTIONS – FINAL
HARD DRIVES/MEMORY CARDS/EXPENDABLES AND MORE – FILMTOOLS.COM
10% lower than competitors’ prices and FREE delivery!
Filmtools offers Discovery’s partners a wide variety of production essentials at a discounted rate (on average 10% lower than competitors) delivered to your location FREE in a timely manner with enhanced service and support. Filmtools has secured discounts exclusive to Discovery’s content producers on major brands including G-tech, LaCie, SanDisk, OWC, Fuji, HP, Quantum, Sony, Panasonic, Mathews, and PRO Tape. Please visit the Filmtools Discovery portal (www.filmtools.com/discovery) for direct access to these discounted rates. You can also email DiscoveryQuotes@Filmtools.com for quick answers regarding pricing, availability, or any other questions. Detailed instructions on how to access the Discovery Filmtools portal and activate the Discovery discount can be found on the Producer’s Portal Production Guide under PREFERRED VENDORS > Hard Drives/Memory Cards/Expendables.
CAMERA EQUIPMENT RENTALS – COMING SOON!
Discovery is launching a preferred vendor initiative for camera equipment rentals. This initiative will provide a reduced, baseline cost for the camera kits most commonly used across all Discovery productions including Sony, Canon, and Arri. The select camera rental vendors will honor and accommodate globally with a high volume of available equipment, multiple locations (both domestic and internationally), and ability to ship gear year-round most anywhere in the world.
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PRODUCTION SCHEDULE & KEY DELIVERABLES
Reminder that Production Schedule data entry in the Producer’s Portal is required. Schedules should be updated at least once per week and/or when Program Master File delivery dates change.
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- Pre-Production Start Date is required automatically at schedule creation
- Deliverables – Trailer, Rough Cut(s), Fine Cut, and Program Master File(s)
- Production Phases – Commencement of Principal Photography, Shooting Dates, Offline Edit
Long-form programs have 7 key deliverables which must be delivered either before the Program Master File or on the same day. The Trailer must deliver 4 weeks prior to the Program Master File. Snap In Content, Textless Material, Program Graphics Master, Final Script, Music Cue Sheet, and the final Rights Waiver Log must deliver on the same day as the Program Master File. (Rights Restrictions must be approved prior to Program Master delivery.)
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SOURCE FOOTAGE – Penalties for holding Snowball device beyond 10 calendar days
General reminder that Snowball devices which are not shipped back within 10 calendar days will incur penalties which compound daily. This can result in thousands of dollars deducted from your final payment. Please ensure that the device is ordered when your post team is truly ready to load the source material. Please also note that shipping it back without material loaded in order to meet the 10 day deadline and then asking for a second device will also incur the same costs for each day plus additional costs for shipping a second device.
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UHD DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS
For programs shot in UHD High Dynamic Range (HDR), Discovery requires delivery of 3 masters for each episode: an HDR grading master, a UHD Standard Dynamic Range program master, and an HD program master. For programs shot in UHD SDR, 2 masters must be delivered: a UHD SDR program master and an HD program master. This requirement is listed in Discovery’s Global Technical Specifications, the Producer’s Portal Production Guide, and has been communicated in several emails and webinars as Discovery transitioned to Global Tech Specs V6 last year.
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DIVERSITY CERTIFICATION
The Producer’s Portal contains fields within your Company information which allows you to indicate the diversity status of your company (options listed below). Please do use these fields as applicable and consult with our Production Operations team with any questions.
- your company is Diverse Certified by one of the many national or global organizations providing certification
- your certification is pending
- you are self-certifying
- Diversity category or categories if one of the above is applicable
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WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY (WOOs) (US-originated content only)
- WOO timecode is entered along with segment timecode and other media file metadata at the time of Program Master File upload. A separate document deliverable listing WOOs is not required and will not be accepted unless there are extenuating circumstances.
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EMERGENCY ALERT TONES & PHOTO-SENSITIVE EPILEPSY REQUIREMENTS
- Production partners must not, under any circumstances, add real or simulated emergency alert tones to a program. If the program includes recordings of naturally-occurring alert tones, the production partner must cover (bleep) or silence the emergency alert tones. For production partners unfamiliar with EAS tones, the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) makes simulated training tones available on their website. https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/audio/132794 . Please also see the EAS page under Policies in Discovery’s Production Guide which includes a training video.
- Reminder regarding Photosensitive Epilepsy delivery standards. Please see the PSE FAQ document located in the Global Technical Specifications section of the Production Guide.
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YOUR COMPANY & USER INFORMATION – Please keep updated!
- Please be sure to keep your Company and User information up to date. This is the responsibility of each company to manage and you may have users still listed in the Producer’s Portal who no longer work for your Company.
- If you have users attached to your company which actually work for a 3rd party post facility, please ensure their security status is “Post House”. If they are assigned as Super User or Basic, they will have the ability to submit program proposals and see deliverable documentation which may be confidential.
- Anyone assigned as a Super User can do the following:
- See uploaded document deliverables which may have been marked Restricted by the uploader
- See all submitted program proposals
- Manage company & user information