The education library
Filmmaker guides
Every distributor eventually sends a delivery list written as if you already know what everything means. Nobody teaches it — and by the time you learn what a particular file is, the person who could have made it cheaply has moved on to another job. Read these while your editing and sound sessions are still open, and you can save thousands of dollars just by knowing what to ask your team for today.
The DCP — make one yourself, free
The file format most cinema projection systems play, and how to build one without paying $500–900 for it.
Closed captions
The text track every distributor and streamer will eventually require — nearly free if you make it while your edit is fresh.
Audio stems & the M&E mix
Separated dialogue, music, and effects tracks — trivial to export while your mix session exists, painful to reconstruct after.
The artwork package
Poster, stills, and — the part everyone forgets — the layered, textless versions platforms actually require.
Chain of title
The paper trail proving you own your film — collected in an afternoon now, or reconstructed through years-later signature hunts.
E&O insurance
Errors & omissions coverage — genuinely required at distribution, and genuinely a waste of money before it.
Music cue sheets & licenses
The list of every piece of music in your film and proof you may use it — the most common deal-killer for indie films.
Automated DCP creation service
In developmentUpload your master; it's checked, converted in the cloud, verified, and guaranteed by the venue test-play — at a fair flat rate you can roll into your first payout. This feature isn't available yet. Until then, the free do-it-yourself path in the DCP guide is the way — it's the same path we've used for real theatrical screenings.
Question a guide doesn't answer? hello@indiegreenlight.com