Picture Lock Contract & Schedule: Sound Post Playbook
Picture lock is a contract term, not a creative feeling. On independent features and streaming series, lock moves after turnover roughly two times out of three, and every unlogged trim costs the sound team hours of surgical conform. This guide gives you the contract language, turnover checklist, versioning discipline, and phased schedule that keep sound post on budget when picture keeps moving. You will leave with: a written lock definition your editor and mixer both accept, a change-order fee structure that scales with the actual damage, a turnover packet that supports Pro Tools or Nuendo conform via Conformalizer or Matchbox, and a phased schedule that protects ADR days, Foley stages, and the final mix from cascading slippage.
Table of Contents
1. Defining Picture Lock in Contract Language
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Defining Picture Lock in Contract Language
Picture lock means different things to different departments. To a director it often means "creatively finished." To a supervising sound editor it must mean something narrower and testable: no changes to shot boundaries, no changes to shot order, no changes to total runtime per reel, and no change to timecode start. Anything softer than that puts every dialogue edit, Foley cue, and music sync at risk of a conform pass.
A five-frame trim is not cosmetic. In a Pro Tools session with 400 dialogue edits, a trim inside a reel can push every downstream clip out of sync and force a full EDL diff and conform. The math is unforgiving: 24 fps at 48 kHz means each frame is 2,000 samples, and even a two-frame drift is audible on a plosive or a footfall.
Put the definition in writing. A short lock notice PDF exported from the NLE, listing runtime per reel, total runtime, timecode start, and reel breakpoints, is the industry norm. Version the reference movie the same way: `Feature_R2_LockV5_2026-08-14_TC01000000.mov`. If a reel is not truly locked, do not call it locked. Use "picture leave" or "temp lock" and price the sound work accordingly.
Reel-by-reel lock is the pragmatic answer for features. Sound begins full editorial on reels 1 and 2 while the editor finishes reel 6, and each reel gets its own lock notice. This is standard on Netflix and A24 features and is worth insisting on for any project over 60 minutes.
Common failure modes
Pro Tip: Write into the contract that any change to shot boundaries, shot order, reel breaks, or timecode start voids the lock and triggers a documented change order. Cosmetic color, VFX plate swaps, and retimes inside an existing shot boundary do not.
Contracting Sound Post When Lock Will Move
Assume lock will move. Contracts that pretend otherwise generate uncompensated rework and burned-out mixers. The working model on independent features in 2026 is a base scope plus a defined revision allowance plus a per-change fee schedule.
Scope by runtime and deliverables, not by calendar. A typical clause: "Up to 100 minutes final runtime. One stereo LtRt print master, one 5.1 print master, DME stems, M&E, plus two included minor conform passes not exceeding five minutes cumulative change per pass." Beyond that, price the conform work in hourly blocks or per-reel flat fees. Standard 2026 rates for supervising sound editor conform work run $95 to $150 per hour on independent features, higher in Los Angeles and New York.
Payment milestones tied to events, not dates. Common structure: 30 percent on contract, 30 percent at spotting, 30 percent at start of final mix (which requires a written lock notice), 10 percent on delivery of spec-compliant masters. This aligns cashflow with actual gates and stops the mixer from being asked to work on a lock that does not exist.
Tiered packages for uncertain locks. A "stable lock" package includes one included conform. A "dynamic lock" package includes three, priced 15 to 25 percent higher. ADR, Foley, and re-recording are always broken out as separate line items because each is disproportionately damaged by shot changes.
Track everything in ShotGrid, Airtable, or a shared Google Sheet with columns for version, turnover date, lock status, conform hours consumed, and revision credits remaining. Historical conform-hour data from previous projects is the strongest argument for realistic revision limits on the next one.
Common failure modes
Pro Tip: Require the client to provide platform, festival, or broadcaster tech specs at contract signing. State explicitly that a change in external specs after lock, such as a shift from -24 LUFS to -14 LUFS or a stereo-to-Atmos ask, is a new deliverable and priced separately.
For the mechanics of aligning on materials before the first turnover, see Sound Turnover Checklist for Picture Editors: Premiere, Avid, Resolve.
Turnover and Version Management
Every turnover to sound is three things: a reference movie, an AAF or OMF, and a change document. Skip any one of them and the conform work triples.
Reference movie. H.264 QuickTime at 1920x1080, source frame rate (24, 23.976, 25, or 29.97 as appropriate), with burn-in timecode matching session TC, reel number, and version. File name encodes cut and date: `Film_R3_LockV7_2026-09-02_TC01030000.mov`. For long-form, one file per reel keeps versioning honest.
AAF preferred over OMF. AAF supports embedded audio, longer handles (48 frames or two seconds is the working minimum, 10 seconds is safer), clip-based volume automation, and metadata that OMF drops. OMF is legacy; still supported in Pro Tools but avoid it on new projects. For the tradeoffs, see AAF vs OMF vs EDL for Sound: What Each Is Good For and Common Traps.
Change list. When lock moves, do not just re-export the AAF. Export a change list (EDL diff) alongside it. Avid''s Change List tool, Adobe Premiere''s compare export, and Resolve''s compare timelines all generate documents that Conformalizer, Matchbox, or Pro Tools'' Import Session Data can consume to conform an existing session rather than rebuild it. A conform driven by a change list is minutes of work per reel; a rebuild is a full editorial day.
Versioning discipline. Sample rate and bit depth are locked at project start, typically 48 kHz, 24-bit WAV for narrative and 96 kHz, 24-bit for high-end features with heavy design work. Never re-sample mid-project. Every reference export and every AAF gets the same version stamp as the picture cut it corresponds to, and old versions are archived, not deleted, so a mixer can always A/B against a prior turnover.
Common failure modes
Pro Tip: Set the reference video''s timecode burn-in position bottom-center at 30 percent height, source TC on the left, session TC on the right, reel and version at top. This survives letterboxing and scales to laptop QC without covering the frame.
For the burn-in and reference video specs that prevent sync disputes downstream, see Reference Video Specs for Sound: Burn-Ins That Prevent Sync Disputes.
Scheduling Around Moving Lock
Sound post breaks into six phases: turnover and spotting, dialogue editorial, ADR, Foley, sound design and premix, and final mix and deliverables. On independent features the standard total is six to ten weeks of sound post following picture lock, compressed to three or four when the budget forces it. Every phase is affected differently by moving lock.
Dialogue editorial (typically 10 to 15 days on a feature) can begin on a near-lock cut with the understanding that a conform pass will follow lock. iZotope RX 11 (Dialogue Isolate, Spectral Denoise, Mouth De-click, De-plosive, Spectral Repair), Waves Clarity Vx, and Accentize dxRevive handle the bulk of cleanup, and clip-based processing survives conform better than track inserts.
ADR is the most fragile stage. Book stages only against locked reels. A cancelled ADR day at a Sync or Formosa stage in LA still bills 50 to 100 percent of the session fee, and rescheduling a lead actor around promotion or the next job is often impossible. If lock is uncertain, schedule ADR later in the calendar and accept the compressed post-ADR mix window.
Foley (typically 3 to 8 days on a Foley stage plus 3 to 5 days of editorial) is equally lock-sensitive. Footsteps must match frame-accurate footfalls, and cloth passes match specific gestures. Recording Foley on an unlocked cut generates unusable material for any scene that later shortens or restructures.
Sound design and premix (5 to 10 days) is where flexibility lives. Broad ambiences, textural design, and music prep can proceed on near-lock cuts because their sync tolerance is measured in seconds, not frames.
Final mix (5 to 10 days for a feature, in a Dolby Atmos or 5.1 dub stage) requires firm lock. Insist on a lock validation session at the top of mix week: 30 minutes of the mixer walking the picture with the assistant editor confirming runtime, reel lengths, act breaks, and timecode against the lock notice.
Build buffers. A working schedule includes 3 to 5 days between lock and start of final mix for reconform, and 2 to 3 days between final mix and delivery for QC and encode. Compress these at your peril.
Common failure modes
Pro Tip: Run premix passes on the near-lock cut to establish tone and balance. Reserve final mix days for sync, micro-moves, and picture-driven automation. This is the single biggest schedule saver when lock moves.
Technical Standards and Deliverables
Delivery specs must be in hand before the mix begins. The 2026 baseline targets by platform:
| Platform | Integrated Loudness | True Peak | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | -27 LUFS ±2 (5.1), -18 LUFS ±2 (stereo near-field) | -2 dBTP | Dialog anchored; dial-norm -27 |
| Amazon Prime Video | -24 LUFS ±2 (5.1), -18 LUFS (stereo) | -2 dBTP | ATSC A/85 aligned |
| Apple TV+ | -27 LUFS (5.1), -16 LUFS (Atmos) | -1 dBTP | Follows Dolby Atmos delivery spec |
| Disney+ | -27 LUFS (5.1) | -2 dBTP | Dolby Atmos required for originals |
| Theatrical DCP | 85 dB SPL C-weighted reference | -3 dBTP peak headroom | Mixed to room, not to a LUFS number |
| Broadcast (US, ATSC A/85) | -24 LKFS ±2 | -2 dBTP | CALM Act compliance |
| Broadcast (EU, EBU R128) | -23 LUFS ±1 | -1 dBTP | Long-form program loudness |
| Festival (unknown spec) | -24 LUFS, -2 dBTP | -2 dBTP | Safe default for narrative; document choice in notes |
Session standards. 48 kHz, 24-bit WAV working files. Master bus loudness meter (Nugen VisLM 2, Waves WLM Plus, or iZotope Insight 2) and true-peak limiter (FabFilter Pro-L 2, Nugen ISL 2, or Massey L2007 in true-peak mode) live on the mix bus from day one, not bolted on at delivery.
Deliverables. For a feature, standard package: printmaster (Atmos, 7.1, 5.1, and stereo LtRt as required), DME stems (Dialogue, Music, Effects) at printmaster level, M&E for foreign versions with Dialogue muted and any music-dependent Foley promoted, optional 2.0 near-field mix. For streaming series, add textless backgrounds and language-swap stems. See M&E Deliverables: How They''re Built and Why Distribution Requires Them and The Localization Pipeline: Textless Elements, M&E Mixes, and Deliverables Planning.
Common failure modes
Pro Tip: Keep template sessions per delivery type with routing, meters, and limiter already wired to master. Recreating the mastering chain from scratch on delivery day is where compliance mistakes happen.
Creative Impacts on Dialogue, Foley, ADR, and Design
Beyond the contract, moving lock reshapes the creative work. The strategy is to prioritize what the audience will notice.
Dialogue. Cleanup and intelligibility come first. Production dialogue processed with clip-based iZotope RX modules survives conform because the processing travels with the clip. Track-insert plugins can drift out of sync when clips move. When lock changes cut a breath or reaction, replace from handles first, then from adjacent takes, then from ADR as a last resort. For the full workflow, see Dialogue Editing Workflow: Cleaning, Matching, and Continuity.
ADR matches the room, not just the words. A booth recording placed in a subway scene without impulse-response reverb and matched EQ reads as fake regardless of performance quality. Altiverb 7 with a matched IR, or Fiedler Audio Stage in real-time, are the working tools. Book ADR only against locked reels, and cue every line with scene, slate, timecode, and multiple takes per line. See ADR Planning From the Script: Spotting, Scheduling, and Performance Direction.
Foley is broken into focused passes: dialogue-safe, footsteps, cloth, props, specifics. Recording pre-fader to dedicated buses preserves raw takes for later re-balance. Documented mic setups (Sennheiser MKH 50 close on props, Neumann TLM 103 on the pit, DPA 4017 for cloth) make patch recording after a late insert shot achievable. See Foley Planning: Building a Cue Sheet and Recording Efficiently.
Sound design. Layer modularly. An impact built from separate low, mid, and high layers on distinct tracks can be retimed in seconds when picture moves. A pre-bounced single-stem impact cannot. Keep design elements on clip-based automation rather than dense track automation, because clip data moves with the clip during conform.
Salvage priority when lock moves during mix. Dialogue and ADR intelligibility first. Foley sync on close-ups second. Major sound design hits third. Broad ambiences last. Audiences forgive a slightly loose ambience; they do not forgive a plosive on the lead''s line.
Common failure modes
Pro Tip: Store Foley and ADR with documented mic setups, positions, and processing so patch recording for late inserts matches without guesswork.
Before delivery, run everything through the Final Audio QC Checklist: Sync, Peaks, Tails, Phase, and Printmaster Sanity.
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Interface and Handoff Notes
Upstream inputs (what sound receives):
Downstream outputs (what sound delivers):
Top failure modes for this specific topic:
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Browse This Cluster
- Sound Turnover Checklist for Picture Editors: Premiere, Avid, Resolve
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