Netflix Approved Cinema Cameras

INTRODUCTION

The age of digital streaming has brought about many changes and has for the most part shifted the movie experience from the cinema to the couch. Perhaps the largest and most influential player in this space is Netflix. If you want to shoot original content for them you have to do it with one of their approved cinema cameras. Why exactly is this and what cameras are approved? Well, let’s find out.

WHY NETFLIX APPROVES CAMERAS

If you go to Netflix’s website, the official reason that they give for mandating their list of approved cameras is “to help creatives produce their best work and create compelling visual experiences for our audience.”

Although this is a pretty general statement, they do go on to say that some of the image capture benchmarks that they take into account when approving a camera include: a high dynamic range, colour accuracy, detail rendition, low grain and high resolution. 

For Netflix authorised fiction, 90% of the footage must have been captured on one of their approved cameras. That leaves a 10% gap for footage that may be needed from specialty cameras, such as smartphones, high frame rate cameras, drones, or action cameras.

For non-fiction content they are a little bit more flexible with this ratio and may allow, for example, more than 10% of the footage to be shot with non-approved cameras, such as when using old stock footage in documentaries.   

An interesting question however is whether things like higher resolution truly do provide, in their words, “a compelling visual experience”  or a visual experience which best suits the story.

Some of the shows on Netflix with the highest numbers of streams, were in fact not original content, and were therefore quite often captured on cameras which don’t come close to Netflix’s image capture benchmarks of today.

For example, if The Office, the highest streamed TV show on the platform in 2020, was pitched to Netflix today it would have to be captured with a far cleaner, higher resolution, larger sensor, low noise look, which would go against the intended fly-on-the-wall, TV broadcast, 1080p video look of the show.

It should be noted that Netflix’s regulations about approved cameras only apply to newly filmed, Netflix original content. Acquisition of older content is not bound to their image capture benchmarks.

CAMERA SPEC REQUIREMENTS

Let’s dive further into the specific minimum capture requirements that all Netflix approved cameras need to adhere to.

The first, and probably most important minimum requirement that Netflix sets is resolution. Netflix originals need to be captured by a camera in a resolution of at least 3840 horizontal photosites - also called 4K UHD.

One of the reasons I imagine they created this resolution requirement was so that they could offer a dedicated Premium price tier, different from their Standard Full HD tier, which allows users to stream in 4K UHD.

When this resolution requirement was first introduced a number of years ago, it controversially cut out most Arri cameras from approval, including the most popular cinema camera of the time, the Alexa Mini - which has 3424 horizontal photosites - just short of the 3840 that are required.

Since then, Arri has released a few cameras capable of recording at Netflix’s required resolution - which we’ll get into later.

Netflix approved cameras need to be able to capture using either a lightly compressed or uncompressed RAW codec, or an Intra Frame 4:2:2 codec, capable of 10-bit or greater recording with a data rate at or above 240 Mbps in a wide or log scene-referred colour space.

These requirements ensure that cameras capture a good level of colour and information which can be worked with intensively in post-production. Most high-end cinema cameras stand up to these image standards - but it does eliminate some smaller mirrorless cameras - such as the Sony A7 III - which only does 8-bit 4:2:0 internal recording.

Finally, Netflix requires that approved cameras are capable of jamming timecode to an external source and recording that timecode as metadata. This is mainly used for synchronising sound in post-production which is captured on location with an external recorder.

Again, this eliminates many smaller body cameras, such as the Sony A7s III, which can’t jam or write timecode as metadata.

It’s also possible to shoot on film - which will involve some technical coordination with Netflix - and usually means scanning the film negative at a 4K resolution to comply with their UHD standards.  

NETFLIX APPROVED CAMERAS

Since there is quite a long list of Netflix approved cameras to choose from I’ll just be highlighting some of the most popular ones, breaking them into two camps: documentary and lower end cinema cameras and high end cinema cameras. If you’d like to review all the approved cameras you can do so on Netflix’s website.

Starting at the lower end is Panasonic’s S1H, the only camera on the list with an SLR style body that takes both stills and video. This sits at a similar level as Canon’s C70 and Sony’s FX3, which both make the list, occupying the positions of being affordable Netflix approved options that come in a small form factor. 

These cameras are great as B or C cams where they may accompany a higher end A camera. Their smaller size and light weight also means they can be rigged into tight or less accessible spaces.

When it comes to observational documentaries, the choice of camera often boils down to a decision between Canon or Sony. Sony’s cheaper FX6 and more expensive FX9 are both approved and take up Sony’s prime spots for single operator documentary cameras. Older Sony models like the FS7, F55 and some broadcast cameras also make the list. 

The main Canon single shooter documentary competitor is the C300 - with both the mark two and mark three making an appearance. While the C500 and C700 come in at a higher price point.  

Alternatives in this single operator, midrange budget level include Blackmagic’s Ursa Mini and Ursa Mini Pro, as well as Panasonic’s lower budget EVA1 and their higher budget Varicam LT.

Finally, we get into the high end cinema camera range. These cameras are used to shoot the majority of Netflix’s series, movies and high end documentaries. This category is dominated by Red, Panavision - which is basically a repackaged Red sensor, Sony and Arri.

Earlier I mentioned that when these approval guidelines were first released, most Arri cameras were excluded due to their inability, or rather lack of interest, in recording at high resolutions. It was only their 6K, 65mm format Alexa 65 which made the cut - albeit at a very high budget point.

To address this, they have since added three other 4K capable, Netflix approved cameras to their lineup: the large format Alexa LF, the smaller body version the Mini LF and their recent Super35 camera, the Alexa 35. All of which can be used for both regular spherical and anamorphic capture.

Arri’s early exclusion meant that Red, with their focus on high resolution, dominated the early days of the streaming service. Although much of that early dominance has been eroded in recent years, Reds are still popular cameras of choice for original Netflix productions. 

They have loads of camera and sensor variations that are approved - most of which are capable of anamorphic capture. Some of the most popular are the full frame, 8K Monstro, their Super35 Dragon and Helium cameras, the newer body Red Ranger, and their little, low price point Red Komodo.    

Panavision also offers the DXL2 which takes the Red Monstro sensor and places it in a more traditional studio style cinema camera body with great ergonomics.

The final high end competitor is Sony, with their Venice and Venice 2 which are approved for spherical and anamorphic capture. This has been a great product for Sony which has won them a lot of market share in this high end cinema camera category.     

ASPECT RATIO REQUIREMENTS

So we know that Netflix original content requires using a camera capable of capturing at least 4K UHD. But, what happens after filming is completed and the final files need to be delivered to Netflix?

The first thing to be aware of is aspect ratio. This is displayed as the value of a file’s width in relation to its height. The easiest way to get to this ratio is to divide the number of pixels that make up the width by the number of pixels that make up the height. 

So if we take video captured in Netflix’s desired 3840x2160 resolution, we divide 3840 by 2160. This equals 1.78. Therefore it has an aspect ratio of 1.78:1.

All original Netflix content needs to be delivered in 4K UHD in a container aspect ratio of 1.78:1 otherwise called 16:9 - so 3840 pixels by 2160 pixels. This doesn’t however mean that aspect ratios besides 16:9 can’t be used. 

Netflix supports a host of different established active picture aspect ratios, such as 1.33, 1.78, 1.85 and 2.39:1. These ratios are a creative choice made by filmmakers. 

When productions choose an active picture aspect ratio different from the container aspect ratio of 1.78:1, there will be black matte bars on either the sides, called pillar boxes, or on the top and bottom, called letter boxes.

So, the total video file including the black bars are called the container ratio - which is 1.78:1 and 3840x2160. 

While the part of the file that isn’t black and displays only the filmed content is called the active picture aspect ratio - which could be for example 1.33:1 and 2880x2160 or 2.39:1 and 3840x1610.

Some content, like that which was not filmed on 4K UHD capable cameras, must still be delivered to Netflix in a 1.78:1 container ratio, but at a lower 1920x1080 resolution.