DVD production from A-Z

For years, everyone produced CD-ROM discs. It was the ultimate means of distributing heretofore unimaginable quantities of information. When CD-ROM discs came out over a decade ago, everyone wanted a CD burner. As replication became widely available, we all wanted to distribute hundreds of them. And when replicators announced they could print four colour artwork on the face, sales skyrocketed. Clients included Word documents, PDF files, and nice Powerpoint presentations including sound and animations. It was practical and it was fun. As more people started to have CD-ROM players in their computers it actually became a valuable means of sharing operational data. Catalogues found their way onto CD-ROM discs as did compressed Quicktime movies, Flash sequences and Windows Media Player files not to forget Real Player ones as well.

Enter the turn of the millennium and the DVD-ROM. 4.7 Gb, and now double that, of ones and zeros. You can use this space to do quite a lot of showing off. You can include a full two hours of television quality film. You can includes tens of thousands of pages of photos or reports and you can even mix all of the above.

How do you get started? How much will it cost? Where do you get it done? And, what should you watch out for?

Do you need a DVD or is a CD enough? That is your first question. The math is simple. If you have more than 700 Mb, start considering a DVD. Remember, however, that more people have a CD-ROM player than they do DVD-ROM players. So if you have, say, 800 Mb, consider removing 100 Mb and making a CD-ROM. Obviously, beyond that, we are on our way to making a DVD-ROM.

The next step is to prepare your content. A DVD-ROM can have two sections. The first is the video section. This is the equivalent of a DVD film DVD disc you buy or rent. The second section is the actual DVD-ROM section. It can contain any type of data. It can contain movies compressed with Quicktime, Windows Media Player, DivX or any other video compressor. It can also contain normal computer files for any operating system including for Windows or Apple. You can, therefore, include any word processing, spreadsheet, image, PDF or even Flash animation. Anything you can store on your hard disk, you can store on the DVD-ROM section.

Once you have gathered your content, you have the option of designing an interface to present that content. This interface can range from the basic file format presentation on your computer to the highly animated interfaces on blockbuster film DVDs. If you plan on opting for the higher end option, you should seriously consider hiring a professional who is familiar with programmes such as Apple's DVD Studio Pro. There are simpler applications as well but do not underestimate the importance of good design. This article will not go into detail on producing the interface other than saying that this is a great opportunity to use your institutional or campaign-specific branding. Do not encourage your designer to fly off in all directions and be exceedingly creative. What you can do is make certain your designer keeps the interface easy to use. Nothing is more disturbing than a cluttered interface. You should also insist that if animation is used, that it be short and to the point. Five seconds of animation is already quite long. Those who develop ten and fifteen second loops generally regret it. The only exception is if the interface's animation is directly related to the campaign. Even then, if you want people to use the DVD more than once, keep it short. People have a long memory when it comes to long, drawn out presentations.

The next important step is to decide if you are going to duplicate the DVD or replicate it using a glass master. In the case of duplication, your DVD disc will be copied just as if you were copying it on your own computer. The difference is simply the type of equipment inasmuch as their units will do several at a time. One step up, a big one, from duplication is a glass master based replication run. Here, a glass master is made from your own disc and that master actually presses fresh discs. Replication costs more and usually forces you to make runs of 1000 or more disks, but if you can, choose replication. In addition to producing a better disc, as many people have learned, it forces you to make a better disc on your side. The mastering system that prepares the glass master is notoriously picky when it comes to your master. If it is not perfectly prepared, it may reject it. The result is a better product.

A major consideration for many clients is the face and the packaging. Both are, indeed, a major communications component. A good face encourages people to play the disc. A good package encourages them to keep it.

Your disc face can be one colour only, or you can choose to go for a four colour process job. If your artwork warrants the one colour face, fine, otherwise you will feel somewhat disappointed for not going with a full colour job. We have become accustomed to full colour commercial discs. They have spoiled us and anything less feels cheap. A technical note, if you go for full colour, you'll be doing a five colour job, not four colour. The fifth colour is actually the first. It is a white undercoat. Without it, your printing on a clear piece of plastic and, unless that is the desired effect, the face will seem semitransparent. So do not be surprised when you get the quote, it's not a mistake. Make sure to ask the replication supplier for the artwork template. Your designer will need it. If they have done face art before, they will likely already have it. Printing a DVD face is somewhat standard. Same for the digital file. Most replicators accept the usual files: Illustrator, Photoshop or PDF. 300 dpi is the norm; the same as for a printed document. Do ask, of course.

The packaging is not quite as straightforward as the face. There are many options ranging from a plain white envelope into which the DVD slips in to full colour, printed, and often complex, boxes with inserted flyers or even folded posters. Packaging is a very creative art. Among the more common choices, you will find the window envelope, the plastic see through clamshell, the jewel box and the film box. These will range in price from a few cents to over one US Dollar. More complex productions can easily reach several more. You can also get multiple disc boxes if your set includes more than one disc.

When choosing packaging, many additional items, beyond aesthetics, must be considered. Weight is one. If you need to ship your DVD kits, large packaging will weigh more. Size is also a factor. Fragility, is to be considered if you are mailing. Jewel cases, for instance, are far more prone to breakage than clamshells.

When ordering a DVD product, time is incompressible, remember this. There are certain things that cannot be sped up. Mastering takes time, as does the actual replication. The packaging takes time to print. So does stuffing the DVD discs into the package. On average, if you give yourself two weeks to produce under 5000 discs, you should be fine. Allow for shipping time after that. Larger runs will take longer though the longest runs will rarely take more than four to six weeks (unless you are running off the latest blockbuster which is not the case for most campaigners).

Back to the content for a moment. We should look at the DVD video option, should you choose to include television quality video. DVD video is standards-dependent. A PAL video cannot play on an NTSC television. For each TV standard you wish to make available, you will therefore have to produce a separate DVD run. This limitation does not apply to discs being played on a computer. Computers are not limited by the standard of a television screen. As long as your disc was prepared as a multi-zone disc, you will be able to play it on any computer worldwide. If, however, you have included zone protection, your disc will only play on computers that are set for that zone. With an Apple computer, for instance, you have five opportunities to change zone. After the fifth switch, your DVD-ROM player gets locked into that zone.

Who are the good replicators? Many good replicators can be found on any search engine. Try to choose one based on more than just price; though prices you will see, vary greatly. The best way to choose a replicator is to use the following combination of criteria: ease of generating a quote, ease of ordering, ease of payment, proximity, existing client list and my all time favourite, does their website look credible. Replicators are companies that generally offer interface design for DVD content, if their website is not up to your expectations, chances are their design work will not be either. We can vouch for dub-it.com based in Hollywood, California. They ship worldwide. They work for top studios. They offer a top product. But do not expect shortcuts with this type of outfit. They will give you a great product if your own disc is perfect, if you pay up front (unless you have an account with them) and if you respect their deadlines.

A closing word about DVD production. On the surface it seems simple and, to a degree, the simplest DVD jobs are. But as soon as you want to get a little more sophisticated, consider hiring a pro.