Welcome to the Netflix Partner Help Center. Have a question or need help with an issue? Send us a ticket and we'll help you to a resolution.

Error Code:

Black Frame 

Description:

"Black frame" is a frame without any image information.

Impact:

Black frames impact the Content and Technical Quality of the Asset. Member experience is negatively impacted by by the image cutting to black without creative context.

Severity Structure:

FYI

Black frames are clearly creatively motivated by a lighting effect or scene transition.

Issue

Image cuts to black without any context that it is motivated by creative intent (i.e. NOT related to inherent lighting flicker or a natural cut/ fade to black for a scene transition). 

Blocker

Image is missing from an extended period of timeline and prevents creative intent or consumption of the story.

How to Prevent:                          

Watchdown final timeline before export to look for any render errors, dropped frames or gaps in the timeline.  

Use timeline snapping to avoid introducing unintentional gaps in the timeline.

Adhere to Netflix spec for amount of black at head and tail.

Solution:

Black frames can be the result of a render error, causing a corrupted/dropped frame on output of the final asset.  It can also be the result of two shots having not been properly joined on the timeline leaving a break between clips.  

Depending on the cause, shots with corrupted/dropped frames will either need to be re-rendered, or edit will need to be adjusted on the timeline to properly close the existing gap.

Was this article helpful?
4 out of 9 found this helpful