Client or department head signs off on deliverables — cut, VFX, grade, music. No approval, no next stage.
Sign-off determines whether a production phase is complete or needs to return to the editing/correction room. The client—whether director, producer, or studio representative—reviews the material, provides feedback, and signals acceptance or rejection. Nothing moves forward without this formal approval. It sounds simple, but in practice, it's a critical bottleneck because subjective expectations meet technical reality here.
On set, sign-off happens daily: the focus puller checks focus with the DIT, camera assist checks log files, the DP nods or shakes their head. In editing, it becomes more formal. The editor presents an assembly cut, the director provides change requests, followed by the next version—until sign-off is given. The situation is similar for grading: the colorist delivers their first color pass, the leads (director, producer) look at the reference monitor, note corrections, and only when the color grade is correct is the shot approved. VFX approvals are often the longest processes: a shot with compositing might go through 5–10 iteration rounds before the VFX supervisor declares it deliverable.
Practically, sign-off means: clarify clear criteria beforehand (technical, aesthetic, timing), document feedback, count revisions, and set deadlines. Those who don't define approval criteria end up in endless loops. For editing, an approval meeting with a fixed agenda helps. For music, there's often a temp approval first (with a placeholder score), then the final mix approval. In DCP mastering and color space conversion, sign-off is even legally relevant—the distributor must sign that the image meets their standards.
The most common mistake: initiating sign-off too late. If it only becomes clear in week 3 of editing that the director wanted a completely different rhythm, it costs time and money. Better: short review cycles, regular milestone approvals, and clear escalation paths if a lead is unable to make a decision. Sign-off is not a blockade—it is structure.