Editing Workprint (section)

{{Short description|Rough version of a motion picture or television program}}
{{merge from|One-light|date=May 2025}}
{{Lead missing|date=April 2025}}
[[File:Workprintstill.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Frame captured from a digital editing workprint. The [[timecode]] on the left begins with a userbit designating the lab roll and the code on the right is a [[Keykode]].]]

A '''workprint''' is a rough version of a [[motion picture]] or television program, used by the [[film editor]]s during the editing process. Such copies generally contain original recorded sound that will later be re-dubbed, [[stock footage]] as placeholders for missing shots or [[special effects]], and [[animation]] tests for in-production animated shots or sequences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://projectspace.adc.rmit.edu.au/2006/comm2320/digifilm/Forms%20of%20Piracy.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301104217/http://projectspace.adc.rmit.edu.au/2006/comm2320/digifilm/Forms%20of%20Piracy.htm|archive-date=2012-03-01|title=What are the different types of Piracy?|author=Christopher George}}</ref><ref name="VCDQuality">{{cite web|url=http://www.vcdq.com/index.php?page=faq#7|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529101730/http://www.vcdq.com/index.php?page=faq |archive-date=May 29, 2010 |title=VCDQuality: Terms}} Lists recent video releases in the [[warez scene]].</ref><ref name=Craig2005>
{{cite book
|last1=Craig
|first1=Paul
|last2=Ron
|first2=Mark
|editor1-first=Mark
|editor1-last=Burnett
|others=Publisher: Andrew Williams, Page Layout and Art: Patricia Lupien, Acquisitions Editor: Jaime Quigley, Copy Editor: Judy Eby, Technical Editor: Mark Burnett, Indexer: Nara Wood, Cover Designer: Michael Kavish
|title=Software Piracy Exposed – Secrets from the Dark Side Revealed
|date=April 2005
|publisher=Syngress Publishing
|location=United States of America
|isbn=1-932266-98-4
|doi=10.1016/B978-193226698-6/50033-7
|pages=[https://archive.org/details/softwarepiracyex0000crai/page/164 164–165]
|chapter=Chapter 8: The Piracy Scene
|quote=Workprints are unfinished, pre-production materials that often lack scenes and additional sounds. They are of higher quality than [[Cam (bootleg)|CAM]] movies, and usually contain a ticker somewhere in the picture. (PIRACY FACT... A [[Time code|ticker]] is a small clock that shows the current frame that is running. It is usually used for reference purposes by directors and animators.) Workprints are usually leaked from production houses. Most recently, a [[Star War — The third gathers — Backstroke of the West|StarWars Episode 3 workprint]] was released hours before the first official screening. The workprint was of relatively high quality because it originated from a DVD; however, it had two tickers at the top of every frame. (See Figure 8.1.) Workprints are rare, and only a highly anticipated film's workprints are released by pirates. The majority of watchers are only interested in watching the final product.
|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/softwarepiracyex0000crai/page/164
}}</ref><ref name="cnnleakxmen" />

For most of the first century of filmmaking, workprints were done using second-generation [[Film stock|print]]s from the [[original camera negative]]s. After the editor and director approved of the final edit of the workprint, the same edits were made to the negative. With the conversion to [[digital editing]], workprints are now generally created on a [[non-linear editing system]] using [[telecine]]d footage from the original film or video sources (in contrast to a pirate "[[telecine (copying)|telecine]]", which is made with a much [[Generation loss|higher-generation]] film print). Occasionally, early digital workprints of films have been [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]]ged and made available on the [[Internet]].<ref name="cnnleakxmen">{{cite news|title='X-Men Origins: Wolverine' leaked to Web |first=Alan |last=Duke |work=[[CNN]] |date=2009-04-03 |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/02/xmen.piracy/index.html |access-date=2010-02-21 |quote="It was without many effects, had missing and unedited scenes and temporary sound and music," the studio said. [...] He said the movie is a rough cut, using placeholder images in many sections and special effects that look like "video games 12 years ago."}}</ref><ref name="bbcleakxmen">{{cite news|title=New Wolverine film leaked online|work=[[BBC News Online]]|date=2009-04-01|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7977265.stm|access-date=2009-04-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://scenerules.org/t.html?id=vcd.nfo|title=VCD Guidelines |quote=Workprint: This category represents movies that were taken usually from VHS tape. If the source is as good as first generation VHS demo tape with GOOD encoding, it should be labeled Screener. All other home-made VCDs must be labeled Workprint. If you know your copy is not complete, use this label. (missing scenes, missing audio tracks, additional scenes, alternate ending etc.)}} [[Standard (warez)|VCD standards]] set by the [[warez scene]].</ref> They sometimes appear months in advance of an official release.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://torrentfreak.com/good-pirate-reviews-more-important-than-piracy-itself-game-devs-say-140103/ |title=Good 'Pirate' Reviews More Important Than Piracy Itself, Game Devs Say |author=Andy |date=2014-01-03 |website=[[TorrentFreak]]}}</ref>

There are also [[director's cut]] versions of films that are only available on bootleg, such as the workprint version of [[Richard Williams (animator)|Richard Williams]]' ''[[The Thief and the Cobbler]]''.<ref>{{cite web| first= Alex| last= Williams| title = The Thief And The Cobbler| url= http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.12/articles/williams1.12.html| publisher = Animation World Magazine|date=March 1997| access-date = 2009-05-09}}</ref> Although movie studios generally do not make full-length workprints readily available to the public, there are exceptions. Examples include the "Work-In-Progress" version of ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' (albeit it is unfinished footage intertwined with the DVD release on top with the finalized sound mix), and the Denver/Dallas pre-release version of ''[[Blade Runner]]''. Deleted scenes or bonus footage included on DVD releases are sometimes left in workprint format as well, e.g. the ''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]'' DVD extras.<ref>{{cite video |date=2005-11-15 |title=Practice, Practice, Malpractice – Scrubs outtakes |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU1j2AgN_fc  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/OU1j2AgN_fc| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|medium=DVD |publisher=Buena Vista Home Entertainment}}{{cbignore}}</ref> A workprint as source for a leaked television show is rather unusual, but it happened with the third season's first episode of ''[[Homeland (TV series)|Homeland]]'' a month before it aired.<ref name="homeland">{{cite web |url=http://torrentfreak.com/homeland-season-3-workprint-leaks-a-month-in-advance-130902/ |author=Ernesto |date=2013-09-02 |website=[[TorrentFreak]] |title=Homeland Season 3 Workprint Leaks a Month in Advance}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-23941929 |title=Homeland series 3 opener leaked online |date=2013-09-03 |website=BBC}}</ref>