Dailies

ailies are the raw or lightly processed footage and synced sound from a shooting day, reviewed by editors, directors, and other collaborators to assess performance, coverage, continuity, and technical quality. They are where the edit really begins, because editorial possibilities and problems first become visible there. In modern digital workflows, the processing of dailies is often handled by a Digital Imaging Technician (DIT), who may sync audio, organize metadata, and apply non-destructive Look Up Tables (LUTs) to give the flat, desaturated log footage a more natural look for review. In modern collaborative workflows, dailies are often shared via cloud services (like Frame.io) for immediate review by the director and producers. This allows the editor to begin the assembly cut while shooting is still in progress, often just a day or two behind, enabling rapid feedback on coverage or performance. Modern workflows may involve creating 'rushes timelines' where an editor uses features like Avid's Timeline Clip Notes to log initial thoughts and performance notes directly onto the clips, creating a persistent layer of feedback. Dailies are often compiled into a 'dailies stringout'—a sequence of all footage from a shooting day, arranged in chronological shooting order—for review by the director and producers to assess the progress of the shoot.