Dailies
Raw footage from each day of filming, reviewed by key creatives to assess progress and quality.
Definition
Dailies (also called rushes) are the unedited footage from each day of filming, prepared overnight for review by the director, cinematographer, and producers. Dailies reveal technical issues, evaluate performances, and track the creative direction.
In the digital era, dailies can be viewed anywhere with secure streaming, though the tradition of communal daily screenings continues on many productions.
Why It Matters
Reviewing dailies catches problems—focus issues, lighting inconsistencies, performance concerns—while there's still time to reshoot. They're also essential for editors to begin assembly while production continues.
Dailies reviews build team alignment around the creative vision and catch issues before they become expensive reshoots.
Examples in Practice
The director reviews dailies on an iPad during lunch, noting a performance she wants to adjust in the afternoon's coverage.
The cinematographer spots a focus issue in the dailies that wasn't visible on set monitors, scheduling a pickup shot for the next morning.
The studio requests dailies access to monitor the production remotely, raising tension with the director who prefers privacy during filming.