Space race | academy
Solid state of mind Clever, robust storage solutions like this SNS set-up use a mix of technologies, including AI for sorting files and remote access to allow teams to collaborate on projects from afar
The 3-2-1 rule
Stop thinking about drives This leads to what is one of the most
Your camera’s memory card isn’t a backup – and neither is having two drives sitting next to each other. Every filmmaker should build protection around the 3-2-1 rule. 3 COPIES Keep three copies of anything you cannot afford to lose – the primary working data plus two backups. 2 TYPES OF MEDIA Don‘t rely entirely on identical storage. Spread the risk by using different storage media or systems. 1 COPY OFF-SITE Keep at least one copy physically separate from your working storage, or a copy in the cloud. Don‘t forget a backup is only useful if you can actually restore from it. Build occasional recovery checks into the workflow rather than discovering there is a problem when the original has already disappeared. gets easier and less time goes to managing files instead of making them,” Ciotti says. And perhaps that is the biggest lesson as file sizes grow and storage technology becomes increasingly complex. Don’t begin by asking how many terabytes you can get for your money. Start with what happens to the footage from the moment it leaves the camera until the day you might need it again. Memory cards, SSDs, shared arrays, nearline systems and cloud archives all have different strengths. The smartest workflow doesn’t necessarily choose between them; it gives each one the appropriate job. A workflow functions best when technology fades into the background so the team can focus on the task at hand.
“The next wave of storage innovation isn’t about capacity, it’s about making content more usable at scale, and AI is the catalyst,” says Ciotti. “The more a team understands its own footage, the more value it can pull from their content.” Rather than an archive being a digital cupboard full of old projects, AI analysis can potentially turn it into an active library by actually recognising the content. The SNS approach illustrates where this tech is heading. Its AI Suite incorporates functions including transcription, translation, metadata generation, classification, summarisation and content recognition. Importantly for organisations handling commercially sensitive or unreleased footage, it’s important these processes run on your local drives rather than requiring media to leave the facility for cloud processing. And look for a model that uses a perpetual licence with unlimited local usage rather than charging according to minutes or tokens consumed. But the broader development is what should interest filmmakers. As archives become searchable according to what’s actually contained within footage rather than merely filenames and manually entered metadata, years of material will potentially become useful again. A production company could discover that its archive isn’t simply a cost that needs storing, it could be an asset. Make storage invisible Ultimately, the best storage workflow might be the one filmmakers barely notice. Nobody goes into production because they are passionate about transferring files between drives. Storage exists to enable the creative process, and when it continually demands attention, something isn’t working properly. “When storage fits how a team actually works, footage moves faster, collaboration
common mistakes, which is treating storage purely as an IT purchasing decision. Really it is a workflow decision – a subtle but significant distinction. Imagine an editor waiting for footage to copy from a slow drive. Another team member needs the same material, so makes another duplicate. Somebody else can’t find a shot and spends an hour hunting through folders. At the end of the job, nobody is entirely certain which version is the master. The drives may have been inexpensive, but the workflow certainly isn’t. “Storage determines how fast your team can access footage, how easily people collaborate, and how well your work is protected,” says Ciotti. “It can make or break a production.” For a small production company, that means thinking about how people actually work before investing. How many users need simultaneous access? Are editors working locally or remotely? How quickly must the footage move and how long do projects remain live? What happens when they are finished? And, crucially, how easily could something be restored if a drive failed tomorrow? Only after answering questions like those does capacity become truly meaningful. The intelligent archive The next transformation could be even bigger because storage is increasingly becoming more than somewhere to put files. Anyone with years of accumulated footage knows the problem. Somewhere in that archive might be exactly the establishing shot, interview comment or B roll clip you need. Knowing that it exists isn’t the same as being able to find it. This is where AI could fundamentally change storage, and some software brands are already getting involved with it.
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