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to bring all stakeholders together around their data. We like to say that it’s where media meets people. In the contemporary production environment, there’s a continual need for information exchange between all parties involved in a project. The cloud is a natural enabler for this. Its globally distributed and low-latency access (when architected correctly) make it the ideal platform for collaboration. While there are on- premises, peer-to-peer solutions that distribute data, I don’t see them as viable for our industry. They might work for small creative teams or agencies, but the film industry requires a level of security that individual users simply cannot guarantee for every entity storing and distributing data. DEF: Costs can quickly creep up. What hidden costs should filmmakers watch out for, and how can they think about long-term value in their storage decisions? How can productions future-proof their storage? PC: This brings us back to the idea of digital patrimony. If a production company loses control of its data, little can be done to recover it. It’s crucial to adopt a mindset where digital assets are treated as the company’s core wealth. As such, they must be preserved and carried into the future without hesitation. The cost of proper storage is minimal compared to the catastrophic cost of losing data. Losing the master of a film, which happens every day, has an enormous financial impact, not to mention the repercussions from public entities who may have co- financed the project. Often, there’s a legal obligation to preserve the integrity of a work indefinitely. I advise production companies to designate a specific portion of their budget for the preservation of digital assets, as a direct extension of the financial investment of producing the film itself. JT: One of the biggest cost traps is uncontrolled cloud usage, especially from storing vast amounts of Raw camera files for extended periods. Productions should determine exactly what needs to be in the cloud at each stage of a project, and then automate
ingest and archival processes to move material into more cost-effective tiers once it’s not active. The pricing model of Blackmagic Cloud is deliberately simple, for instance, with no hidden egress fees and no ongoing charges for Cloud Store hardware. By taking control of what’s in progress in the cloud and planning for long-term archival, productions can keep costs predictable while also mitigating risk. DEF: Performance is always the top priority. What storage innovations have made the biggest differences to workflows in recent years? JT: The arrival of 10Gb Ethernet as standard on lots of Macs and PCs is a game changer. Combined with off-the-shelf network storage products, it’s democratising high-performance workflows that were once the preserve of major studios. Nowadays, small productions or independent creators also have multi-user, real-time editing networks at their fingertips. Looking forward, 100Gb Ethernet is becoming more accessible and should be on the radar for the next generation of high-performance workflows. PC: Without a doubt, the cloud. It has provided a single, centralised information hub available to all stakeholders across production, post-production, distribution and even long-term preservation. Having this central memory, accessible from any device, anywhere and at any time,
is the most significant innovation we’ve witnessed in recent years. It has driven extreme efficiency in workflows, though it’s also demanded that professionals become more skilled, attentive and technologically well versed in looking after data. Data management used to be a niche, specialist role. Now, we are all data managers. DEF: What are the key questions a filmmaker should ask themselves when deciding what storage set-up is right for them? PC: The main question is: ”What do I need to do with my data?” If you need to circulate your assets widely,
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