M+E Daily

By Mel Lambert

The evolution and impact of file-based workflows formed the focus of the inaugural “Burbank Think Tank,” presented by MESA and sponsored by Testronic Labs, held Thursday night at the Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel. Moderated by Carolyn Giardina from The Hollywood Reporter, the six-member panel of industry insiders brought a hands-on focus to the operational advantages of file-based operations. The event attracted close to 200 attendees from the Burbank entertainment, production and digital services community.

Directly addressing the challenge of transitioning from a tape- to a file-based workflow, panelist Thomas Moran, senior director of media & entertainment at Savvis Communications, acknowledged that file sizes can pose problems. But Moran said that file-based workflows hold “several major advantages” for the TV/film post-production community and digital supply chain: “It is easier to make the media secure and prevent piracy; and the time to market is reduced.”

“Since media can be accessed in parallel, a file-based workflow becomes easier,” agreed John Crosier, SVP of digital architecture and delivery with Cinram. “But delivery can be harder,” because of increased storage and data-flow requirements.

File Standardization

Standardized file formats are widely considered a secret for success. Annie Chang, VP of post-production technology at Walt Disney Studios, outlined key aspects of the new Interoperable Master Format (IMF) project, which is being finalized by a consortium of film studios and post facilities, and hosted by The Entertainment Technology Center @ USC. “IMF combines a play list with essences” – audio, video, images, metadata and other material – “that can be mixed and matched to generate a variety of master files via an Output Profile List that contain instructions for particular versions,” says Chang, who chairs an IMF working group for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).

A working proposal for the open-standard specification to streamline the interchange and automated creation of downstream distribution packages will be published later this year. As Chang explained, IMF will store a single master set of file-based elements that can be assembled using multiple Composition Play Lists (“Recipes”), similar to that used in current Digital Cinema Packaging. The project promises lower costs, improved time-to-market and increased interoperability of existing production processes.

“Now we can record one master and use metadata to deliver different versions,” added Michael Zink, VP of technology strategy at Technicolor. “We finally have a standard.”

During the past year, Chang said, Disney has transitioned from 27 tape-based to 10 file formats, with a concomitant savings in mastering costs. The studio produces no standard-definition master, for example, instead using a high-definition master for such conversions. “But a one-terabyte file can take a long time to transfer,” Chang cautioned, “with increased distribution costs.”

Securing The Cloud

While The Cloud might offer some storage options for the post community, Garrett Smith, VP of production technology at Paramount Pictures, acknowledged that there are multiple types of private and public cloud services. “I was at a meeting yesterday and it could have been an episode from Seinfeld…but without Jerry,” he recalled with a laugh. “But some types will work for production.”

Security issues for assets stored in The Cloud also need to be addressed, Cinram’s Crosier noted. “Security is key for our clients, which is why we concentrate on internal cloud-based services.” As Savvis Communications’ Moran pointed out, “The Cloud is not all about technology. Security is inherent – we just need to find a way to make it work.” Moran cited the storage of secure financial information on cloud-based servers. “But The Cloud, as we now use it at an enterprise level, was not designed with security in mind. Because such companies do not have an IT core competency, they need to bring in experienced IT professionals.”

As Brian Kenworthy, VP of digital distribution at Deluxe Digital Studios, said, “Education is key. We need to collaborate with our clients,” to outline the benefits and drawbacks of cloud-based workflows, where appropriate.

Mel Lambert is principal of Content-Creators.com, a Los Angeles-based consulting service.