On a film set it is the data wrangler’s or DIT’s job to securely collect and copy all the media assets that have been produced on a shooting day (including camera originals, audio files and more). All these assets need to be organized in a systematic, distinct and clear structure.
In the following we will explain why choosing the right folder structure is important, point out some best practices, and show how Silverstack can assist with organizing your camera backups.
WHY IS A GOOD FOLDER STRUCTURE IMPORTANT IN THE CONTEXT OF A FILM PRODUCTION?
Unlike on a shared volume where everybody involved in a project can take a look at the files at any time (e.g. file server or Dropbox), in the process of a movie production different people handle the files at different times. So for example when a travel drive from set arrives in a facility, the structure needs to be understandable in order to simplify the process and minimize overhead in communication. As the data wrangler or DIT is the first one that gets in touch with the produced media, his role is to provide a good basis for the organization of all relevant assets.
BEST PRACTICE: GOOD COMMUNICATION AND SORTING BY SHOOTING DAY
Good communication is the basis of all things. Everybody involved should have common understanding of the folder structure that should be maintained.
Usually it makes sense to be on the same page with everybody that you have to deliver material to. For data wranglers and DITs that would be everybody involved in the dailies, editing, and archiving process.
For sorting material, a structure based on shooting days is a very common practice. The subsequent process of e.g. creating dailies usually respects the shooting day as a time segment in which everything is consistent (all takes are traceable as reported, all slates are assigned, etc.).
The next level of the folder structure is already more debatable. Usually different folders are created for the different types of assets that have to be transmitted (like e.g. camera clips, audio clips, etc.)
The most common kinds of materials are:
Camera OriginalAudioReportsTranscodes (only if created on set)
Keeping the camera card structure untouched is recommended, as well as sorting cameras by letter. So when shooting with A and B camera it makes sense to create two folders inside the “Camera Original” folder that then hold the reels of only camera A, respectively only camera B.
AN EXAMPLE
To make the abstract explanations more concrete, here’s an example of a possible folder structure. Please use it as inspiration but avoid sticking to it without questioning it for your specific case.
Folder structure example
We can see that the structure is based on the shooting day. The name of the top level folder starts with the shooting day, to clearly identify the content by day. The shooting day is then followed by the date.
Inside the top level folder the different types of assets are divided into “Audio”, “Camera Original”, “Reports”, and “Transcodes” (this would only be required if the transcodes were done on set). Inside the ‘Camera Original’ folder, the different cameras all have their separate folders (A_CAM and B_CAM, adding camera name and codec type). These are the folders in which the camera cards (reels) would appear.
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