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Any interesting archiving solutions?
I keep my clients’ projects for a long time after I have delivered. I keep the media, the project files, and the output QTs. Sometimes a single project’s archive might be 200Gb. Six months down the track I get rid of the media and keep the output files. (All output files are archived off-site as well.)
Kind of okay.
I am starting to get more work and realise not only do I need to enlarge my archive, but want a strategy that is expandable, quick to restore projects if required, able to store media in two locations, and is ummm, cheap.
What does everybody else do? Tape back-up? In-house/off-site storage on firewire? Something else?
Thanks for any solutions –
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9 Replies
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Firewire hard drive on the shelf. Finished projects and project files only…and media that didn’t originate on tape.
Shane Ross
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net -
Drives are so cheap and getting cheaper. We now just add the price of a drive to the project. We have a hot swap case and buy the raw drives for each project. We are able to save all media and renders plus, no need to re-digitize. We back up edit, GFX, and things that can’t be reproduced or re-digitized on DVD-R and move that off site.
https://www.cooldrives.com/quretrfienin.html
https://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=3173558/search=300gb+drive/skd=1
Hope this helps-
Matthew
Dual 500 G4
OSX 10.3.9
Ram 1.38
FCP 4.5/AE 6.5/DVDSP3 -
Most people here will tell you not to archive the original media that was captured via timecode. They are completely correct in their thinking, and it works for them, but for me, like yourself, I don’t mind keeping it for a while. My archive method serves me well and I keep the media archived for 3 years, so outdated technology isn’t really an issue.
I have a firewire drive enclosure that I bought off of ebay for about $25. When I finish a project, I buy an ide drive that’s slightly larger than I need, put it in the enclosure, format it and copy all the project files, image files, media, everything… to it. Then I take it out of the enclosure, label it, and pack it away, along with a copy of the master tape of the finished project. I haven’t implemented off-site storage, but I keep this separate from the original tapes.
In addition to the hard drive, I burn everything except captured media to DVD-R for redundancy. I store the DVD along with project notes, scripts, and original footage.
Hope this helps,
Gary -
I think hard drive storage is the only way to fly these days. Get yourself an external firewire enclosure and some inexpenive hard drives. I have all of my clients buy hard drives now, and I archive their projects completely.
DRW
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Buy a fireproof safe. The warehouse stores sell them (gun safes) for around $500. This is less than if you were to lose one master file.
But do what the other guys said first, and then, put it in a safe. The off-site thing is great but entirely unnecessary.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, ArizonaIt’s a dry heat!
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Steve- Any heat would feel good right now!
JerryG5 Dual 3GB Ram
FCP5 Studio
External 1 TB SATA Raid 0
Kona LH, Second system w AJA ioLA
Sony Z-1 -
Why not put your archives on drives, in a safe, off site. It should take care of it.
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[Steve Wargo] “Buy a fireproof safe. The warehouse stores sell them (gun safes) for around $500. This is less than if you were to lose one master file.”
A straight fireproof safe is not enough for media storage of any kind. You need a Fire and Heat proof safe for media. Straight fireproof safes can get plenty hot enough inside to damage media.
Fire and heat proof safes maintain a certain temperature for a certain amount of time, such as 80 degrees or below. What that is depends on the quality of the safe and it’s going to be more than $500.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.comDirector, “The Rough Cut”
https://www.theroughcutmovie.comNow Posting “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Take a look at the hot-swappable SATA hard drive setups from Firmtek.
Easily swapped out. Much simpler than assembling and disassembling an external enclosure for the sake of archive.
The sleds are about $20 so they’re not going to add too much to the price of a bare drive for storage, especially if you’re passing along the cost to the client.
Dean Sensui — http://www.HawaiiGoesFishing.com
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