Premiere Pro Network Storage or Project Database?

[Alex Udell]

Hi there…

I’ve not worked with Unity or Final Cut Server in production.

I have worked with Premiere in a SAN environment.

How do you utilize FC Server and Unity? Typical usage and workflows would be useful to understand…then I might be able to make some suggestions…

Alex

[Shawn Larkin]

Hi Alex,

I appreciate the offer to help. So here’s the thing:

Because editing is relegated to lots of staff for ENG and TV Broadcast, you always rely on a network to access media off of servers / RAIDs. I think you get this.

However, there are a few very special things that anyone with Network Editing Experience must consider:

1) Media Management – How to keep track off all media used, permissions associated with files and users, etc.

2) Project Management – This includes checking in / out projects to particular editors OR in some cases having editors work on the same project at the same time (don’t ask to elaborate; this is tricky) AND always allowing multiple editors access the same media files as others for different projects.

Final Cut Server is kind of like any big Database Application. It has a UI built for clients (editors) to check out / in projects. It also has media management so an editor can search for stuff and add it to a project and it handles permissions in Conjunction with the SAN or LAN software running under the hood.

Unity is similar, but a bit more robust as it is employed in most major networks and TV facilities that cut a lot of stuff on Avid.

So what I am asking about is more than just a SAN / LAN solution, like XSAN or whatever Windows uses to network computers together.

I’m looking for an Application that manages projects and media specifically for Editorial; this should include the ability to check in / out projects / search for media / administer permissions / etc.

Anything like this for Premiere Pro?

If not, it will be hard to implement PP in a large group editing network so we could only use it as a stand alone / specialty machine with local storage.

[Alex Udell]

Hi Shawn…

I understand everything that you are asking for. As I said, I’ve not used those tools in production, but I am somewhat familiar with the functions they offer. I was sort of pinging you to see what, of those capabilities, you might be looking for.

For sifting and sorting, Bridge and clip metadata could be used to find clips in the pool that editors could edit with. But beyond that I don’t have an answer that immediately comes to mind.

In both cases (Unity and FC Server) these applications are made by the manufacturer (although FC server was previously Artbox). This is not to say that a third party can’t do it, I’m just not yet aware of a third party doing this on the Adobe side yet. Of course I haven’t looked very hard.

Alex

[Shawn Larkin]

Thanks Again Alex for the reply.

Of course Bridge is amazing for media browsing “overall” and I can see how we might use it to look for project assets.

But Adobe or someone would really have to step up and build a component specifically for dealing with projects being checked in / out of a database, which tracks assets and changes and all that “stuff” necessary for a serious editing houses. That is what I was looking for in this post.

Any idea of who I might suggest this to at Adobe?

SML

[Alex Udell]

Hi Shawn…

I know you what you mean. Shoot me a private e-mail and I’ll see who I might be able to connect you with.

Alex
audell999 (at) yahoo (dot) com