Workflow and Project Organaization Suggestions (including HDV)

[Bill Mash]

I have settled on the following… One drive and one directory per project. Reusable veg files (templates) are stored in a separate directory and pulled over as needed. Same goes for sound-effect and assorted reusable content such as logos with the exception being I don’t create separate copies of the content as I don’t intend to alter it. With Veg templates I invariably tweak them hence the need to pull them over and eliminate the chance of inadvertently altering my template files.

DIRECTORY STRUCTURE
Chapters – I storyboard all my projects using a personal, custom PowerPoint template based on a Venn Diagram created at the beginning of each project. This directory is for my rendered output, one file per chapter. I’m in the process of evaluating how to integrate nested projects into this workflow.

DVD – Strictly for the final DVD Architect output (VOB,IFO,BUP files).

Menu – Strictly for unique content and files used by DVD Architect.

ProjectFiles – This is where the project files go (Veg, DAR, MFP, (Media Face), etc).

SrcFiles – AVI, JPG, etc (commonly broken out by type in subdirectories).

BACKUP – Generally speaking I back the entire project up to a separated USB 2.0 drive. Recently I have started experimenting with using separate 2.5, USB powered HDD, one each per project. Nice and handy way to manage content while making it portable for those rare, yet important trips with the laptop.

[Gary Kleiner]

One of the Media Manager’s great strengths is to organize files that are spread out over multiple drives.

Gary

[Videocool]

[Billwil] “So on to the real question…how do you organize your projects and how does your workflow relate to this. What about when you are done with a project, how do you archive, backup, store, etc.”

Hey guys…

I’m learning a bunch here…

Nevertheless… this is how I do it.

If I am recording a big live show… I record direct to the Computer thru the Switcher via Vegas Capture.

As a Show usually means about 12 hours of raw footage, I start with fresh drive. Each seperate part of the show gets a folder.

So I wind up with about six 2 hour avi clips in six folders. That eats up about 120 gigs.

While I’m capturing direct to the computer, I’m also recording to DVCAM… (the switcher analog feed is converted to firewire and passed into VEGAS).

I also record the cameras (usually 3 or 4 cameras) to digital tape. I use DVCAM in the big cameras, and use DVRACK in a laptop for the camcorders. Here is another trick I do in a live show… I run a feed from the audio mixer… to the nearest DVCAM camera and record yet another mixed down audio master. Nevermind all that paranoia, back to the computer.

Once the raw footage is captured, I begin editing, and render the avi clips to a second drive. There the folders are labeled by show as well. That gives me another copy of the project… the good edited clips.

Then as I begin creating DVD projects; Rendering the MPEGS and ac3 audio clips, these go on a third drive. When I load those MPG’s into DVD-Architect, I save the finished project to a fourth drive… as each DVD is typically in size from 1 to 2 gigs… I can get a couple of hundred DVD’s onto that drive. I burn the DVD projects as they are created, but the DVD folders are still there; in case the client finds a problem soon after delivery.

I keep very little on my System drive, except for Windows, Vegas, DVDA, NERO, etc,. I use Acronis True Image to keep a backup copy of the System Drive.

I keep the VEGS, the DARS, and the NERO files on my “D” drive… That’s also where any zip files, utilities, etc. are also kept. As a result of this thread I’m also going to start keeping a copy of these directories on my system drive and include them in the Image file that Acronis makes.

As my “D” partition is on a fairly big drive I can also use it a storage directory to keep Title directories and audio files that I might reuse. Before I use those they are copied to the Video hard drive though.

I do have a Page File on the System drive, just in case I should ever run out of RAM… and I use SysInternals PageDefrag on that automatically on every reboot. I use DG-Defragmenter for any harddrive defragging… both freeware.

Once a project is done… (if ever), I copy the finished avi files, the finished MPEG files that can be reused, and a copy of the VEG directory and the DAR directory to a Project hard drive. I do keep DVD files of Master projects that I make more than one copy of. I usually don’t keep the finished DVD files of projects that I’m only making one or two copies of, as if I have to go back to those projects after a bit of time, it is usually to make changes, and the DVD files wouldn’t be of much use. I remove that hard drive from my computer and keep it in a Rubbermaid box.

After I’ve got that hard drive out of the system, I format any work drives, and test them with HDTUNE or SPINRITE.

I also make a DVCAM tape Master of entire shows… that’s also the Master I use for making any VHS copies. Hey, real time still exists and it keeps the computer from being tied up with Print To Tape. I find it astonishing that a 180 minute DVCAM tape is 40 bucks and a 160 gig drive is 80 bucks. I still have a couple of 2 gig drives that I paid nearly five thousand dollars for.

I use USB/Firewire drives for external use. One or two 300 gig drives is great to drop in a big laptop bag for traveling. If I’m capturing via firewire, I can use the drives for recording via USB. If I have to use an old computer without USB2, firewire access is always available.

If it is a really important project, (say my single big screen client), I keep a DVCAM copy off site… at the directors house, fortunately he is more paranoid, uh, careful than me.

Thanks for starting this thread…

Steve

Sony VX-1000 and others, P4 3gHz,
3000 Gigabytes Online(Not Enough), AMD64 laptop, Vegas+DVD-Architect, ReelDVD, DVFILM, Lightwave, Photoshop, Independent Production Since 1985