3
Film and Video Production in the Cloud
“Clouds do not really look like camels or sailing ships or castles in the sky. They are simply a natural process at work. So too, perhaps, are our lives.”
—Roger Ebert
The Cloud in Production
Film and television productions are highly regimented, with specific processes and familiar tools. There is good reason for this; any changes that are made to a way of doing things, or to how a piece of equipment works, even when well-intentioned, at best causes delays to the production, and at worst can bring it to a complete stop. Nowhere does the adage “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” apply better than during a shoot. Consequently, the benefits of making such changes have to be incredibly worthwhile for people to be swayed into trying them. Arguably the biggest such change happened during the 2000s, with the transition of photographic film and videotape capture formats to wholly digital ones. Perhaps the primary drivers for the change were financial, with studios applying pressure to productions to switch in order to cut costs; but the transition was a reluctant one for the many who had to learn new ways of doing things, as well as the tribulations and idiosyncrasies of working with digital formats.
A few years later, and similar transitions are underway. Some have flocked from traditional “2D” cinematography to the brave new world of virtual reality (VR), a technology now almost mature enough to be made available to consumers in much the same way as happened with stereoscopic 3D a decade earlier. Another, quieter revolution is also taking place, however. So-called “Cloud Services” are replacing almost every area of Information Technology; where any service that existed in the form of some software application would now instead leverage the power of the Cloud to perform its functions, from the more general-purpose applications such as for creating spreadsheets or editing images, through to more specialised ones for medical procedures or controlling the temperature of a room. Gradually, almost everything that could be Cloud-based in some way became Cloud-based.
Naturally, the film and video production industries have been slow to adapt to the changes compared to other industries, but that’s starting to change, as the benefits for doing so are beginning to become apparent, and those benefits are proving to be incredibly worthwhile. These benefits are easy to see when looking at tasks typically attributed to the Information Technology sector. Sending and receiving data, scaling systems based on usage, and using mobile devices—these all seem like things that are important to people who work closely with computers but less so for people who work with microphones and cameras.
The reality is that while the technology behind the Cloud may not be important to people in a production environment, the impact of that technology, and the changes to methodologies and practices that can come as a result of it, most certainly are. Film and video productions are as much about communication and development of ideas as any other business, key aspects which the Cloud can both enrich and simplify. With that in mind, there are several ways in which Cloud-based technology can improve any size production.
Faster Setup
With the Cloud, everything can start working right away. With most Cloud-based services, there’s no time required for setting anything up; sign up with the service and get started right away. At the end of the day there’s nothing to tear down, and there’s nothing to set up again the next day.
With the benefits of sync and persistence of data in the Cloud, consider the process of replacing a smartphone. Prior to the Cloud, if you wanted to replace a phone with a new one, but keep emails, photos, and so on, the only way would have been to first back up the old phone and then restore that backup to the new one. Assuming the process worked (and assuming you still had working access to the old phone), you could be up and running again after going through an involved, often lengthy process. In a Cloud-enabled era, however, all you need to do is switch on your new phone, activate your account, and have all the settings and data transferred to your phone automatically.
That’s the case for phones, but there’s no reason why it couldn’t apply to many aspects of working on a production. Camera settings could be wire-lessly synchronised between cameras, footage could be backed up automatically as soon as it’s recorded, contact information for everyone on the production could be automatically added to your address book for the duration of the project, and so on.
Access to Information
In a typical production, if you need information about something, you need to go get it, which means getting in touch with people who may or may not have that information and hoping they actually remember to get back to you if they don’t. With the Cloud, information can come to you. Notifications can let you know about things that are happening that are relevant to you, as soon as they happen. Documentation can be published to a shared space, so there’s only one place to check when you need to know something.
If there’s something you need to know, but don’t know where to find it, the inherently searchable nature of the Cloud makes the process easier. Files that are uploaded to the Cloud can be quickly searched if you know what you’re looking, faster than it would be possible to rifle through folders in a filing cabinet. With many systems, it’s possible to instantly search the contents of all documents stored in the Cloud, which would be the equivalent of taking each sheet of paper out of the filing cabinet and scanning through them for what you’re looking for.
The ease of sharing means that giving others access to information is easier than ever. There’s no need to make photocopies or printouts, and even some of the limitations of emailing files are removed, like not being able to send an entire folder of files, or files over a certain size.
A side-effect of all of this also means the production process becomes more transparent. Whereas previously information may have been locked away in a database on someone’s laptop, now it’s more centralised and accessible. There doesn’t need to be any ambiguity about what has and hasn’t been done if everyone has access to that information directly. This in particular can be a difficult change for those who are unused to having others effectively looking over their shoulder, but it’s a necessary one for better communication and efficiency.
Connectedness
The Cloud is always on. There’s no need to worry about what day of the week it is or what hour of the day. Access to the Cloud is available wherever there’s an Internet connection. For the majority of Cloud-based services, everything can be done as easily from a mobile device as from a laptop or desktop computer. With more information made accessible through the Cloud, there are fewer constraints based on physical locations. There’s no need to drive across town just to watch something for five minutes when you can do it anywhere there’s Internet access.
Other people are closer than ever with the Cloud. With notifications signalling people to things needing attention, instant messaging providing a restrained, direct line of communication to other people, as well as more open, persistent communication between groups of people in shared chat spaces, people don’t need to be in the same physical location as each other in order to stay in the loop.
As well as allowing people to get access to the information more immediately, this also allows for automated systems to collect and analyze data sooner and more accurately. Processes can be monitored in real-time, with things like spiralling costs flagged sooner, or people notified sooner about changes that affect them. This in turn can even give rise to more room for experimentation in certain areas, as the economic impact of making changes can be more accurately predicted. If a production wants to add an extra hour of shooting to the day, the cost of doing so can be calculated faster and more accurately than ever before with the help of the Cloud.
Efficiency
The Cloud allows you to spend less time travelling between physical locations. You spend less time relaying information and less time hunting down information. Messages carried by the Cloud are recorded for posterity, so there’s no danger of forgetting what was said. Information can be more easily collated and summarised. Processes can be more transparent, and progress more accurately and immediately tracked. All of this leads to greater productivity and more effective use of time.
With consistent, predictable costs, no need to worry about building systems up or tearing them back down again, and no restrictions on location, productions can be leaner and more cost-effective. All in all, the Cloud leads to greater efficiency.
Box 3.1 Transitioning to the Cloud
The Cloud isn’t an “all or nothing” proposition. Individual processes and tools can be singled out and trialled as needed. Best of all, most of them can co-exist with established processes. For example, you can invest in a small amount of Cloud storage to allow for easy sharing of certain files with others but can continue to use networked file servers for everything else. Similarly, you can continue to go to formal screenings of work-in-progress productions as well as viewing material via Cloud-based review and approval systems.
In this way, there’s often very little risk to trialling Cloud-based services alongside current processes in order to determine if they can yield some benefit. In some cases, it might be that using a Cloud-based service is useful only to supplement traditional approaches, but in others it can lead to new ways of doing things that make the previous ones obsolete.
That said, there are still some points to consider when transitioning to the Cloud:
- Does it have a future? Is the Cloud service likely to be around in the long-term, is it well-established, and does the service have a clear vision? For some types of services, particularly those intended to be used only on an ad-hoc basis, it may not matter if they’ll exist in a few months’ time. For others, it may be crucial that the services offered are likely to stick around (and in the same form) for a longer period of time. Related to this is being assured that the service is secure and reliable.
- Is it compatible? Does the service work with existing applications and procedures, and can it fit comfortably into established pipelines? The less friction there is in switching to a new system, the better. If a new process is able to adapt to working with particular files or processes that you’re currently using, there is less risk involved in making the switch, and there’s a greater possibility for being able to back out if things don’t work out as expected.
- How open is it? What kind of access does the service give you to your data, as well as its own processes? A service being more open doesn’t mean it’s less secure than a more closed one, just that you can get access to your data whenever you need it, in whichever form you need it. For one thing, this prevents “vendor lock-in”, wherein you completely lose access to all your files and information if you terminate the contract, but for another this means having things like Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and integration with other systems.
Roles the Cloud can Play
The Cloud is versatile when it comes to finding roles for it to fill on a production. Seemingly every department and phase of the production can benefit by being Cloud-powered in some way. Some of the key departments on a typical production are covered in the following sections, along with aspects of the Cloud that might benefit them the most.
Directing
Directors can take advantage of the Cloud for many aspects of review and approval (see chapter 12), as well as to get a “big picture” view of the production schedule and progress (see chapter 8).
Producing
Producers can utilise the Cloud for review purposes (see chapter 12), for budgeting and other financial needs (see chapter 9), for planning and getting an overview of the schedule (see chapter 8), and for distribution concerns (see chapter 13).
Production Management
Production managers, location managers, and assistant directors will likely benefit the most from the collaborative nature of the Cloud (see chapter 6), as well as services that help with managing the crew (see chapter 7), scheduling (see chapter 8), and budgeting (see chapter 9).
Continuity
Script supervisors should explore the options provided for the Cloud for recording information (see chapter 10).
Casting
The topics of auditioning and casting will be of most interest to casting directors (see chapter 7).
Camera & Lighting
The camera and lighting crew will find collaborative uses of the Cloud most relevant (see chapter 6), as well as the topics of on-boarding and time tracking (see chapter 7). The director of photography should also investigate the use of Cloud services for review and approval (see chapter 12). Digital Imaging Technicians should also consider managing media (chapter 11) and digital dailies (chapter 12).
Production Sound
Production sound mixers can leverage the Cloud for recording information (see chapter 10), managing audio files (see chapter 11), and time tracking (see chapter 7).
Art
The Cloud has a big role to play when it comes to allowing artists (concept artists, set decorators, costume designers, and visual effects artists) to collaborate well (see chapter 6), gathering feedback and approval of artwork (see chapter 12), and organising digital art assets from pre-production through to post (see chapter 11).
Editorial
Editors, assistant editors, and colorists can all take advantage of Cloud services for post-production (see chapter 7), managing metadata (see chapter 10), and assets (see chapter 11), as well as review and approval (see chapter 12).
Sound
Sound editors, Foley artists, composers, and mixers should investigate using the Cloud for tracking progress (see chapter 10), managing digital assets (see chapter 11), and for review and approval purposes (see chapter 12).
Visual Effects
Visual effects teams can utilise many different Cloud services, in terms of using post-production tools (see chapter 7), planning schedules (see chapter 8), tracking progress (see chapter 10), managing assets (see chapter 11), and structuring review and approval (see chapter 12)
The Perils of the Cloud in Production
Although the Cloud can bring many benefits to video and film productions, there are some aspects of it that are in opposition to the needs of many types of productions. Though the technology behind the Cloud is constantly improving, and many companies are working to mitigate these limitations, productions would do well to be cautious when considering moving to the Cloud, in light of some of these.
Internet Access
Many Cloud services work best when there’s a steady, consistent Internet connection. They require the ability to constantly send and receive updates, something that is only possible via the Internet. When the connection goes down, the service may fluctuate or even stop working completely, which depending on the nature of the service provided, can be devastating.
Unfortunately, the nature of productions, especially whilst shooting, means that a stable, consistent Internet connection cannot always be guaranteed.
Some productions are able to set up WiFi access for everyone, even when on-set, but these are often unreliable in practice. Often crew members must rely on their own cellular data plans to get Internet access under such circumstances, which themselves may be unreliable or unsupported by a particular Cloud service.
Other factors come into play too. More security-conscious productions outright ban the presence of any Internet-enabled devices during a shoot, preventing any use of Cloud services for the duration of the shooting day. The specific impact of this depends on the Cloud service itself. Many Cloud services provide a way to view information “offline”, without an Internet connection, showing a snapshot of the information as it was the last time the service was connected. It’s also common for many Cloud services to have a built-in synchronisation system, so that it’s still possible to add or change information even when offline, with the changes then sent to the service later when a connection is available.
However, there are still services that do not allow for a lack of an Internet connection, and in these cases, it might mean that people would have to record information some other way (for example, by making notes on a notepad, or saving files to a portable drive), and then updating the information in the Cloud service manually later. Clearly this is not an ideal situation, as it is both error-prone and time-consuming.
Education
Many people on production have a preferred way of doing many parts of their job. As such, any time changes to that process are made, there can be some resistance. Requiring people to learn new processes, technology, and applications can be difficult in itself, but the nature of many productions can mean this is compounded by there not being any formal training for new systems, which can lead to people struggling to adapt to the new systems with the same degree of efficiency as they had before. With the Cloud still in its infancy (at least, as far as its role within production is concerned), further complications can arise where a particular service is simply unable to provide the same speed or functionality as its more traditional counterpart.
Much of this can be helped in the long-term through standardisation and development of the services. As more Cloud-based applications and services are trialled on different productions, they’ll adapt to become more efficient for the people using them. Similarly, if a particular system is used by the same person across multiple productions, they’ll gain increased familiarity with it, learning shortcuts and what to avoid.
Accountability
Many Cloud services serve a number of different industries and cater to different situations. As such, they may be unwilling to be held accountable to issues specific to the needs of a particular production. A Cloud-based video playback system, for example, might have a limit on the length or number of videos that can be accessed in a given period, which a production might run into. When limitations like this are found, the service may become effectively worthless to the production, but at the same time, the service provider may not see the value in addressing the concerns of the production, and instead the production might have to find and switch to a different service.
This can be different from how productions are used to working—that everyone works together with the single purpose of bringing the production to completion, with almost all other considerations secondary. Many Cloud services won’t (or can’t) put a single client’s needs first, and instead will provide a “service level agreement” (SLA) outlining where those boundaries lie. The SLA can even include provisions for a certain amount of maintenance or unexpected downtime, and it’s absolutely critical that productions are aware of exactly how any such stipulations will affect them prior to relying on Cloud service providers for anything important.