[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” pac_dcm_carousel_specific_module_num=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text ol_position=”outside” ol_item_indent=”50px” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
In Part 1 of this blog series<\/a> we looked at the Gaps in Interoperability, Operational Support and Change Management<\/em> that are impeding our journey to the 2030 Vision\u2019s destination (the mythical place we call \u201cProductionLandia\u201d). In these latter parts we\u2019ll examine the gaps we have identified that are specific to each of the Principles of the 2030 Vision. For ease of reference, the Gaps below are numbered starting from 9 (because we had 1-8 in Part 1 of the blog). For each Gap we list the Principle, a workflow example of the problem, and the implications for the Gap.<\/p>\n In this post we\u2019ll look just at the gaps around the first 5 Principles of the 2030 Vision which address a new cloud foundation.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” pac_dcm_carousel_specific_module_num=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/movielabs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/h_banner_p1.png” alt=”MovieLabs 2030 Vision Principle 1″ title_text=”MovieLabs 2030 Vision Principle 1″ align=”center” admin_label=”Image: Principle 1 ” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text ol_position=”outside” ol_item_indent=”50px” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Limitations of sufficient bandwidth and performance, plus auto recovery from variability in cloud connectivity. <\/strong><\/p>\n Example: Major productions can generate terabytes of captured data per day during production and getting it to the cloud to be processed is the first step.<\/em><\/p>\n Even though there are studio and post facilities with large internet connections, there are still many more locations, especially remote or overseas ones, where the bandwidth is not large enough, the throughput not guaranteed or predictable enough, such as to hobble cloud-based productions at the outset. Some of the benefits in cloud-based production involve the rapid access for teams to manipulate assets as soon as they are created and for that we need big pipes into the cloud(s), that are both reliable and self-healing. Automatic management of those links and data transfers is vital as they will be used for all media storage and processing.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Lack of universal<\/em> direct camera, audio, and on-set data straight to the cloud.<\/strong><\/p>\n Example: Some new cameras are now supporting automated upload of proxies or even RAW material direct to cloud buckets. But for the 2030 Vision to be realized we need a consistent, multi-device on-set environment to be able to upload all capture data in parallel to the cloud(s) including all cameras, both new and legacy.<\/em><\/p>\n We\u2019re seeing great momentum with camera to cloud in certain use cases (with limited support from newer camera models) sending files to specific cloud platforms or SaaS environments. But we\u2019ve got some way to go before it\u2019s as simple and easy to deploy a camera-to-cloud environment as is it to rent cameras, memory cards\/hard drives, and a DIT cart today. We also need support for multiple clouds (including private clouds) and or SaaS platforms so that the choice of camera-to-cloud environment is not a deciding factor that locks downstream services into a specific infrastructure choice. We\u2019ve also included in the gap that it\u2019s not just \u201dcamera to cloud\u201d but \u201ccapture to cloud\u201d that we need, which includes on-set audio and other data streams that may be relevant to later production stages including lighting, lenses, and IOT devices. All of that needs to be securely and reliably delivered to redundant cloud locations before physical media storage on set can be wiped.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Latency between \u201csingle source of truth in cloud\u201d and multiple edge-based users.<\/strong><\/p>\n Example: A show is shooting in Eastern Europe, posting in New York, with producers in LA and VFX companies in India. Which cloud region should they store the media assets in?<\/em><\/p>\n As an industry we tend to talk about \u201cthe cloud\u201d as a singular thing or place, but in reality of course it is not \u2013 it\u2019s made up of private data centers, and various data centers which hyperscale cloud providers tend to arrange into different “availability zones” or “regions” which must be declared when storing media. As media production is a global business the example above is very real, it leads to the question \u2013 where should we store the media and when should we duplicate it for performance and\/or resiliency? This is also one of the reasons why we believe multi-cloud systems need to be supported because it\u2019s also possible that the assets for a production are scattered across different availability zones, cloud accounts (depending on which vendor has “edit rights” on the assets at any one time), and cloud providers (public, private and hybrid infrastructures). The gap here is that currently decisions need to be made, potentially involving IT systems teams and custom software integrations, about where to store assets to ensure they are available, at very low latency (sub 25 milliseconds round trip \u2013 see Is the Cloud Ready to Support Millions of Remote Creative Workers?<\/a> for more details) for the creative users who need to get to them. By 2030 we\u2019d expect some \u201cintelligent caching\u2019\u201d systems or other technologies that would understand, or even predict, where certain assets need to be for users and stage them close enough for usage before they are needed. This is one of the reasons why we reiterate that we expect, and encourage, media assets to be distributed across cloud service providers and regions and merely \u201dact\u201d as a single storage entity even though they may be quite disparate. This is also implies that applications need to be able to operate across all cloud providers because they may not be able to predict or control where assets are in the cloud.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Lack of visibility of the most efficient resource utilization within the cloud , especially before the resources are committed.<\/strong><\/p>\n Example: When a production today wants to rent an editorial system, it can accurately predict the cost, and map it straight to their budget. But with the cloud equivalent it\u2019s very hard to get an upfront budget because the costs for cloud resources rely on predicting usage, which is hard to know including hours of usage, amount of storage required, data egress, etc.<\/em><\/p>\n Creative teams take on a lot when committing to a show, usually with a fixed budget and timeline. It\u2019s hard to ask them to commit to unknown costs, especially for variables which are hard to control at the outset \u2013 could you predict how many takes for a specific scene? How many times a file will be accessed or downloaded? Or how many times a database queried? Even if they could accurately predict usage, most cloud billing is done in arrears, and therefore the costs are not usually known until after the fact, and consequently it\u2019s easy to overrun costs and budgets without even knowing it.<\/p>\n Similarly, creative teams would also benefit from greater education and transparency concerning the most efficient ways to use cloud products. Efficient usage will decrease costs and enhance output and long-term usage.<\/p>\n For cloud computing systems to become as ubiquitous as the physical equivalent, providers need to find ways to match the predictability and efficient use of current on-premises hardware, but with the flexibility to burst and stretch when required and authorized to do so.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” pac_dcm_carousel_specific_module_num=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/movielabs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/h_banner_p2.png” alt=”MovieLabs 2030 Vision Principle 2″ title_text=”MovieLabs 2030 Vision Principle 2″ align=”center” admin_label=”Image: Principle 2″ _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text ol_position=”outside” ol_item_indent=”50px” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Too few cloud-aware\/cloud-native apps, which necessitates a continued reliance on moving files (into clouds, between regions, between clouds, out of clouds).<\/strong><\/p>\n Example: An editor wants to use a cloud SaaS platform for cutting their next show, but the assets are stored in another cloud, the dailies system providing reference clips is on a third, and the other post vendors are using a private cloud.<\/em><\/p>\n We\u2019re making great progress with getting individual applications and processes to move to the cloud but we\u2019re in a classic \u201dhalfway\u201d stage where it\u2019s potentially more expensive and time consuming to have some applications\/assets operating in the cloud and some not. That requires moving assets into and out of a specific cloud to take advantage of its capabilities and if certain applications or processes are available only in one cloud then moving those assets specifically to that cloud, which is the the sort of \u201cassets chasing tasks\u201d from the offline world that this principle was designed to avoid in the cloud world. We need to keep pushing forward with modern applications that are multi-cloud native and can migrate seamlessly between clouds to support assets stored in multiple locations. We understand this is not a small task or one that will be quick to resolve. In addition, many creative artists used Mac OS and that is not broadly available in cloud instances and in a way that can be virtualized to run on myriad cloud compute types.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Audio post-production workflows (e.g., mixing, editing) are not natively running in the cloud.<\/strong><\/p>\n Example: A mixer wants to remotely work on a mix with 9.1.6 surround sound channels that are all stored in the cloud. However most cloud based apps only support 5.1 today, and the audio and video channels are streamed separately so the sync between the audio and the video can be \u201csoft\u201d in a way that it can be hard to know if the audio is truly playing back in sync.<\/em><\/p>\n The industry has made great strides in developing technologies to enable final color (up to 12 bit) to be graded in the cloud, but now similar attention needs to be paid to the audio side of the workflows. Audio artists can be dealing with thousands, or even tens of thousands of small files and they have unique challenges which need to be resolved to enable all production tasks to be completed in the cloud without downloading assets to work remotely. The audio\/video sync and channel count challenges above are just illustrative of the clear need for investment and support of both audio and video cloud workflows simultaneously to get to our \u201cProductionLandia\u201d where both can be happening concurrently on the same cloud asset pool.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” pac_dcm_carousel_specific_module_num=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/movielabs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/h_banner_p3.png” alt=”MovieLabs 2030 Vision Principle 3″ title_text=”MovieLabs 2030 Vision Principle 3″ align=”center” admin_label=”Image: Principle 3″ _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text ol_position=”outside” ol_item_indent=”50px” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n\n
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