WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK

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WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK
WORK YOUR MAGIC
FROM HOME
HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT
M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL

A SOHONET EBOOK
WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK
2 SOHONET EBOOK:
  WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME

  INTRODUCTION:
  WORKING YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME
  The COVID-19 pandemic has affected            Despite the obvious challenges this will        Remote collaboration has already gone          To help M&E teams make home-working
  every part of our personal and working        bring, we all have to figure out how to         through two phases of evolution since          a success, in this Ebook we identify
  lives. In the Media & Entertainment           collaborate safely while we continue to         the pandemic started. The first phase was      four key issues you need to address for
  (M&E) industry, the crisis brought            create great content.                           characterised by immediate (almost panic)      collaboration in the new normal:
  many productions to a temporary halt.         Productions will have fewer people
                                                                                                buying, as a wide range of solutions were
                                                                                                                                               һ   Connectivity for remote creativity
  As restrictions are partially eased, we       allowed on set for TV and film. Ad
                                                                                                deployed in the industry. Some worked
  can expect that, for at least the next                                                        well. Some failed. Some were insecure.         һ   Security for remote content
                                                productions will likely require agencies
  12-18 months, our industry will be            and brand managers to participate from
                                                                                                Some could not scale.
                                                                                                                                               һ   Control for remote workflows
  working in a ‘hybrid’ state. While some       a distance.                                     Phase 2 in the C19 era is about building
  professionals will begin returning to                                                                                                        һ   Sharing for remote delivery
                                                                                                scalable, repeatable, secure, and
  studios, offices, editing suites, colouring   Critical review sessions will be required for
                                                                                                cost‑effective solutions to support all of     We also give advice on how to effectively
  suites, and screening rooms, for many         some workflows in colouring/editing suites
                                                                                                your workflows – whether your production       reimagine familiar workflows for the new
  this will not be full-time – and many         and screening rooms, but social distancing
                                                                                                is creating a feature, an episodic series or   reality – with solutions that are scalable
  others will remain working from home          will reduce the physical room capacity.
                                                                                                an ad spot.                                    and cost effective for your business, in a
  (WFH) for the long haul.                                                                                                                     range of typical working scenarios.
WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK
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  OVERVIEW:
  SUPPORTING REMOTE CREATIVITY IN THE NEW NORMAL
  Nearly everyone who has remained             repeatable and cost-effective solutions.        desktop infrastructure or VDI). In the other
  engaged in the M&E content creation          As we’ve discussed, these need to support       approach, the hardware is ‘virtualised’
  process in 2020 has been forced to           workflows in a hybrid situation where           using compute power from a cloud
  work from home. However, not every           some creatives are in their normal work         provider (often called ‘virtual workstation’).
  setup for working from home (WFH)            setting, while others are still participating
                                                                                               Whatever your particular creative
  was built to be sustainable for the next     from home – or a combination of both.
                                                                                               contribution, the chosen approach has
  12-18 months.                                The first decisions for these teams             downstream impacts into how work is
                                               revolve around how to create a remote           performed, how real-time collaboration
  Many of our industry colleagues have had
                                               working environment that bridges both           occurs (especially with critical review
  to just get something working – using
                                               worlds. There are two main approaches to        output), and how end deliverables are
  anything that met their immediate creative
                                               supporting these remote workflows: In one       shared with other workflows. The most
  needs. More recently, faced with our
                                               approach, the creative hardware resides         important issues to take into account are
  new reality, technology support teams
                                               in your facilities and is accessed remotely     considered on the next page.
  across the industry have been working
                                               via a device at home (often called virtual
  to build longer-term secure, scalable,
WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK
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  WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME

  OVERVIEW:
  SUPPORTING REMOTE CREATIVITY IN THE NEW NORMAL
  Virtual desktop                                   suite, colour grading suite, screening      democratised for cloud usage, but

  infrastructure (VDI)
                                                    room) as well as those working remotely.    editing and colour grading tools still
                                                                                                have constraints on which Cloud Service
  Options for remotely controlling the            һ Quality output: Offers ‘critical review’
                                                                                                Provider can be used.
  workstation are likely to force your              quality video for real-time remote
  technology decisions towards a Microsoft          collaboration.                             һ Critical review: the problem of achieving
                                                                                                 high-quality real-time output is still not
  Windows operating system, as the remote-
                                                  Virtual workstation                            solved. The most common solution is to
  control capabilities for creative tools built
                                                  With no need for expensive on-site             integrate it with the VDI world, where the
  on the Apple Mac OS are limited. Teradici
                                                  hardware, this cloud-based option              “client ready” review material is moved
  and HP RGS are the most popular choices
                                                  initially looks like a nirvana for our         back to an environment supporting in-
  in the M&E industry.
                                                  creative industry. However, there are          facility and remote reviews.
  The VDI approach is ideal for those with        still meaningful problems to be solved
  existing hardware and infrastructure in         for widespread adoption:
  their facilities, as it provides:
                                                  һ Licensing: Some of the most                 Learn more: ‘Navigating
  һ Cost-efficiency: Leverages your existing        popular creative tools have limited         Remote Working for M&E’
    hardware capex.                                 licensing options and creatives are
                                                    forced to buy an annual license.
  һ Ease of integration: Works well with
    those working in the facilities (editing      һ Constrained partner environments:
                                                    The VFX tools have been largely
WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK
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  RISE OF THE FREELANCERS

                                                                                          800K
  Even before the pandemic, freelancers      A 25% growth in freelancing over the
  have been playing an increasingly
                                                                                                      freelancers
                                             past 10 years means there are now
  important role in the M&E industry,        an estimated 800,000 freelance video
  with a major impact on the nature          professionals in North America and           powering the TV, film & ad
  of content production teams in             Western Europe. In M&E content               industry’s production & post
  the advertising, post and editorial        production, freelancers make up 35% of

                                                                                          320K
  communities. Now, in a new era valuing     the US workforce, and around 50% in
  flexible and remote working, freelancers
                                                                                                      freelance M&E
                                             the UK. Sohonet’s studio-grade remote
  are even better positioned to dominate     collaboration solutions are ideally placed
  the landscape across the industry.         to level the field of play for creative      professionals in the UK alone

                                                                                          25
                                             freelancers – as well as startup ‘virtual
                                             shops’ for VFX and post.

                                                                                                % increase in
                                                                                          freelancing over the
                                                                                          last 10 years
WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK
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  SCENARIOS
  FOR M&E REMOTE WORKING
                                         Remote creative participation in production
  OVER THE FOLLOWING PAGES, WE EXPLORE
  A RANGE OF TYPICAL SCENARIOS WHERE     Over the shoulder Remote VFX shot review
  SPECIALIST REMOTE COLLABORATION                                                      PERFECT FOR:
  TECHNOLOGIES CAN SUPPORT CREATIVE      Remote editing with gear in the office        All industry professionals
  PROFESSIONALS WORKING FROM HOME OR
  WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING.                Remote editing with gear at home              VFX Supervisor

                                         Remote colour grading                         Editors

                                         Remote sound production                       Colourist

                                         Remote creative exec real-time review         Audio Editors

                                         Remote creative exec same-day review          Director, Producers and Creative Execs

                                         Remote finishing and screening                Look out for your colour on the
                                                                                       following pages.
                                         Safe in-person collaboration and review
WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK
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  SCENARIO:
  REMOTE CREATIVE
  PARTICIPATION IN PRODUCTION
  Production dropped to near-zero almost       who can be on-set for any production. To          The solution: ClearView Flex                     .
  overnight when the pandemic hit. As          stick to critical timelines and budgets, the
                                                                                                 & Moxion Immediates
  a result, production locations almost        result will be an increase in parallel filming
  everywhere came to a complete halt. With     units and off-lot locations for smaller           Sohonet has synchronous collaboration
  no new content being created – aside         creative teams.                                   covered with Clearview Flex, enabling
  from a surge in home-recorded footage        The biggest challenge productions will
                                                                                                 instant real-time review live from set. And
  for COVID-related advertising – it meant     face is enabling the seamless and secure
                                                                                                 for those times when getting the right
  the entire industry’s creative process for   coordination and collaboration between all
                                                                                                 players together for a live review session can
  new content went the same way.               sites — whether connecting remote units
                                                                                                 prove challenging, Sohonet has partnered
                                                                                                 with Moxion, whose accelerated dailies tool
                                               or facilitating off-set creative participation.   - Immediates - gives creatives the space to
  As productions across the world resume,
                                               The way forward is one that relies on             review content near or offset in near real
  crews will have to adapt to a number of
                                               digital collaboration and a lot of careful        time or whenever they choose. Moxion also
  changes, facing stringent new working and
                                               pre-planning.                                     provides offline capability on the iPad App
  safety conditions that will become the new
  norm for the next 12-18 months. These                                                          and remote review in HDR & Dolby Vision
  measures will limit the number of people                                                       great for VFX shots, edits and colour grading.
WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK
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  SCENARIO:
  REMOTE CREATIVE
  PARTICIPATION IN PRODUCTION
                              In Action: ClearView Flex                       internet (at least 20Mbps upload for the best
                                                                              experience), It is also possible to use Flex
                              Real-time remote review – from split unit
                                                                              while on location, with a suitable mobile
                              monitoring to off-set creative participation,
                                                                              data connection.
                              Flex connects productions of every shape
                              and size.                                       4. Set up a Flex session. The Presenter
                                                                              (likely an assistant producer back in the office
                              1. Ship a ClearView Flexbox with the normal     or at home) initiates the Flex session through
                              complement of on-set gear (cameras, video
                                                                              the web-based session management app.
                              assist, and so on) to the soundstage
                              or location.                                    5. Present the session. Once everyone’s
                                                                              joined (with one click from the secure invite
                              2. Connect the Flexbox to the video assist      email), the session host can start the live
                              equipment – or loop out via SDI from one of     video stream from set.
                              the video village monitors.

                              3. Connect the Flexbox to the internet.
                              Ideally use an Ethernet connection to the
WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK
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  SCENARIO:
  REMOTE CREATIVE
  PARTICIPATION IN PRODUCTION
  In Action: Moxion Immediates                   3. The Moxion users receive a notification
  Near-real-time review – like dailies but a     of new footage. Typically the footage is
  day earlier. From Hollywood blockbusters to    available in Moxion within 5 minutes of the
  independent features, Moxion Immediates        cameras stopping record.
  has enabled productions to view what is shot   4. The users can review the footage on
  on set in near real time.                      a variety of platforms. Playback can be
  1. Connect the on-set video assist             on iPhones, iPads, AppleTV, browsers and
  to Moxion. The QTAKE video assist is           desktop applications for MacOS
  connected directly to Moxion via               and Windows.
  API integration.                               5. The footage can be downloaded.
  2. Upload footage to Moxion. As soon as        With the correct permission, the user can
  the camera finishes recording a clip, QTAKE    download the original uploaded footage for
  Server starts to upload the footage, plus      ingest into various post production tools..
  camera and video assist metadata,
  to Moxion.                                      Learn more: ‘Off-set
                                                  Creative Participation for                   ClearView Flex and Moxion Immediates
                                                  Productions’
WORK YOUR MAGIC FROM HOME - HOW TO COLLABORATE ON GREAT M&E CONTENT IN THE NEW NORMAL A SOHONET EBOOK
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    SCENARIO:
    OVER THE SHOULDER REMOTE VFX SHOT REVIEW
                               Visual effects shot reviews require           ClearView Pivot Lite, as outlined later in our
                               the best possible quality output when         remote colour grading scenario, can help
                               streaming in real-time, to ensure that you    minimise some of the bandwidth needed
                               don’t lose a pixel of your artist’s work in   for your highest quality review sessions.
                               translation. Ideally you’d use a product      Alternatively, many of our customers find
                               like ClearView Pivot to get projection        that for first and second pass reviews,
                               quality on a 35-foot screen at 4:4:4          ClearView Flex provides sufficient quality,
                               colour chroma and 12-bit colour depth         particularly at the higher bit-rate settings, to
                               for all VFX reviews. However, there are       get the job done.
                               many instances where time, equipment/         For VFX review you also have the added
                               room availability and bandwidth limit         complication of having a greater number of
                               the options. In particular, those working     stream viewers – as VFX artists are often
                               at home are unlikely to have enough           working on one small piece of a larger puzzle
                               bandwidth for this kind of quality review.    in large distributed teams. Flex can handle
                                                                             20+ viewers concurrently within a session.
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    SCENARIO:
    REAL-TIME REMOTE VFX SHOT REVIEW
    In action: Remote VFX shot                      4. The producer creates a Flex session and

    review with ClearView Flex
                                                    invites the client to view the session, with
                                                    a modern conferencing solution (such as
    The most common ‘customer shot review’          Zoom, Teams or BlueJeans) to support their
    setup looks something like this:                real-time feedback.
    1. The artists are working remotely from        5. The client creatives are often viewing the
    home, with either a cloud-based virtual         content via Apple TV on a large consumer TV
    workstation, or remote connectivity into a      that represents colour well. We recommend
    virtual desktop infrastructure at the office.   an LG C9 or CX model, which are very colour
    2. They are protecting the session with a       accurate out of the box.
    VPN and are typically controlling the remote
    creative workstation with Teradici or HP         Learn more: ‘The
    RGS.                                             Entertainment Pandemic
                                                     Plan: FuseFX and Sohonet’
    3. The artists typically move the content
    that is to be reviewed with the customer to
    a workstation in the office, connected to
    a Flexbox.
                                                     Learn more: ‘Remote VFX
                                                                                                    Remote VFX Shot Review
                                                     shot review with Untold
                                                     Studios and Sohonet’
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    SCENARIO:
    NEAR-REAL-TIME REMOTE VFX SHOT REVIEW
    Offline remote Moxion HDR                     Moxion remote review in action                 3.Individuals or teams are invited to review

    and Dolby Vision VFX, Cut and
                                                                                                 the footage. If they are given download
                                                  1.The VFX, cut or colour footage is uploaded
                                                                                                 permissions, they can download the original
    Colour review                                 to a Moxion Folder.
                                                                                                 uploaded file for ingest into the post
    With Sohonet’s partner Moxion, entire teams   2.Both HDR and SDR versions of a shot can      production tools.
    can, in their own time, remotely review and   be uploaded at the same time, for Moxion
                                                                                                 4.Users can comment and annotate on the
    feedback with comments and annotations on     to combine into a single playable asset.
                                                                                                 footage, with frame accurate feedback, for
    HDR/Dolby Vision 4K UHD footage.              The version played will depend on the
                                                                                                 the VFX, edit, or colour teams.
                                                  capability of the user’s device and adaptive
                                                  streaming will ensure the best possible
                                                  playback experience in HDR wherever you
                                                  are.. If required, an uploaded HDR clip can
                                                  be transformed into a SDR version using a
                                                  standard or supplied LUT.
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE EDITING
    WITH GEAR IN THE OFFICE
    Most of the industry made a decision           The ‘confidence monitor’ typically found in
    in the early days of the pandemic to           the editing suite is replaced in the home by
    build remote workflows to support their        an Apple TV, iPad or second laptop, with
    collaborative editing. Typically, this         ClearView Flex streaming the output of their
    involves having the Avid / Adobe creative      editing session from the office workstation
    workstation in a machine room at the           to the home.
    office, and accessing this remotely            When the creative is ready for a
    through Teradici or HP RGS.                    collaborative session with other members
                                                   of the team, they invite them to view the live
    In this scenario, the editor needs 25-50
                                                   output session, and those creatives join as
    Mbps of consistent download bandwidth
                                                   viewers of the stream.
    to their home, while the network-intensive
    requirements of pushing real-time frame-       Using a modern conferencing tool (such as
    accurate video to remote viewers is left to    Zoom, Teams or BlueJeans), they can discuss
    the office connectivity.                       changes and guide the session. The viewers
                                                   are able to join from the viewing device of
    The creative working from home is
                                                   their choice – phone or tablet if they are on
    typically connected via VPN to the creative
                                                   the go, laptop or desktop if they are working
    workstation located at the office. They are
                                                   from home. For high-quality sessions,            Remote Editing with Virtual desktop infrastructure
    using a primary screen (laptop / desktop) to
                                                   viewers can use Apple TV with a colour-
    do the creative work, manage the timeline,
                                                   calibrated LG series C9/CX model TV.
    bin, and so on.
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE EDITING WITH GEAR AT HOME
    Some productions and post teams have             The at-home user will require a setup akin to   So the experience will be optimal, whether
    decided to put the workstation at the            what they are used to in the office, with two   your team members are also located at home
    editor’s home. In this scenario, the editor      screens – one for the main edit, colour or      or working in the office.
    needs 20 Mbps of consistent upstream             VFX software and a monitor for the output
                                                                                                     The web app used to manage the Flex
    bandwidth to their ISP, so they can              coming from the local workstation at home.
                                                                                                     session invites can be run on any Mac, PC
    present real-time views of their stream to       To share a session with other members of        or Chromebook with a modern browser.
    their colleagues working elsewhere.              their team, they can use ClearView Flex to      This can be at any location and does not
                                                     invite multiple viewers to the session via a    have to be run on the creative workstation
    The creative can continue to work from their
                                                     web browser for laptops, desktop PCs or         – allowing a secure air-gap to be maintained.
    Mac workstation, and can leverage the office
                                                     Android devices, an iOS app for iPhone/iPad     It’s even better if this is controlled by one of
    setup of a desktop screen and a confidence
                                                     users, or via the tvOS app for Apple            the viewers (e.g. assistant editor, assistant
    monitor directly out of the home.
                                                     TV users.                                       producer) at an external location, as this
    Security is a different challenge. When                                                          will lessen the strain on the editor’s home
                                                     For viewers, ClearView Flex has no special
    content is stored locally (even if being                                                         internet connection, already being used to
                                                     hardware requirements, no firewall
    synchronised with the office or cloud), a                                                        stream the session out to external parties.
                                                     constraints and minimal bandwidth needs –
    professional firewall segregating the creative
                                                     between 1-8 Mbps dependent on the quality
    environment from the rest of the house is a
                                                     setting required for the session.
    requirement.
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE EDITING WITH GEAR AT HOME
    Whilst this approach to supporting the       To address this, the home-based creative     The creative
    creative WFH has advantages over remotely    can install either a second consumer-grade   workstation does not
    connecting to the office setup, it does      connection dedicated to the home office,     need to be connected to
    require a more structured approach to        or a business-grade connection – either      the internet when using
    managing both connectivity and security in   of which can be protected by Sohonet for     Clearview Flex, which
                                                                                              makes it compliant
    the home.                                    a small monthly fee with a professionally
                                                                                              with studio security air-
                                                 managed firewall.
    Getting consistent bandwidth while                                                        gapped requirements.
    presenting content in real-time can be
    challenging at home – with family members     Learn more: ‘The future of
    competing for access, and consumer-grade      Home Connectivity’
    providers over-contending their bandwidth.

                                                  Learn more: ‘Securing the
                                                  WFH environment’

                                                  Learn more: ‘Real-time
                                                  remote editing’
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE COLOUR GRADING
    Remote colour grading has always been          in the home does need to be protected.         Sohonet will soon launch ClearView Flex         remote colour suites and screening
    a difficult technical challenge because of     A professional-grade firewall is highly        Glow – a new set of capabilities for the        rooms. In this setup, the colour workstation
    the large bandwidth required to leverage       recommended to segregate the home              ClearView Flex ecosystem, providing critical    at the office is connected to a ClearView
    ‘critical review’ quality video throughout     environment from the creative environment      review output (4:2:2, 10-bit colour). The       Pivot unit, which streams a compressed
    the workflow process.                          – and protect content from cyber criminals.    higher bit-depth, colour chroma and support     version to a Pivot Lite unit in the home.
                                                                                                  of Rec 2020 HDR means more bandwidth is         While 2K workflows can be conducted at
                                                   Bandwidth is a bigger challenge for these
    As a consequence, most of the industry has                                                    required to view the Flex session. This means   extremely high quality (4:4:4 12-bit) and 4K
                                                   creatives. The most common workflow
    deployed creatives at home with remote                                                        the creative’s home needs 75 Mbps down          workflows can also be conducted at critical
                                                   for real-time collaboration is to connect
    access to Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci                                                         (to support their colour workstation stream     review output (4:2:2 10-bit), the bandwidth
                                                   a ClearView Flexbox to the colourist
    Resolve or FilmLight’s Baselight products.                                                    and the ‘confidence stream’), to ensure they    required to facilitate this workflow is
                                                   workstation at the office, allowing high-
    Typically, there is some content that has                                                     understand exactly what the other viewers       100-200 Mbps down to the home.
                                                   quality reviews to be pushed to other
    been synchronised to the workstation at                                                       are seeing.
                                                   viewers.
    home, allowing creatives to see changes that
                                                                                                  Some colourists must work in J2K, or need
    they deploy in real-time on the monitors in    Most creatives at home want to ‘see’ the
                                                                                                  4:4:4 colour chroma, or the highest possible
    front of them.                                 same video stream that their colleagues are
                                                                                                  quality that their bandwidth will allow. As
                                                   also seeing during the session – so they are
    While these machines are typically                                                            a result, Sohonet has also launched a new
                                                   often viewing the session themselves via
    connected via VPN back to the office (where                                                   option for colourists working from home that
                                                   ClearView Flex on Apple TV with an LG C9/
    the synchronisation occurs), local content                                                    supports higher quality critical reviews with
                                                   CX TV.
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE COLOUR GRADING
    If the schedule doesn’t permit, or the home       bandwidth. Alternatively, a second               Colourist working
    bandwidth is insufficient to conduct a            consumer-grade connection, on a different        from home, with
    real-time ‘over-the-shoulder’ colour review       ISP to the creative’s home, can be used.         remote‑controlled
    via ClearView Flex or ClearView Pivot Lite,                                                        workstation and
                                                      Now the creative has the ability to view their   ClearView Pivot Lite
    then a strong alternative is the Moxion Cuts
                                                      own content in a JPEG2000 codec at the
    workflow. The final ‘cut’ of the feature or
                                                      highest quality possible, and can also present
    episode can be uploaded into the Moxion
                                                      sessions on the ClearView Pivot network
    platform and streamed (with buffering) to an
                                                      to other colour suites and screening rooms
    Apple TV or iPad Pro, allowing for the review
                                                      around the world.
    session to take place remotely. Coming soon
    is the ability to remotely control the playback
    of the Moxion Cuts session, to allow the           Learn more: ‘Securing the
                                                                                                       Colourist working
    presenter (likely the colourist) to pause and      WFH environment’
                                                                                                       from home, with
    play the content while others are viewing.
                                                                                                       local workstation and
    This enables a scene-by-scene review,
                                                                                                       ClearView Flex
    with appropriate pauses for discussion             Learn more: ‘The future of
    and notetaking.                                    Home Connectivity’
    Sohonet can connect the creative at home
    directly to the Sohonet Media Network,
    providing business-grade symmetrical
                                                       Learn more: ‘Reviewing
                                                       colour grades remotely’
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE SOUND PRODUCTION
    Audio production for film and video         While working from home, audio creatives         visual action for a perfectly synchronised       This summer, we are also adding 5.1 audio
    takes a range of forms, including sound     can share and collaborate on provisional         real-time audio-visual experience. Simply        to Flex, to be delivered via Apple TV, so that
    mixing, music composing, dubbing and        edits and mixes with Sohonet’s easy-to-          connect your computer running software           creatives can perform full surround sound
    ADR. Working remotely in the audio          use browser-based file-transfer solution,        such as ProTools via HDMI to the Flexbox.        audio reviews at home.
    field became common even before the         FileRunner. This makes it easy to export
                                                                                                 You can also use a video conferencing            Your final deliverables will depend on what
    pandemic. Composers, for example, often     high-quality recorded files over to your
                                                                                                 application (such as Zoom or Teams)              the specs are for your project. Typically,
    work on multiple projects and require       collaborators for critical editing and mixing.
                                                                                                 alongside Flex to recreate that over-the-        they might be a stereo and 5.1 surround
    remote collaboration to be efficient. ADR   Once you receive initial feedback, you           shoulder studio experience. This approach        mix, music and effects (M&E) mix, and
    happens in post-production, when actors     can then perform real-time reviews with          lets people provide an instant response to       stem mixes. You can deliver all these via
    hired for principal photography may be      collaborators and clients remotely using         what they hear, while seeing one another’s       FileRunner, so your remote collaborator or
    on to their next project, and may need      ClearView Flex. Your reviewers just need a       faces during the session. Reading a smile or a   client can download them and perform the
    to participate from a remote studio.        basic internet connection and any internet-      shake of the head can give the creative a lot    final layback.
    While on location, a Director may want      connected device (tablet, phone, PC/MAC or       of valuable insights.
    to discuss creative sound elements and      via Apple TV) and they can join a high-quality
    conduct spotting sessions for a project     review session securely and quickly from
                                                                                                 If a higher-spec surround sound review is         Learn more: ‘The Mix Room
    with teams remotely.                        anywhere in the world.
                                                                                                 required, we currently recommend ClearView        Finishes Audio Workflows
                                                                                                 Pivot or Pivot Lite. These solutions carry up
                                                                                                                                                   With ClearView Flex’
                                                Flex is ideal for audio creatives and            to 16-channels of audio, allowing support
                                                collaborators working remotely, as it            for 5.1 and 7.1 setups (Dolby Atmos support
                                                combines high-quality stereo sound with the      coming soon).
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE CREATIVE EXEC REAL-TIME REVIEW
    Our industry tends to gloss over the           at home where light is controlled, 5.1 or 7.1   reliable setup. As outlined previously, we are    accurate right out of the box and only need
    thousands of creative executives who           sound capabilities are deployed, and the        able to help you with managed and flexible        minor menu changes (no motion smoothing,
    have a hand in guiding the output of           video is either projected with professional-    solutions to facilitate this kind of bandwidth    24 fps) to be purpose fit for reviews. In this
    the creative process. While no longer          grade equipment or a large-format monitor,      in the home.                                      scenario, the creative only needs about 75
    employing their Wacom tablets, these           we recommend ClearView Pivot Lite.
                                                                                                   For those mere mortals with only a home
                                                                                                                                                     Mbps of downstream bandwidth.
    executives often have strong creative          In a home screening room, the projector         office to conduct their creative reviews,
    roots in our industry, and have the same       is typically connected using quad 3G SDI        we recommend an Apple TV for viewing               Learn more: ‘Solving the
    high fidelity requirements for colour and
    video quality to be effective in their roles
                                                   inputs directly from the Pivotbox. If the       ClearView Flex Glow sessions. We suggest           Logistical Challenges
    as those editing, colouring, and creating
                                                   viewing device is a large TV, then HDMI         the Apple TV is set up specifically for content    of Remote Review and
                                                   is used to connect the Pivotbox. Both           review (24 frames, matching colour space —
    the images along the way.                                                                                                                         Approval’
                                                   solutions will carry up to 16-channels of       see our FAQs for detailed instructions) and is
                                                   audio, allowing support for 5.1 and 7.1         connected to a high-grade consumer device
    We recommend two different options for
                                                   setups (Dolby Atmos support coming soon).       like the LG C9 or CX series of TVs. While
    the creative executive working from home,
                                                   However, making image quality at this level     many of our customers colour calibrate             Learn more: ‘The future of
    depending on their physical setup. For those
                                                   work well in real-time requires download        the monitors before sending them to the            Home Connectivity’
    rare executives who have a screening room
                                                   bandwidth of 150-200 Mbps for an effective,     exec’s home, they are typically 95%+ colour
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE CREATIVE EXEC REAL-TIME REVIEW

                     Executive reviews with ClearView Flex   Executive Reviews with ClearView Pivot
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE CREATIVE EXEC SAME-DAY REVIEW
    In recent years, the concept of ‘dailies’     Real-time collaboration                            footage pushed through the video village is
    includes not only the high-resolution                                                            securely sent to Moxion in near-real-time,
                                                  Most of the management of multiple sound
    transcoded proxies that get pushed into                                                          providing low- and hi-res proxies for those
                                                  stages occurs in the’ video village’ – but
    dozens of workflows for post and visual                                                          on-lot via their iPad – and those off-lot
                                                  with fewer creatives allowed on-lot, real-
    effects requirements – but also a low                                                            around the world reviewing from their Apple
                                                  time access to video feeds to appropriate
    resolution proxy available via an iPad to                                                        TV or laptop. In addition each unit can also
    the many creative executives on- and
                                                  creatives is a critical requirement. ClearView
                                                                                                     reference the other unit’s footage to help       Learn more: ‘Remote
    off-set who want to see how the shoot is
                                                  Flex gives off-lot creatives the on-lot video
                                                                                                     with continuity. Editorial and visual effects    Commercial Production
    progressing.
                                                  village experience anywhere in the world.
                                                                                                     staff can download hi-res proxies for input      with Social Distancing’
                                                  Near-real-time creative input                      into their workflows.
    With a requirement to manage parallel
                                                  Even without the pandemic influence, when          Weeks or even months later in the post
    shooting units in today’s pandemic-aware
    creative world, creatives on- and off-lot
                                                  on-set, the director, producers, post and          process, the footage remains available           Learn more: ‘Offset creative
    need to be able to see what is happening
                                                  visual effects supervisors can find it difficult   and additional assets can be uploaded to         participation’
                                                  to be across all the live camera feeds at          drive a Moxion Cuts, Colour or VFX review,
    across the filming infrastructure. They
                                                  once. Waiting hours or even overnight only         allowing controlled playback of assets in full
    need to react to changes in real-time, to
                                                  extends the problem, requiring remote              HDR, providing for synchronised viewing in
    continue to collapse the shooting schedule,
                                                  camera units to book another day while             multiple locations.
    without compromising the artistic integrity
                                                  shots are reviewed for completeness.
    of the director, DP, the camera operators
                                                  Moxion Immediates can enable you to
    or the actors. We can help creative execs
                                                  deliver a rapid review workflow, where
    participate here in two key areas:
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE FINISHING AND SCREENING
    With production and post teams planning          But even the largest of studio theatres can    of creatives can watch the content from
    their return to studio campuses and post-        only support a handful of viewers with         separate screening rooms across campus,
    production offices around the world, we          appropriate social distancing. With new best   around town or even in different countries.
    have to adjust the way we finish features.       practice concepts, where teams of creatives    The editor can play and pause the content
                                                     never come in physical contact with each       at will, with every screening room seeing
    Previously, when the final version of the        other to prevent wholescale team infection,    exactly the same frame at the same time.
    feature or episodic had finally come together,   we have to design a new way to review          Firing up your preferred conferencing tool
    the key parties would gather in a darkened       together while being physically separate.      (such as Zoom, Teams or BlueJeans) allows
    screening room. This would typically include                                                    everyone to comment (and take notes) when
                                                     Taking advantage of ClearView Pivot’s one-
    the director, cinematographer, post and                                                         the content is paused, but move quickly back
                                                     to-many real-time streaming architecture,
    visual effects supervisors, colourist, editor,                                                  to professional immersion once playback
                                                     your post production supervisor can work
    executive producers and other creative                                                          is resumed.
                                                     with the studio post team to establish a
    executives from the distribution studio.
                                                     multiple screening room approach. In this
    They would review the content, pausing to
                                                     scenario, two or three different teams
    give notes, comments and directives.
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    SCENARIO:
    REMOTE FINISHING AND SCREENING
    Incorporating creatives who cannot make        Similar to the use case above, the easiest
    it to a screening room is also possible. By    way to support audio communication for all
    splitting the video output from the creative   parties is to leverage a modern conferencing
    workstation to both the ClearView Pivot        platform where the editor mutes all parties
    and ClearView Flex infrastructure, frame       before hitting play, and then unmutes the
    and colour-accurate playback can be shared     parties after hitting pause on the content.
    in real-time, not only to multiple screening   The review coordinator initiates the Pivot
    rooms, but also to creatives reviewing from    ‘calls’ from the sending creative workstation
    the safety of their home office on an Apple    to the receiving screening rooms and invites
    TV and a colour-calibrated consumer TV         Flex viewers via email to participate in the
    (such as the LG C9 or CX models).              same session. Once the sessions start, the
                                                   playback management across both systems
                                                   should be seamless.

                                                                                                   Remote Finishing Review
                                                    Learn more: ‘Finishing
                                                    Review and Approval with
                                                    Social Distancing’
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    SCENARIO:
    SAFE IN-PERSON COLLABORATION AND REVIEW
                                                     LIST OF SOHONET CREATIVE WORKSPACE PARTNERS
    Not everything can be done from the              LOS ANGELES              NEW YORK                   LONDON                   TORONTO
    home. While we have the technology to            Company 3                Atlantic Studios           Company 3                Deluxe
    enable the editor, the colourist, the VFX        Deluxe                   Company 3                  Deluxe                   Sim Digital
                                                     Digital Vortechs         Deluxe                     Derwent
    artist and even the creative executive           Fotokem                  Goldcrest                  DMR Film                 VANCOUVER
    to perform their role from home, there           Harbor Picture Company   Harbor Picture Company     DNEG                     Deluxe
    are times when getting a small number            Lantana                  Mad Old Nut                ENVY Post                DNEG
    of people into a room together (with             Lot 5 Media
                                                     Mad Old Nut
                                                                              Montague
                                                                              RK Studios
                                                                                                         Goldcrest
                                                                                                         Harbor Picture Company
                                                                                                                                  Finale Post Production
                                                                                                                                  Sim Digital
    social distancing and masks) is just             Picture Shop             Sim Digital                Hireworks Ltd
    more effective.                                  Pivotal Post             Soho Works                 Molinare                 ANZ
                                                     Serendipity Labs         Spring Studios             Regus Soho Square        Arc Edit–Sydney & Melbourne
    Sohonet’s connected partners worldwide can       Sim Digital              Technicolor - Post Works   Soho Works               Cutting Edge–Sydney & Brisbane
    offer purpose-built creative work spaces for     Soho Works                                          Spring Studios           Images–Auckland
    editing, colouring, finishing reviews and even
                                                     Spring Place             ATLANTA                    Technicolor              Toybox–Auckland
                                                     Syracuse Studios         AIP Studios
    screenings, all of which can be connected to     Technicolor              Company 3                  MANCHESTER
    creatives working from home.                     The Foundation           Wyatt Studios              Flix Facilities
                                                     Tribeca West
                                                     WeWork Santa Monica      SANTA FE
                                                                              Stagecoach Foundation
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    CREATING YOUR WFH ENVIRONMENT

                                               Connectivity                                   Control
    Now that we’ve considered a range
    of specific working scenarios, on the
    following pages we’ll examine four key
    elements need for creative collaboration   for remote creativity                          for remote workflows
    from home in the new normal...             When you cannot be in the same room            Whether using VDI or cloud-based virtual
                                               with your creative collaborators, you need     workstations, you need to maintain full
                                               network connectivity to make your remote       visibility and control over your remote
                                               workflow successful.                           access workflows.

                                               Security                                       Sharing
                                               for remote content                             for remote delivery
                                               While our industry continues to adapt to       You need to apply best practices for
                                               new working environments and workflows,        remotely sharing content and IP data
                                               you need to create, collaborate on and share   files – source media, work in progress,
                                               captivating content – securely.                and resulting deliverables.
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    PRIMER ON SETTING UP YOUR WFH ENVIRONMENT
    Comprehensive M&E connectivity                  Distribution studios: Every major
    with Sohonet                                    distribution studio is already connected in
                                                    some way to the Sohonet Media Network.                                                                                                     MONTREAL
    We have a wide array of options to                                                                                                                                TORONTO                                           GLASGOW

    support your content creation needs in          Post and VFX houses: Hundreds of post                                             VANCOUVER
                                                                                                                                                              CHICAGO
                                                                                                                                                                                                 BOSTON               BELFAST
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  MANCHESTER             LEEDS

    every situation or location:                    and VFX houses around the world are                                        SEATTLE
                                                                                                                                                                    DETROIT
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                MADRID
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 DUBLIN
                                                                                                                                                                                               NEW YORK
                                                    connected to our network.
    Production studios: 50+ production
                                                                                                                         SAN                             ST LOUIS                                                                                                MUMBAI
                                                                                                                         FRANCISCO                                  COLUMBUS
                                                                                                                                                                                                 MAN          CARDIFF
                                                                                                                            SANTA
                                                                                                                                                                                  ATLANTA

                                                    Creative work spaces: We offer 50+
                                                                                                                            CLARA
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       LONDON MAN
    studio partners around the world with                                                                           HAWAII
                                                                                                                                                                    DENVER                                   BERLIN
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   AMSTERDAM

    great connectivity options to the internet      collaboration locations and purpose-built                                                                            DALLAS
                                                                                                                                                                                       MIAMI

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           LUXEMBOURG

    and the Sohonet Media Network, that can         production offices around the world.                                                                                      AUSTIN
                                                                                                                                                                                                             MUNICH

                                                                                                                                                    LOS ANGELES
    be turned up quickly.                                                                                                                               MAN
                                                    Home working: We help creatives and                                                                                                                   PARIS MAN
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      WARSAW

    Off-lot productions: Our field services         executives to work effectively and securely
                                                                                                              BRISBANE                             MEXICO CITY
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  PRAGUE

    teams can get your production teams
                                                                                                                                                                                                            BARCELONA
                                                                                                                                        AUCKLAND
                                                    from home with studio-grade VPN
    leveraging a warehouse or corporate office      protection and other solutions.               MELBOURNE                          WELLINGTON

    space for their production office or team
                                                                                                                           SYDNEY MAN
    collaboration needs – just about anywhere
                                                     Learn more: ‘The future                                        CANBERRA

    in the US or UK, in just 3-5 business days.
                                                     of home connectivity for
    Remote locations. Leveraging bonded 4G           production, post and visual
    mobile data, fixed wireless and (coming          effects’                                                 Sohonet Media Network: specialist M&E connectivity, everywhere you need us
    soon) SpaceX Starlink satellite connectivity.
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    CONNECTIVITY FOR REMOTE CREATIVITY
                                                 Getting high-grade home connectivity is         Of course, a business-grade connection
    Whatever your workflow requirements,
                                                 no longer the exclusive domain of studio        (with symmetrical bandwidth up and down
    if you cannot be in the same room with
                                                 bosses with private screening rooms.            to the internet) is always more reliable
    your collaborators, you need network
                                                 It is now becoming commonplace for              and effective, but can take longer to get
    connectivity to make your remote
                                                 colourists, editors and visual effect artists   installed and is more expensive.
    workflow successful.
                                                 – as well as creative executives in the
                                                                                                 Regardless of your budget and home
    Sohonet is the M&E industry’s connectivity   review process.
                                                                                                 challenges, security should also be at the
    partner of choice. As well as studios and
                                                 Recently, many M&E professionals have           forefront of your planning. Sohonet can
    workplaces, we have been connecting
                                                 elected to install an additional consumer-      provide professionally managed firewall
    the homes of highly influential directors,
                                                 grade internet connection to their home         solutions for the creative professional
    creatives and producers directly to the
                                                 office. This means they can have their          working from home, which makes sense if
    Sohonet Media Network for years. Now
                                                 work connection separated away from             there is valuable creative content stored in
    the pandemic has created a stronger ‘data
                                                 their family’s countless Zoom calls and         the home.
    gravity’ in the home than ever before.
                                                 Fortnite sessions.
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    CONNECTIVITY FOR REMOTE CREATIVITY
    Sohonet Media Network: specialist M&E                       Home Connectivity Options
    connectivity, everywhere you need us.
                                                                                                           Business Grade
                                                                  Existing Home ISP   Separate / 2nd ISP
                                                                                                            Connection

     Learn more: ‘The future of             Upload Speeds                ✔                  ✔✔                ✔✔✔
     Home Connectivity’
                                            Bandwidth Quality            ✔                  ✔✔                ✔✔✔

                                            Security Options             ✔                  ✔✔                ✔✔✔

                                            Cost                         $                   $$                $$$

                                            Install Lead Time           none              5-30 days         30-90 days

                                            Minimum Term                none            6-12 months          12 months
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    SECURITY FOR REMOTE CONTENT
                                                  remains unwavering, with families at home   һ Domestic-grade networking and security      Home networks need to be treated like
    The rise of the pandemic triggered
                                                  consuming more hours under lockdown.          – How hardened is that cable router?        a ‘guest wi-fi’ in a production facility. You
    a rapid exodus from our industry’s
                                                  So, while our industry continues to           Did you change the wi-fi password from      don’t allow visitors to your facility on your
    studios, facilities, offices and other
                                                  adapt to new working environments and         the factory default? Do you even have a     secure production network. The same now
    carefully secured environments.
                                                  workflows, the requirement to create,         firewall?                                   applies to working at home. You need to
    Some creatives left expecting just
                                                  collaborate on and share captivating                                                      ensure proper security for your software,
    a few weeks of remote work. Others                                                        һ All kinds of connected data-gathering
                                                  content securely is ever present.                                                         hardware, network – and the wider home
    prepared for the long haul, taking                                                          devices – home assistants, security
                                                                                                                                            environment.
    their workstations home with them.            While IT and security professionals           cameras, smart TVs, and even robot
                                                  have worked hard over many years to           vacuum cleaners – on the same network
    The usual bastions of protection for
                                                  successfully secure the office and studio     as pre-release content.
    valuable content and Intellectual Property
                                                  landscape, the home environment presents
    (IP) –security gates, cameras, RFID badges,                                               һ Well-meaning family members on social
                                                  a unique set of challenges for M&E
    studio-grade firewalls and air gapped                                                       media – “Stuck at home but look at the
                                                  industry workers, such as:
    networks – were left behind.                                                                new baby alien that Mom is working on...”
                                                  һ Family members, friends and even
    Despite production initially grinding
                                                    neighbours using your wi-fi – offering
    to a near-halt, the demand for content
                                                    hackers a route into your home network.
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    SECURITY FOR REMOTE CONTENT
    Obviously having a full replication of an    Alongside the advanced technology, it        While there is no panacea to solve the new     inherently more secure. However, policies
    office environment at home isn’t practical   might also be worth investing in some        security challenges we face, there are a lot   and controls will need to be adapted and
    – but at Sohonet we have developed a         more physical aspects of security – such     of things you can do today to secure the       evolved to accommodate new ways of
    range of solutions that can help protect     as putting a lock on the home office door,   WFH environment for all users. Protection      working securely.
    your home-workers and your content.          installing blackout blinds, and so on.       is improving as apps become
    Whether it’s for production staff, tech
    teams, editors, VFX artists or colourists,                                                                                                                         Security for
    Sohonet has solutions scaled to fit each
                                                  Learn more: ‘Securing the                                                                                            remote content
    of your use cases and security challenges,
                                                  home: Top Tips for M&E’
    such as:

    Secure VPN access solutions

    Centralised Unified Threat Management
    (UTM) solutions                               Learn more: ‘5 simple steps
    Secure file transfer                          to assess your working from
                                                  home (WFH) security profile’
    Secure remote collaboration solutions
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    CONTROL FOR REMOTE WORKFLOWS
                                                   As many of our industry colleagues have       Here are our recommendations to support
    When the pandemic hit, our industry                                                                                                       3. Try a hybrid approach. Long before the
                                                   discovered, these cloud solutions have        these cloud workflows:
    was forced to find new ways to enable                                                                                                     pandemic, many VFX artists using cloud
                                                   some challenges in achieving the high-
    creatives to accomplish their workflows                                                      1. Get the licensing right. Many of the      workflows had figured out a workaround
                                                   quality video streams needed for real-time
    while working from home. Many in our                                                         cloud-based tool providers cannot offer      for review sessions. By keeping a few
                                                   critical review. The solutions available to
    industry decided to harness the existing                                                     a license for the tool, which must be        remotely-controlled physical machines
                                                   facilitate live review sessions are not yet
    infrastructure at the office by deploying                                                    purchased separately, directly from the      in the office, which are connected to
                                                   able to provide scalable and consistent
    remote access workflows with virtual                                                         tool creator.                                ClearView Flex or Pivot, VFX artists can
                                                   real-time, frame-accurate output with high
    desktop infrastructure (VDI).                                                                                                             move the content for review to a location
                                                   colour fidelity, though we believe these      2. Remember that egress is expensive.
                                                                                                                                              where they can easily conduct critical
    However, many visual effects artists and       problems will be solved in the near future.   Design the creative workflow to stay
                                                                                                                                              review sessions – such as live-streaming
    some editors chose to deploy cloud-based                                                     within your cloud service provider (CSP)
                                                                                                                                              to review suites, screening rooms, and
    solutions to support their creative needs –                                                  as long as possible – to reduce the egress
                                                                                                                                              executives WFH all over the world.
    using virtual workstations for tools such as                                                 costs triggered by bringing large amounts
    Avid, Adobe, Maya and Nuke.                                                                  of data bandwidth out of the CSP.
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    CONTROL FOR REMOTE WORKFLOWS
    4. Keep up with new developments.
    Network Device Interface (NDI) is an
    evolving software standard to support real-
    time broadcast-quality video in distributed
    production environments. Many players
    in the industry are trying to force NDI
    to work beyond the office to support
    home-based workers, But NDI does
    not perform well over consumer-grade
    networks, suffering congestion, packet
    loss and jitter – resulting in a choppy frame
    rate experience for viewers. It can also
    introduce colour and compression artifacts
    into the video stream. As an alternative,
    Sohonet is working hard with our industry
    colleagues to build an open source API
    approach to support critical review quality
    output directly from cloud-based creative
                                                    Remote Editing with Virtual desktop infrastructure
    tools like Avid, Baselight and Resolve,
    although this is likely to take several
    months to deliver – watch this space.
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    SHARING FOR REMOTE DELIVERY
                                                  creation. An advertising production           might supplement this with a sync at the    FileRunner makes the best use of the
    In any M&E creative role, sharing
                                                  company may need to retrieve archived         end of the workday, which can continue      bandwidth available to it, with accelerated
    deliverables while working from
                                                  footage from a previous campaign to re-       through the night if needed.                multi-threaded parallel uploads. It’s
    home can be a challenge. Most of the
                                                  work.                                                                                     optimised for sending media file formats,
    workflow advice in this Ebook is focused                                                    File transfer made simple                   which are usually either small in data size
    on sharing the frame-accurate output          You need to think through the concept of      Sohonet’s file transfer tool FileRunner     and large in volume (frame sequences) or
    from creative tools in real-time. But         how to share deliverables both internally     is ideal for home-working usage. It’s       single large files (completed video assets).
    what are the best practices for actually      with your team members and to external        extremely easy to use, and works in         This makes it ideal for delivering files from
    sharing source media, work in progress,       parties. For internal file sharing, you may   any modern web browser, with no             one creative to another throughout the
    and resulting deliverables as files?          consider synchronising your tools – so        special plugins, server setups or desktop   production pipeline.
                                                  files are automatically shared and updated
    A better approach to M&E file                 across your team’s workstations. This
                                                                                                applications to manage. You’ve no need
                                                                                                                                            Using TCP as the underlying transfer
                                                                                                to bother your already overstretched IT
    sharing                                       works great in the office – when you          department to get your whole team up and    technology, FileRunner is much more
    Creatives in our industry do not work in      have tons of bandwidth for sending and        running. If you do encounter any issues,    friendly to other network traffic than
    a vacuum. You might work your personal        receiving. But most home-based solutions      Sohonet’s customer success team is ready    UDP-based solutions, which tend to stomp
    bit of the magic alone, but ultimately you    are going to have an asymmetrical             to help, 24/7.                              over other users of the connection. This
    need to deliver the result into some other    connection, where the upload speed is                                                     will make you much more popular with
    workflow by sending it somewhere. For         significantly slower than the download                                                    the other people you share your home or
    example, an editor may be sending EDLs        speed. In this scenario, sending the                                                      workspace with.
    to the colourist, sound designers or VFX      deliverable output file only when needed
    teams. The studio marketing department        is a better approach than constantly
    may be sharing film stills for movie poster   synchronising all your source files. You
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    SHARING FOR REMOTE DELIVERY
                                                   Gbps network fabric (connected to the           Essentially, if you have huge data volumes,
    Low-cost cloud file storage                    Sohonet Media Network) to ensure data           then performing the initial longhaul data
    and sharing                                    replication is immediate.                       move will be one of your biggest concerns.
    For those managing the delivery of large                                                       This can be avoided by using FileStore+
    data sets across geographic regions,           Many productions now create hundreds
                                                                                                   geo-sync – and you can then just move
    Sohonet’s FileStore+ cloud file storage is a   of terabytes of camera RAW data, which
                                                                                                   files more locally, focusing on smaller data
    secure and low-cost solution.                  needs to be moved from the production
                                                                                                   sets for those working at home.
                                                   location through to post-production
    Files can be loaded directly via local on-     – which may be located on an entirely           With no data egress fees, FileStore+
    ramps at speeds of 1 Gbps or higher into       different continent. In such cases,             unlocks the ability to push and pull data
    the secure cloud object storage platform.      FileStore+ eliminates any concern about         to the cloud and across worldwide regions
    A second and third copy of that file are       connectivity or tools for file transfer. You    for delivery purposes at will – which is
    replicated to other regions immediately        then only need to think about the local         otherwise financially unviable with other
    – giving your workflow partners in other       distribution of files within the region, from   major cloud service providers.
    regions local access to the same data          your main office location to those working
    within minutes of it landing in your local     from home – which can be accessed on a
    region. Sohonet’s storage partner RStor        more ad-hoc basis.
    uses their RWave product and their 100
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