Video Evidence workflow

[Alwal]

I have recently lost some footage of rehearsals, that is needed to submit to the exam board. :(

 

... unfortunately (and can I also add, this is out of character) it wasn't back up, for whatever reason.

 

 

 

 

I just wondered if anyone could share their work flow and/or download & back up routine so that I can sort my self out to make sure this doesn't happen again.

 

 

 

 

I have a 12tb NAS which I am using for back up and archive, 3tb local Video HDD, 2TB local Audio HDD for local copy for editing/storage and a 1tb desk top back up HDD (moving aware from using this now I have the NAS)

 

 

 

[sleah]

Make a hard copy on DVD!

 

Other than that, make a digital copy somewhere else, such as USB stick/drive that won't be written to by an automatic backup.

If you are using backup software, make sure it is incremental so it doesn't overwrite old backups.

[J Pearce]

When I worked in schools I pushed hard for IT to create a sufficiently large network share, then made backup their problem ;)

Essentially, get it off the card and onto main storage ASAP, backup main storage periodically, preferably with an incremental backup system if possible. Be aware of how it tracks deletes, and how far back you can go to undelete. It is easy to think you have a backup, but then not have it because the backup has tracked the accidental delete from the main storage.

Anything for exam boards burn to hard copy as soon as editing/packaging is done, then dispatch it to relevant teacher/exams office for their safe storage.

[Shez]

Firstly, don't use cameras with internal hard disks - I recently had one passed to me that had completely died, taking all the footage within with it. (Even the connector on the drive once I'd extracted it was obscure enough that I couldn't quickly get a suitable interface; even if I could there's no guarantee I'd be able to read the contents)

 

A few years ago I suffered a catastrophic failure of an external RAID 1 array where I lost over a terabyte of video - it shouldn't even have been possible for that to happen but it does. That's when I started to learn about data recovery and eventually managed to recover most of that footage but the lesson to back up absolutely still stands.

 

When I started this kind of thing, it was all tape based which was great - take the tape out of the camera and it's an instant physical backup, at least once you've captured/copied the footage. I take a bit of that same approach with memory cards now - they never get wiped until long after the project is finished so they become one backup. As soon as a day of filming performances is over, footage is immediately copied across to my edit workstation - I'd never want to go home knowing there's only one copy in existence. A combination of internal disks in that workstation and external drives provide redundancy whilst editing. I've yet to implement any clever kind of automatic backup system but for the moment, my manual approach works.

 

The great thing about editing video (as opposed to Word documents) is that it's always non-destructive and (assuming decent software is used) it's very difficult to accidentally delete anything. All video files live in a common folder structure with project files stored elsewhere. The project files will change regularly (and my software stores backups of editing history so you can always step back to earlier versions) whilst the video files themselves don't change. That's massively useful as the project files are tiny and so quick and easy to back up often whereas the video files are huge and cumbersome to backup but (in a well managed system) don't need to be so frequent.

[James Remo]

Always follow the 3-2-1 rule as a minimum. Always have at least 3 total copies of your data, 2 of which are local but on different mediums (read: devices), and at least 1 copy offsite.

[MarkPAman]

I upload them to youtube, marked as private for backup. Does drop the quality a bit, but has the major advantage that I can quickly change them to unlisted & then share a link with a student, tutor or examiner if required, which they can usually view it with equipment they keep in their pocket.

 

Then there's the original copied to my computer (which is backed up with time machine) and some staff like to have a copy on their own machine

[Alwal]

Once received the booking will be confirmed and a 'ticket'will be generated where details and notes can be stored in one location and theticket will remain open until the footage has been handed over on the required mediaformat.

 

The procedure belowwill be followed upon receipt of a request

 

• Date checked against CPA tech diary, inputtedand confirmed if available (or alternative date discussed if unavailable) (Ticket in progress
• 
  
• Session filmed on numbered formatted SD Cards onthe requested date.
• Footage is downloaded to CPA NAS AND local Storage manually immediately followingthe session. (or next morning if eveningsession
• 
  
• Folders and files are to be named including thedate it was filmed (130218 - Performing Arts L3 unit 2 Vocal Workshop) (ticket updated withfile location and name
• 
  
• Files to be editing and rendered within 5 workingdays of the session.
• Rendered files are to the stored under the 3-2-1protocol (see below
• Physical media delivered within 7 working days (Ticket Closed)
• 
  
• DVDs to be QA checked by teacher within 14working days
• Physical media to be stored by teacher untilsubmission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point... would you still keep the source media in two locations... or delete it locally and archive the NAS

[paulears]

I'm a little gobsmacked by this. Alway lives in a very different world to the one I was used to. I was very involved in eduction work for many years and each year hundreds of video and other types of evidence were lost by schools and colleges. The checklist above would fail with many of my old colleagues very quickly. Even formatting the card would be a problem for so many - and loads recorded on part filled cards and ran out of space, or recorded on a too small card, or didn't have the camera with the date and time set - really basic stuff. Numbering the cards I never saw. A draw full of them, given in bulk to a technician to try to collate and sort out. Many would contain rehearsals of the rehearsal, or test recordings or different versions. I can imagine the system working for the technicians at some centres, but at others, technical support is non-existent or simply overloaded.

 

The teacher who signs the authentication should be the one to do all this - but loads can't. So many would be overwritten - as in they'd put them all on the same card, and some cameras don't check the filename is unique. Others simply increment a number.

 

It is infuriating to be verifying something and then read -Jeannette is next to the saxophone player, and there is no saxophone player, but there was one 4 videos back - and you realise the numbering is all misaligned.

 

My own attitude in my college was that every teacher is responsible for their own evidence, and they can ask for help - but the cannot give the problem to then technical people to do, even with an excellent system - because they will simply get it wrong, and then blame the technicians.

 

I've ben on the sending and receiving end of this and the incompetence of some really qualified people is mind numbing. My worse colleague had a doctorate, but couldn't turn on a computer!

[Tregilibob]

I keep it locally on my computer, locally on an external drive, uploaded to a cloud based software (school has gone to the cloud so we have plenty of storage for original media files) and burn it to DVD twice - once to send off, once to keep.

So far, only the external drive has failed, but was able to be re-backed up by another copy.

If your camera supports memory cards, a range of numbered ones that are used each year, put in a cupboard and kept for a year, then put back in to action after the examining year/recall time is over.

[Jivemaster]

Alwal. Some sorts of "lost" may be recoverable at cost (serious!) by forensic data recovery -available through lots of computer repairers and the like (try your local computer fair -mine in Stratford E15 has a repairer who does data recovery). Sadly other sorts of "lost" are permanent.

 

Any drive of mine is backed up onto an external HD, and that can be stored on another. Yes when I used huge amounts of data, I did also have a back up drive in someone else's house.