Work Flow RAIDS – Accessing Multiple Mac & PC Formatted RAIDS

[Bill Jacobs]

We have shot a LENGTHY feature film in RED 5K, to be edited (as multiple reels) on a Premiere 4K timeline. All of the camera-original R3D files are on THREE Pegasus II RAIDS, formatted for Mac, and set up as RAID 10 (which is probably slowing us down). We have now been forced to abandon editing on our Mac Pro 12-core, and are instead moving to a high-end PC workstation for post. Therein rests our problem(s)…




We now need to figure out the best way of:


1) navigating the Mac-formatted RAIDS


2) setting up a RAID (and a back up RAID) where all of our project files reside along with the selected R3D files that are accessed in the edit (and backed up daily)


3) insuring the highest READ/WRITE speeds from the EDIT drives where our R3D files (and project files) eventually do reside




To accomplish this, we are considering:


- using HFS Explorer on the new PC workstation to read and access the Mac-formatted RAIDS


- purchasing TWO additional RAIDS, formatting them both in NTFS in RAID “0”, and using one for the EDIT – and the other serving solely as a BACK UP of the edit RAID (backed up daily)


- additionally backing up all project files (and any new renders and created files from AF, etc.) during the edit on to LTO tapes, giving us then THREE individual copies of the project stored in separate locations (the EDIT RAID, Back Up RAID, the LTO tapes)


- during edit, selecting possible takes from the original, Mac-formatted, Pegasus II RAIDS, and copying them over (via SHOT PUT PRO) to the new, NTFS-formatted EDIT RAID


- once the project is complete, then deleting any R3D files from the EDIT RAID that were not used in the actual edit (i.e., the “chaff” files).




OUR CURRENT CONCERNS:


Is this an acceptable approach? Is there something better? And what RAID drives would YOU recommend for the EDIT and Edit Back Up?




Many Thanks!

 

[Marc Wielage]

I would not edit in 4K or 5K and instead edit in 2K proxies to lighten the load on the computer. Once you finalize each reel, then I would worry about going back to the 4K camera originals and conform everything with all the resolution available. This is very, very standard practice for many (if not most) Hollywood studio features.

You may also want to look into hiring a good post supervisor who understands how to deal with every part of that process. 4K can be costly and can slow down post, which can be a huge issue for modest indie productions. If your distributor specifically requires 4K delivery, then you'll have to figure that into the final post budget -- but bear in mind you'll also have to create HD and 2K materials as part of the deliverables.

I do think your backup strategy is a good one, and nobody should be without at least three copies of their original camera material if possible. One of them should be in a safe deposit box.

BTW, I've had no problem running R3D 4K and 5K on a RAID 5 via Thunderbolt, but generally only with one track. If you're doing multiple tracks, that could be a potential issue. 4K ProRes Log also runs fine in real-time via Thunderbolt, and I don't think there's a massive difference with R3D files provided the ProRes files are created correctly.