1. X TECH FOCUS: Apple Mac Pro, Adobe Anywhere, Blackmagic Production Camera 4K
VIDEO
digital
JULY 2014
OCTOBER 1-3, PASADENA, CA
WWW.NEXTVIDEOEXPO.COM
THE STRAIN
TRANSLATING GUILLERMO DEL
TORO’S DARK VISION TO TELEVISION
BUYER’S GUIDE:
PORTABLE AUDIO
RECORDING & MIXING
2. creativeplanetnetwork.com/dv | 07.2014 3
EDITOR’S VIEW
REDEFINING DISTRIBUTION
I
t’s an amazing time for content distribution—for us as consumers and, more importantly, for us
as creators. As a consumer, you can essentially “program” a personalized television station, online
video channel or film festival, pulling from a wide array of digital resources. Want to watch six BBC
interviews with Stanley Kubrick, a “making of” film by his daughter about The Shining, his rarely seen
documentary short “Day of the Fight,” and then all 203 minutes of Barry Lyndon? By tapping a few dif-
ferent streaming services, you can do it easily. Who needs the World Cup?
The sheer number of online distribution channels (or the “fragmented media landscape,” as some
will describe it) makes collecting meaningful metrics more challenging, while concepts of economic
“success” are constantly redefined, questioned and re-evaluated, but most content producers we
interview are invigorated and inspired by the new possibilities. It seems to me almost analogous to the
introduction of DSLR video: filmmaking possibilities are opened up in such a way that someone with
creative drive, talent, resourcefulness and determination can actually, you know, make a movie!
This new and evolving distribution model means that content creators who work outside of the
mainstream have more opportunities for their work to be seen. I’m thinking of Whit Stillman, one of
my favorite directors. He’s now completing an Amazon.com series called The Cosmopolitans. (You’ll
read more about it in our September issue.) He’s directed only four films in his career, the first in
1990 and the most recent in 2011. Now it’s possible for audiences to connect with his (wonderful)
work online. Whether you have a Whit Stillman in your pantheon or you are the Whit Stillman in this
scenario, the expanse of distribution options can only be viewed as a good thing. My hope is that it
somehow balances out the supply and demand, matches content with viewers, and connects you with
your audience.
Editorial Director
Digital Video magazine
creativeplanetnetwork.com/dv
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VIDEO
digital
vol. 22 | no. 7 07.2014
Registration is now open for our Next|Video
Conference + Expo (October 1-3, Pasadena
Convention Center, Pasadena, Calif.). Next|Video
Conference + Expo is configured to help
professionals better understand, evaluate and
implement the technologies and business
practices that will impact the future of video. A
multi-tier conference, Next|Video is programmed
with five distinct tracks: Next|PRODUCTION,
Next|POST-PRODUCTION, Next|STREAMING TECH,
Next|DISTRIBUTION and Next|ENTERPRISE MEDIA.
The event will also feature the Next|Video Expo, a
keynote luncheon and a networking reception.
www.nextvideoexpo.com
4. creativeplanetnetwork.com/dv | 07.201436
The key difference between Adobe Anywhere
and other NLE/SAN combinations is that all Adobe
Anywhere media is stored at the central location
and the system’s servers handle the actual editing
and compositing functions of the editing software.
This means that no media is stored on the editor’s
local computer, and because computing resources
are also sited at the central location, lightweight
client stations can be used.
Anywhere works within a facility using the
existing LAN infrastructure or externally over the
Internet when client systems connect remotely
over VPN. Currently Adobe Anywhere is integrated
directly into Adobe Premiere Pro CC and Prelude
CC (Windows and OS X). Early access to After
Effects integration is part of Adobe Anywhere 1.6,
with improved integration available in the next
release.
THE ADOBE ANYWHERE CLUSTER
Adobe Anywhere software is installed on a set of
Windows servers, which are general purpose server
computers that you would buy from a vendor
like Dell or HP. The software creates two types of
nodes: a single Adobe Anywhere Collaboration
Hub node and three or more Adobe Mercury
Streaming Engine nodes. (A minimum of three
Mercury Streaming Engines is required for a small
workgroup.) Each node is installed on a separate
server, so a minimum configuration requires
four computers. This setup is separate from the
shared storage. If you use a SAN, such as a Facilis
Technology or EditShare system, the SAN will be
mounted at the OS level by the computing cluster
of Anywhere servers. Local and remote editors can
upload source media to the SAN for shared access
via Anywhere.
The Collaboration Hub computer contains the
database of project information and metadata,
manages user access and coordinates the other
nodesinthecluster.TheMercuryStreamingEngine
computers provide real-time, dynamic viewing
streams of Premiere Pro and Prelude sequences
with GPU-accelerated effects. Media stays in its
native file format on the storage servers. There
are no proxy files created by the system. In order
to handle real-time effects, each of the Streaming
Engine servers must be equipped with a high-end
NVIDIA graphics card.
As a rule of thumb, this minimum cluster size
supports 10 to 15 active users, according to Adobe.
However, the actual number depends on media
type, resolution and the number of simultaneous
source clips needed per editor, as well as activities
ADOBE ANYWHERELUST
CLUSTERED CREATIVITY
Collaborative Editing with Adobe Anywhere
OLIVER PETERS
Adobe Anywhere for video is Adobe’s first foray into collaborative editing. Anywhere functions a
lot like other shared storage environments, except that editors and producers are not restricted
to working within the facility and its hard-wired network.
(From left) Jeff Way, COO, Clay Glendenning, CEO, G-Men Media
5. creativeplanetnetwork.com/dv | 07.2014 37
that may be automated, like import and export.
Adobe prices the Anywhere software based on
the number of named users. This is a subscription
model of $1,000 per year per user. That’s in
addition to installed seats of Creative Cloud and
the cost of the hardware to make the system work,
which is supplied by other vendors and not Adobe.
Since this is not sold as a turnkey installation by
Adobe, certain approved vendors, like Tekserve
and Key Code Media, have been qualified as Adobe
Anywhere system integrators.
HOW IT WORKS
While connected to Adobe Anywhere and working
with an Anywhere project, the Premiere Pro or
Prelude application on the local computer is really
just functioning as the software front end that is
driving the application running back at the server.
The results of the edit decisions are streamed back
to the local machine in real time as a single stream
of video.
The live stream of media from the Mercury
Streaming Engine is being handled in a similar
fashion to the playback resolution throttle that’s
already part of Premiere Pro. As native media is
played, the computer adjusts the stream’s playback
compression based on bandwidth. Whenever
playback is paused, the parked frame is updated to
full resolution—thus enabling an editor to tweak
an effect or composite and always see the full-
resolution image while making the adjustments.
To better understand this concept, let’s use the
example of a quad split. If this effect were done
locally, the drives would be playing back four
streams of video and the software and GPU of that
local computer would composite the quad split
and present a single stream of video to the viewer
display.InthecaseofAdobeAnywhere,theplayback
of these four streams and the compositing of the
quad split takes place on the Mercury Streaming
Engine computer. The Mercury Streaming Engine
in turn streams this live composite as a single feed
of video back to the remotely connected computer.
Since all the heavy lifting is done at “home base,”
the system requirements for the client machine
are less demanding. In theory, you could use a
MacBook Air to edit RED EPIC 5K footage.
PRODUCTIONS
Instead of editing Premiere Pro or Prelude project
files, Adobe Anywhere users create or log in to a
sharedproduction.AnAdobeAnywhereproduction
is a multi-user, multi-application replacement
for project files. It provides a shared collection of
folders, assets and sequences, all of which can be
edited by those working on the production. Instead
of duplicating assets across multiple computers,
everyone uses the same assets.
This way, a collaborating team is set up like a
workgroup with assigned permission levels. Media
is common and central to avoid media duplication.
Any media that is added on site is uploaded to the
production in its native resolution and becomes
part of the shared assets of the production.
The Collaboration Hub computer manages the
database for all productions.
When a user remotely logs in to an Adobe
Anywhere production, media to which he has
been granted access is available for browsing
using Premiere Pro’s standard Media Browser
panel. When an editor starts working, Anywhere
automatically makes a virtual “clone” of his or
her production items and opens them in a private
session. Because multiple people can be working
in the same production at the same time, Adobe
G-Men editor working in Adobe Premiere Pro CC on an Anywhere production.
6. creativeplanetnetwork.com/dv | 07.201438
Anywhere provides protection against conflicts
or overwrites. In order to share your private
changes, you must first get any updates from the
shared production. This pulls all shared changes
into your private view. If another person has
changed the same asset you are working on, you
are provided with information about the conflict
and given the opportunity to keep the other
person’s changes, your changes or both. Once you
make your choices, you can then transfer your
changes back to the shared production. Anywhere
also maintains a version history, so if unwanted
changes are made, you can revert back to an
earlier or alternate version.
ADOBE ANYWHERE INTHE WILD
Although large installations like CNN are great for
publicity headlines, Adobe Anywhere is proving
to be useful at smaller facilities too. G-Men Media
is a production company based in Venice, Calif.,
focused primarily on feature film and commercial
broadcast work. According to G-Men COO Jeff
Way, “G-Men was originally founded with the
goal of utilizing the latest digital technologies
available to reduce costs, accelerate workflow
and minimize turnaround time for our clients.
Adobe Anywhere allowed us to provide our
clients a more efficient postproduction workflow
without having to grow infrastructure on a per
project basis.”
“A significant factor of Adobe Anywhere, which
increased the growth of our client base, was the
system’sabilitytoorganizeproductionteamsbased
on talent instead of location. If we can minimize or
eliminate time required for coordinating actual
production work (i.e., shipping hard drives,
scheduling meetings with editors, awaiting
review/approval), we can save clients money that
they can then invest into more creative aspects
of the project—or simply undercut their budget.
Furthermore, we have the ability to scale up or
down without added expenses in infrastructure.
All that’s required on our end is simply granting the
Creative Cloud seat access to the system assets for
their production.”
The G-Men installation, handled by Key Code
Media, is based on the recommended Adobe
configuration described at the beginning of this
article. The setup includes four Supermicro
1U rack-mounted SuperServers. Three of these
operate as the Adobe Anywhere Mercury
Streaming Engines and the fourth acts as the
Adobe Anywhere Collaboration Hub. Each of the
Mercury Streaming Engines has its own individual
NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPU card. The servers are
connected to a Facilis TerraBlock shared storage
array via a 10 GbE switch. Their Internet feed is via
a fiber optic connection, typically operating at 500
Mb/s (down) and 150 Mb/s (up). G-Men has used
the system on every project since it went live in
August of 2013. Noteworthy was its use for post on
Savageland, the first feature film run through an
Adobe Anywhere system.
Way continues, “Savageland ended up being
a unique situation and the ultimate test of the
system’s capabilities. Savageland was filmed over
three years with various forms of media, from
iPhone and GoPro footage to R3D raw and Canon
5D. It was really a matter of what the directors/
producers could get their hands on from day to
day. After ingesting the assets into our system,
we were able to see a fluid transition straight into
editing without having to transcode media assets.
One of the selling factors was how the system
allowed all of the directors and editors (who lived
large distances from each other in Los Angeles) to
work at their convenience.
“For most of our clients, the system has allowed
them to bring on the editorial talent they want
without having to worry about the location of the
editor. At the same time, the editors enjoyed the
Adobe offers a white paper that explains the necessary hardware configuration for an Adobe Anywhere installation.
7. creativeplanetnetwork.com/dv | 07.2014
flexibility of working from wherever they wanted—many times out of their
own homes. The benefit for editors and directors is the capability to remotely
collaborate and provide feedback immediately. We’ve had a few productions
where there is more than one editor working on the same assets—both
creating different versions of the same edit. At the same time we had a director
viewing the changes immediately after they were shared, with notes on each
version. Then they had the ability to immediately make a decision on one or
the other or provide creative feedback so the editors could apply the changes
in real time.”
G-Men is currently in production on the feature film Divine Access. Way
explains, “We’re currently in Austin, Texas, beginning principal photography.
Knowing the cloud-based editing workflows available to us, we wanted to
expand the benefits we are gaining in post to the entirety of a feature film
production—from first location scout to principal photography and all the way
through to delivery. We’re using our infrastructure to ingest and begin edits as
we shoot, which is really new and exciting to all of the producers working on
the film. With the upload speeds we have available to us, we are able to provide
review/approvals to our director the same day.” dv
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From the Adobe Anywhere white paper
G-Men Media’s Adobe Anywhere hardware
installation fits into a single rack in their server closet.
