Shoot, Share, Edit, Retake, Perfect – On Set, in Real Time

Maybe this is happening to you: You’re talking with a friend, and learn of yet another new TV show, from yet another online media source, that sounds really interesting – and it’s the third time it’s happened that week. Unmistakably, the media and entertainment industry is developing content at a much quicker pace than ever. No longer does it take three, four or five years to make a movie and screen it in the big theaters. Now, the content cadence is vastly condensed, with new streaming titles coming out multiple times a year.

How can we do that better, to match the content cadence? Here’s my take: By streamlining the media production process. It’s a long story, with multiple angles, which I will delve into further in upcoming posts.

One challenge is the matter of conducting real-time reviews of movies or shows that are being produced, often in remote locations. This means being able to take multiple shots, redo scenes and get to a much higher quality in a very short period.

The way to get there is with collaborative tools that use the power of the cloud, directly and on site, so that you can naturally connect with your remote teams: Cloud-based collaboration in HD, in real time and in true form. It’s an invaluable way to produce, review, markup and edit content directly on the screen. (Click here to see Jerry Bruckheimer’s views on the matter.)

The best content collaboration tools are available directly on set for producers and directors to work with their teams, all over the world — to review dailies and mark up that content, right there on set. No longer do you have to film the material, lug it back to the office, review it, and edit it, after the fact. With collaboration tools, content creators can look at their B-roll directly, in real time, the same day it’s created.

This is the technology that’s helping to bring new content to the mainstream so very quickly. Creators are filming and reviewing content at a much faster pace, which is what allows them to move it to whichever streaming application within days, weeks or months – not years. This also reduces complexities, because no longer does a director need to build out large networks in remote locations. Instead, collaboration applications are connected directly to the internet.

Cisco’s collaboration tools are already in use today in the media and entertainment industry – click here to learn more about it. With the Cisco DX80, WebEx platform and the room kit series, creatives can invent more productions, more content and more value – in (far) less time. Cisco produces both the software and the hardware you need to communicate, through messaging, meetings and whiteboarding. All while working with 4K, high frame rate content, in its native form.