Using Shared Storage for Media / Film Education. Avid NEXIS

College's and Universities offer some fantastic Film and Broadcast courses for students who want to break into the world of post production, as well as production.

To learn the art of production, direction and editing is a life long process. The question is what are they promoting as industry working standards so students can actually work in the industry they are so passionate about?

Example of a Media Lab

Collaboration is one of the key areas colleges and Universities need to concentrate on. In order to collaborate you need to have workflows and effective communication and this is both personally and technically. 

While you can teach personal communication skills without the need for technology you will need to address your technical infrastructure if you want your students to be able to work together collaboratively with the editing platform. But what does shared storage actually offer you in your day to day life of running your courses?

The Central Storage system

In their very basic forms Central storage systems for Non Linear Editing systems allow you to bring all your content together into a single location giving you greater management and control over the content. Systems such as the Avid NEXIS also give you control over your students and the way in which they access content and use it.

3 key advantages: 

1. Media volumes (Workspaces) are created to hold content that can be held in various protective states. These states protect media from both drive failures as well as preventing workspaces held in read only states from accidental media deletion. As well as only needing to held in a single location. The size of workspavces can also be changed (up or down) at any time.
2. Users can be grouped together to give them access to only nominated workspaces or individuals can be given explicit access to nominated volumes.
3. Workflows can be implemented such that the students project media is held in a single location preventing accidental loss of 'pocket drive' media. 

Cross platform use and workflows

Tutors

Managing your students projects with pocket drives is a logistical nightmare. Ensuring their rushes are backed up and held in secure locations is almost impossible to ensure. With shared storage at the centre of your class you can start to ease your workload as well as ensure your students adhere to common industry working standards.  

1. Easily share example projects that you want students to follow on a read only workspace. No need to copy footage and projects to multiple drives and hand these out. Copy once and keep a tight control on your content and teachings.
2. Don't tie your students to dedicated workstations. With Media and Projects on the shared storage system they can work on any workstation! This also means you can move between platforms and OS versions with little hassle. 
3. Teach cross platform workflows and techniques that allow media and edits to move efficiently between various platforms such as Media Composer, ProTools, Resolve and Premiere Pro. A real world skill needed day to day in post productions.
4. Implement professional working standards by marking your students for their project management, layout and accuracy. Is their Sequence naming appropriate and all media available on online?

Cross platform collaboration is an essential skill

Students

For those wanting to get into Post Production leaving with a good understanding of current working standards mean they are more relevant to be hired by prospective employees.  

Get the right skill set so you can move your rushes from transport drive to shared storage, or move a locked edit's content from Avid Media Composer to Resolve and back while maintaining tight version control is a skill set that will get you work!

Workflows come is all shapes and sizes. What are you teaching?

In short, Shared Storage is fast becoming a necessity for both teaching environments and students where both can take advantages in both enriching the teaching environemtn as well as offering  a greater relevant experience for the student.

Now go get some shared storage!