dock10 Embraces Avid Managed Systems for Media Production

When people think of managed systems and cloud-based software, film and TV production is not typically one of the things that come to mind. But Avid, whose software is responsible for putting together most TV shows and movies, is making a major push with its Avid Everywhere vision.

dock10, a media service provider whose clients include the BBC and other independent studios, has deployed Avid Everywhere via Avid MediaCentral at MediaCityUK, a post-production facility.

“Avid Everywhere is allowing us to take dock10 to the next phase of our strategic growth plan," Paul Clennell, CTO of dock10 and a member of the Avid Customer Association, said. "With Avid Everywhere, we can greatly extend the reach of our business by collaborating with geographically dispersed teams, all working in real time on projects housed in our highly resilient, secure, and protected space at MediaCityUK. Avid's continued innovation and the adaptability of the MediaCentral Platform allow us to take advantage of exciting new growth opportunities, while laying the groundwork for future workflows and technologies."

The workflow is based on the Avid MediaCentral Platform, which provides tools from production through post-production to distribution, including the editing software that has made the company famous. It’s possible for people to do work remotely, even on tablets. An editor can make some quick changes while waiting for a plane. Avid Everywhere is the company’s plan to implement an integrated collaboration program for media production.

MediaCentral is divided into three parts, tied to the major stages of production: Artist Suite, Media Suite and Storage Suite. Artist Suite includes the major audio and video production software, including Pro Tools and Media Composer. Media Suite includes tools like iNEWS newsroom management and Interplay asset management. Storage Suite encompasses ISIS online and shared storage, the Airspeed media server and FastBreak broadcast automation program.

While media production might seem awkward to implement in a cloud-based solution, it’s actually a natural fit. A film production, even a small one, requires close, tight collaboration among producers, directors, camera operators, cinematographers, costume designers and editors, among others.

A centralized workflow management tool like Avid’s makes it much more likely for a production team to get a good result.

The convenience of cloud-based media production has already prompted Adobe (News - Alert) to offer its Creative Cloud and actually move away from selling individual copies of major programs like Photoshop.