Cataloguing Footage – Advice Please

[David G. Burt]

I'm after advice on cataloguing footage, I've just recently entered in the videography field & my main interest is in Birds & Wildlife, I'm just starting to build up stock footage & now need some advice on the best way to catalogue the clips. Is there any software programs dedicated to this or would an excel spreadsheet or database be OK.

Thanks

[Don DesJardin]

This may help......

http://www.mediafiler.com

[Dale Guthormsen]

David,

you are going to have a lot of fun. I shoot the same with an emphesis on avians of all sorts.

You can use excel and build a spread sheet.

I keep it simple: I have a book and I ledger every tape in the book by date. I run through the tape and put an asterisk next to outstanding footage and I write down the time code for any change in subject and write in what it is about. It takes me about 1 page per tape in a 5x7 spirel notebook.

It is very simple and I can find any footage in a couple minutes.

I also bought mini tape holding boxes from b& H for 14 dollars each and they hold 50 tapes, so far that holds about a year of video footage, sometimes it takes a box and a half.

I write the date and which camera was used on each tape so they can be read from the holding box.

In book, the simplier the better.

[James Hooey]

Here's my two cents....please be kind :)

I re-use tapes when it comes to stock footage....new tapes for clients.

So for me it is imperative to archive my footage fairly quickly and have a easily accesible record of whats where. so.....

I personally archive clips to single layer DVDs (bit of a pain). Generally I rename filenames after capture to briefly describe the clip content. Then after collecting a bunch of stock footage I use Nero and burn as close to 4.2gig per DVD as I can fit. I take screenshoots of the file list in Nero and paste it into a form that I made in Paintshop Pro. I set Neros file details to show the filename and the size. I use sequential disc names like SPS001-002, etc labelled on the disc and as a title header for the screenshot of disc content. Generally I can fit between 2-5 discs of content per page of this archive list. Print...and there's your archive list in hard copy.

Probably not the best solution...but I find the actual process of DVD backup to be far more time intensive than the screenshot/paste side of things.

The largest drawback of this is that it is not searchable content so I think in the long run I should use a spreadsheet. However I can generally find my footage within 20-30 seconds with my methods.

BTW - media filer looks very nice

[Dale Guthormsen]

James,

there is nothing wrong with your system.

I would worry about a couple things. Mostly the compression to dvd may leave artifacts and it is never a s good as the original footage in my book.

If you order tapes in bulk from b&H they arer dirt cheap, no real need to copy over them.

I am curious, do you restrip the tape before reusing or do you just tape image over image??

Here at walmart sony premium tapes arre about 17 canadian dollars for two!! From b&h I pay about 3.25cn/tape, better than half price.

[James Hooey]

Dale,

DVD compression never came to mind.....hmmm...

Do you think it will be that big of factor? I have brought many clips and videos back from DVD to the computer for re-work and never noticed any issues yet either in HDV of SDDV. When I archive, I am saving the original M2T files or AVI's.

Honestly...I never knew until now that saving data to a DVD created any compression..I thought it was 1:1 data.

I do not restripe tapes...but always start at the beginning of them again to get a continuous time stripe so that end searches still work.

One reason I re-use tapes is up here in good ol Canada Sony HDV tapes retail for $20 each. It's still a cheap medium, but for stock footage....short 20sec clips for stock footage sites...I just don't justify the expense. For clients...it's always new tapes and kept on both tape and archived to DVD.

[Trond Saetre]

Originally Posted by James Hooey

When I archive, I am saving the original M2T files or AVI's.

Honestly...I never knew until now that saving data to a DVD created any compression..I thought it was 1:1 data.

You are right, when saving the original files as data files on a DVD, you will just have an exact copy of the original files. No compression of the files.

I believe Dale was talking about encoding a (video) DVD, and then you will degrade the quality as he describes.

[Dale Guthormsen]

Yes,
You are right, I was refering to encoding on dvd.

A friend has recomended to me to archive onto dvd and then store them at some one elses house.

Where I work I store everything from the server on hard drives, and once a week I change to a new drive. they are stored in a different location. to expensive for most of us to use that system.

[James Hooey]

Good to know I'm not shooting myself in the foot with DVD backup in the compression sense.

As for storing at someone else house....I'm guessing that is for reasons of loss due to fire/water damage just as an extra precaution?

[Dale Guthormsen]

James,

Yes, the idea was to protect from fire and water. Otrganization is everything if you actually keep footage for future use.

I still have not moved my arvhives to another place. I have no excuse anymore as I bought the house across the street for a guest house, I just need to walk them over there, maybe this weekend. I am athe worlds best procrastinator!