PHILIP SPIEGEL - DAM Ideas

Gear and Loathing in Las Vegas

In the dizzying haze of bright desert sunlight and then equally bright darkness of neon and flashing lights broadcasting, production and post production professionals gathered to see what the latest offerings were on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

Skimming across the enormous convention floors at NAB2010 like a stone skipping across a vast body of water I realized that my best bet for getting the most from my brief time would be to absorb what I can, ask questions when I can, get demos when I can and get my ID scanned as much as possible and otherwise hope for the best.

"I want to say one word to you...just one word."

"Yes sir"

"Are you listening?"

"Yes, I am..."

"3-D"

It was immediately clear that 3-D was what this show was about.  It was the rage and the eye candy factor was potent....whether or not it is going to be a lasting medium to transform the viewing experience is yet to be determined, but do the demos look good? Absolutely!  Is there serious "wow factor?" Absolutely!  Besides the displays there were also support tools for the 3-D production / distribution workflow.  It's another piece in the simultaneous expansion and contraction of the industry.  the evolution from SD to HD, to digitial and file based workflows to maturation of web and mobile distribution opportunities...could this be the next step in the convergence that we were excited about not too many years ago?

I dunno.

Maybe.

If not, we're getting close.

It would have seemed natural for DAM'stas to congregate in the North Hall at the LVCC with most of the main DAM players located there but I was equally excited by a lot of the post production and content goodies on display on the two floors of the South Hall.  There was definitely more electricity in the air over there, the North Hall seemed a bit sedate.

DAM'stas should be happy to see that there was a rise in the collective consciousness of the importance of metadata in systems and the recognition that without good metadata you are really scre...er...challenged.  Metadata was HOT!  It was also interesting to see how quickly Avid had integrated Blue Order into thier workflow and their new found openness was refreshing.  I also liked LTO deck by FOR-A at the IBM booth and the products at the IPV booth.  Overall, practical solutions seemed to about and be within reach. Answers to challenges of capture, acquisition, ingest, post production, transcoding, distribution and archiving were all represented.

I left Las Vegas happy to have been able to attend, see some demos and new products as well as meet up with old and new friends. With my wallet a little lighter and hopped up on three extra strength tylenols I squinted behind my sunglasses as I taxied to the airport and back to the real world.

DAM Right(s)!

This week the DAM (Digital Asset Management) community is converging on the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard for this years DAM LA conference.  The show, produced by Henry Stewart Events, hopes to shed light on DAM issues from where to start a DAM to the latest developments in technology, workflow and process.  I’ve attended and participated in this event in LA and other versions of this in Chicago and New York in previous years and it is an excellent way to get connected to the latest info and guidance on DAM initiatives….it’s a very informative couple of days.  

In a previous post, I opined about the state of Rights metadata management in the DAM world.  So, in reviewing the program I was pleased to see that there is a session titled, “Latest Developments in Rights Management,” being moderated by Dan McGraw from Seven Dials Media (and the host of the DAM SHOW podcast) with Linda Burman from LA Burman Associates as one of the panelists along with Skiff Wager from SEW Consulting and Cheryl Besenjak of cbRights Consulting.

 

Following the NY DAM Show I felt that this topic didn’t get the respect and attention it deserved.  Is it getting it now?   Considering the session is again taking place in late afternoon timeslot on the second day…I have to wonder.   Of course, it could just be a matter of the scheduling challenges and the way the organizers plot out the arc of the sessions but I still think it would get more traction if it took place on the first day.    That aside, I asked Linda last week what her thoughts were on the state of rights and she said,

 

“I don’t think that the problem is that rights get no respect.  I think rights metadata is an extremely complex topic and companies are just beginning to grasp that they have to make some rights metadata available to users rather than having every piece of information locked up in the contract that is only available to royalty and permissions managers (and lawyers).”

 

I would agree with her point. I think content users, whether internal or external, need to have a succinct, consistent, distilled set of metadata that easily communicates the rights snapshot and helps them make the right decisions about content use without needing to interpret contracts on demand or wait on assistance for clearance.   Things move too fast and business / content decisions need to be made by those who own the responsibility for its re-use.  By doing this leg work in advance you add another layer of value and dexterity to the assets contained with your DAM.   

 

Digital Europe

The highlight of the AMIA conference for me and frankly, the most optimistic, was the outstanding presentation from Johan Oomen of the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.

 

The presentation did a great job outlining their digitization project, their mission, the workflow and the web portals for access into the collection.  The goal is clearly about the value returned by allowing direct access for the general public, commercial interests, educators, researchers, scholars, etc. to tap into their a/v holdings.  The approach is well-rounded, well-funded and well executed.  They have created mechanisms for the systematic ingest and cataloguing of A/V content and have also created visually simple, user-friendly web interfaces into the collection tailored to different markets and users needs.

 

It looks good, its forward thinking and its being productive….a model for us all.

 

Besides the look and feel of the portals I especially enjoyed the creative way of engaging the public to help with meta-tagging challenges.  They created a web game that assigned points based on speed, accuracy and whether the info was matched and assumed corroborated by other players. In a relatively short period of time they’ve gotten a large number of players adding data into the system.

 

Clearly, the Netherlands team is well ahead on the digital road and blazing a trail that we may be wise follow.   I hope that large US based projects like the pending CPB American Archive project take a hard look at this execution for inspiration and guidance.

 

The theme throughout the conference and perfectly illustrated in this presentation is that IT’S ALL ABOUT ACCESS.   Access creates value, whether financial, educational or cultural, that can fuel the overall effort and be the justification.   You need to have a good reason WHY and they do….do we?

Five Easy Pieces...

are the basics of what it takes to get on the road to righteousness with a media archive / DAM / MAM initiative.  I've outlined five oversimplified but distinct aspects for you to consider (in no particular order).

Archive

The physical asset triage and prep begins the process.  Identify the scope of your physical asset world, create an inventory of all material in all locations, condition, duplications, etc. and diagnose the prioritization based on a multitude of factors including (but not limited to) the asset's physical condition, value, relevance of the content contained on media (be it historical, academic or commercial), marketability, usability and level of content interest.  Lastly, don't forget to factor in the overall rights status of the materials (see previous post, "What About the Content?").

Rights

In many cases this is a critical and often overlooked aspect of the Archive to DAM exercise (see previous post, "You Have the Right To...").  It's important to define the state of the rights for the content in the Archive and DAM environment.  This has to happen in tandem with the archive triage process. The overall prioritization has to factor in the rights of efforts could be wasted on processing content thru the workflow that can't be used.  The rights metadata defines how, when and who may use the content once in the digital system.  This information should be as simple and standardized as possible for the end users to understand and work with content without much wiggle room for personal interpretation of the available rights.  If the digitization efforts are driven primarily by preservation efforts then greater weight will be put on the archive and collection management issues but the rights will still play a part in the overall evaluation.

Metadata

A method for applying succinct yet detailed metadata in a controlled and consistent manner is needed. The goal should be to describe and categorize key aspects of the content (at tape,segment or clip level) beyond the asset or rights specific data...what is the content about and what is its "about-ness?"

Key aspects to consider include who, when and how will metadata be entered and how will it be governed.  You will also need to consider defining a metadata structure, language, style, taxonomy and look to adapt and comply with standards as necessary.  I've gone into further detail on this topic in previous posts including, "Defining a Metadata Strategy." "But What About the Exceptions?" and recently, "It's About the DAM Data."

IT / Technology

A media archive DAM project will have an IT / Technology component but DAM projects should not be exclusively theirs.  IT and Technology support specialties encompass system storage and file management, network and infrastructure, security and access, broadcast systems and equipment support as well as general equipment support.  Additionally, these will be the needed points of contact for access and integration within the overall corporate enterprise network.

Good storage and systems management are the backbone of a successful DAM. It doesn't matter how well the files are digitized, how they are cataloged or how many different iterations have been transcoded...if it's ultimately not practical to move files around or out of the system in a timely, consistent and reliable way users will not look to rely on this resource.  In a perfect world the complexities and nuances of the infrastructure need to remain invisible.  When you turn on the tap you shouldn't need to think about the water flowing got there.

Staff

This may seem obvious, but you need to get the right people.  There are different tracks of expertise connected to getting this right. You need to have one person who is the point of contact and focus, to organize, direct, evangelize and ultimately "own" the project.

In some cases, it may make sense to outsource this effort or parts of it, in may also make sense to bring in targeted contract help.  A lot of skills and resources needed may be outside of the companies core competency and be better served by others who do nothing but this.  Either way, the point is to find the right mix of talent then empower and support them to get it done and be focused on the right tasks, "You play the piano all day and jump on a horse...you could get cramps."

 

It's About the DAM Data

I've had a number of conversations recently about the importance of metadata to a DAM system and frankly , I think it' all about the metadata.  It's not the sexy part of the process and may not get the attention it deserves...but it's critical and will either sink or swim a project.

I can understand that the nuts and bolts of a data model may not hold the same level of excitement to senior management as the "WOW FACTOR: of a new technology, or the content or GUI's but the value of the DAM will rest on the success of the metadata model, the type of metadata captured, by who and when, etc.

So why is it so important?

Let's think about a basic media workflow.  Content is captured or created, digitized (or born digital), added to a DAM, used in a production cycle and then archived.  Without a structured data model there is no way to efficiently use this content beyond these immediate needs.  Information is entered on an as-need basis in whatever way makes sense for that individual at that time with no stake in the future of the asset.  The accuracy, consistency and completeness of the record is unknown.  After the project is completed there is no way to assure that the records archived are search-able for re-use within the enterprise AND if search-able there is no guarantee to the value or completeness of the search returns.  I won't get it to the rights implications here but obviously that would be an issue as well.

A good data model needs to be an important and early part of a DAM design process.  It needs to be streamlined, structured and governed so that there is controlled consistency to the data and that the attributes are keyed to the needs of the users.  Ultimately, the data model should include information across different functions and parts of the asset life-cycle including:

• Capture and Creation specific data
• Asset inventory data (ie. info re: physical and digital asset, formats, locations, filenames, etc)
• Production cycle data
• Cataloging metadata to enhance search usage and assure rich, complete and consistent data about the about-ness for each asset. 
• Rights data including ownership, usage, restrictions, etc.
• Distribution data

The depth of information for any of these can vary as needed but the idea is that with this structure the archived assets within any DAM can be examined from a multitude of perspectives and purposed and bring value to the entire organization..beyond that first use.  Additionally, in a perfect world the DAM users should be able to pick and choose the data attributes from the data set available to them (via admin rules) that they choose to display and work with for their specific needs.

Building the structure, rules, style guidelines and attributes take some time and effort but ultimately pay off.  Look at how MLB.com is able to tap into the data rich aspects of baseball to enhance their products...it's about being smart with what you have and how you organize it.

Let's play ball and not discount the importance of the DAM data!