Project Management -- Please help

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Jonesy Jones

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Project Management -- Please help

PostSat Jun 23, 2018 7:21 pm

Soooo... I am converting from Premiere to Resolve. I have tried this before but I run into the exact same problem the moment I open Resolve.

I understand the database. I guess I just don't like it. Or maybe there is something I don't know and you can help me.

With Premiere, I'm used to using a separate hard drive for each project/client. On that hard drive, the Premiere project file (and all the assets) for each project are stored nice and tidy. That hard drive can then be moved between several computers and I just navigate to the project file and it opens and works flawlessly.

How would I do this with Resolve? It is my understanding that I can export a .drp file. However that is so clunky. Basically, I have to repeat this action at the end of each editing session, and I guess delete the previous drp file each time? Also, do I have to save in a particular folder? When I open on another computer, will it know where the assets are?

Also, I don't love the idea of opening Resolve and seeing a long list of the last 100 projects I worked on. I guess I can make folders.

I'm really excited to dig into Resolve, but this project management thing is frustrating for me.
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Marc Wielage

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Re: Project Management -- Please help

PostSun Jun 24, 2018 3:13 am

Well, this is kind of a philosophical/operational thing. You could "in theory" create a new database for every client, then have only the projects for that client listed in that particular database. I personally think it would be very complex and involved to have one hard drive per project (or per client), and if you're doing over 100 projects a year spread out for 30 or 40 clients, it could get very impractical. Even worse for facilities doing literally hundreds of features, shows, promos, and commercials every year, spread out over multiple editors & colorists.

The source files can live anywhere provided you can relink them when you move the session. If the drive name does not change, Resolve should automatically find the files without any problem.

Are you doing this under one roof, or are you going to different facilities, or are you working at home and also in an office? I can think of different workflows for each different situation. The key to me is to make sure the project file (DRP) is being updated wherever you go, so at any location, they still have the current version available. There are various syncing utilities that can facilitate this.

If I have to work in my own office, then go to a client's facility, then go to (say) a theater for final review, I would just manually bring along a DRP and update it by hand, then give it a new date and version number so I know what it is. The DRP file can contain a bunch of stuff (including stills and LUTs), so it can get pretty large in some cases.

Chapter 2 in the manual ("Managing Projects and Databases") starting on p. 45 goes into all this in great detail.
marc wielage, csi • VP/color & workflow • chroma | hollywood
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Jim Simon

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Re: Project Management -- Please help

PostSun Jun 24, 2018 1:41 pm

I had to change my own work flow when I switched to Resolve. I would suggest you consider doing the same.

For starters, even with Premiere Pro I recommend using only internal drives. Externals are for backup and archiving only. So start by adding a few drives to your edit workstation.

System
Projects
Media
Optimized Media/Cache
Exports

The Databases would go on the Project drive. I create several. I have my own company, so that's one. I shoot (but don't edit) for two other companies using Blackmagic cameras. They each get their own Database where I process the RAW footage before delivering editable clips to the client. Finally I have a Database for Personal projects. (Kids, you know.)

Within a Database, I use folders for organization. I start by type, then by year, and sometimes then by client. So my current project is in a Stage folder (dance recital). I also have a Wedding folder, a Party folder, a Corporate folder, etc. Within that Stage folder are a 2017 and 2018 folders. Within that 2018 folder is a Client folder, as there are four separate recitals for this 'project'.

The point is, you can use Databases and Folders to make organizing very easy.

I have only one machine, so I prefer Local Databases. For working across several computers, you'll probably want an in-house server and a PostgreSQL Database.
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Jonesy Jones

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Re: Project Management -- Please help

PostSun Jun 24, 2018 6:51 pm

So first of all, thank you guys for your input. Much appreciated.

I think that multiple databases are the way to go. Having a separate database for each client and or on each hard drive is the way to go..... if I can get it to work.

So what I have done is removed the Resolve database folder from the Application Support folder. This forces Resolve to ask me to create a new database. I then choose a folder from my external hard drive, but then I get an error message and can no longer get Resolve to start, unless I replace the original Resolve database folder back into the Application support folder, thereby bringing me back to square 1.

Am I doing something wrong, or could this be a flaw with Resolve 15 being a beta still?

Btw, having a hard drive for each client is not cumbersome, in fact it is extremely tidy. I typically add it to the cost of the project, and if I do additional work for the same client we can use the same hard drive we used for them last time.

Also, multiple hard drives in a laptop is not really possible.

Consider this: I have at least 2 machines for editing with at least one being a laptop. I have many projects and several clients. I have several hard drives (and back ups) neatly organized so that I can open the project file and data for each project easily. I could also hand that project off to another editor. Or come back to a client and project 2 years later and know where everything is without blinking.

What if someone spilled a glass of wine on my closed MBP and fried it (like it just happened to me) and I lost all data on that machine. If I were using a local database centric system I'd be screwed (since the autosave is also on the same hard drive). In my case, I lost absolutely no client data. My $2000 MBP is toast, but the more valuable client data and assets were all right where I left them.

I just need to get the multiple database thing to work.
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John Paines

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Re: Project Management -- Please help

PostSun Jun 24, 2018 7:50 pm

Jonesy Jones wrote:I think that multiple databases are the way to go. Having a separate database for each client and or on each hard drive is the way to go..... if I can get it to work.

So what I have done is removed the Resolve database folder from the Application Support folder.


First of all, you can put as many dbs on a single drive as you want. BMD recommends your fastest disk, but any 7200 HD will likely be fine.

I don't know what exactly you mean by the "Application Support folder", but you shouldn't be deleting the Local Database, which resides in a subfolder of Program Data>Blackmagic Design, on the C drive, if that's what you're talking about (for a PC; the path will be different on a Mac).

A simple way to create new databases is to first create an empty folder, naming it the name of the eventual db, on the disk where you want that db to reside. Then go into the DB manager (rtfm, if this idea is new and original), select the "create" option (not relink), name the db (same name as the folder you already created, for simplicity), and browse to it as required and select. Then create. The system will do the rest.

Repeat the process for each DB you want to create, and switch among databases in the db manager.
Last edited by John Paines on Mon Jun 25, 2018 2:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Jim Simon

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Re: Project Management -- Please help

PostMon Jun 25, 2018 1:00 am

Jonesy Jones wrote:Also, multiple hard drives in a laptop is not really possible.


That, the horrible keyboards and the smaller screens are what makes Laptops wholly unsuitable for this job, I believe.

Build another desktop if you need a second machine.
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Jim Simon

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Re: Project Management -- Please help

PostMon Jun 25, 2018 1:02 am

Jonesy Jones wrote:What if someone spilled a glass of wine on my closed MBP and fried it (like it just happened to me) and I lost all data on that machine.


Databases can be backed up. I recommend Dropbox or something similar.
My Biases:

You NEED training.
You NEED a desktop.
You NEED a calibrated (non-computer) display.
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Peter Chamberlain

Blackmagic Design

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Re: Project Management -- Please help

PostMon Jun 25, 2018 1:10 am

Resolve is by design not like other apps. Please consider the core design and the benefits it brings. Successful for the biggest projects and indi features alike... for more than a decade.

Sounds like the laptop and desktop should both be connected to a Project Manager Server.. we have a free app for managing that. Both Resolve clients need to be Studio version but its he best way to manage multiple databases.
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