What is the deal with Media Management?

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GalinMcMahon

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  • Real Name: Galin McMahon

What is the deal with Media Management?

PostSat Nov 27, 2021 4:57 am

Tried archiving an ugly, messy project with Media Management. Copy failed instantly. I actually got transcode to work after a few tries.

So I went out and shot about 8 clips with my bmpcc. Put them into 1 folder. Didn't rename anything. Didn't use any stills. Tried the Copy method. Failed. Tried the Transcode method. Failed.

The copy method "would" take my 59.31 GB folder down to 6.55. Transcode "would" take it to 3.28.

I've been reading up on this in forums dating back to 2015. It is almost 2022. How can BM just ignore this problem? And does Premiere work for this? Because archiving at 1/20 the storage space is worth switching back.
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Marc Wielage

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Re: What is the deal with Media Management?

PostSat Nov 27, 2021 5:15 am

GalinMcMahon wrote:Tried archiving an ugly, messy project with Media Management. Copy failed instantly. I actually got transcode to work after a few tries. So I went out and shot about 8 clips with my bmpcc. Put them into 1 folder. Didn't rename anything. Didn't use any stills. Tried the Copy method. Failed. Tried the Transcode method. Failed.

What specific source media are you using (codec, raw, etc.)? Are there any graphics involved? Any Fusion compositions?

I've had "straight vanilla" sessions conform just fine, but the moment I mix in graphics (TIFF, PNG, JPG) or non-timecoded media (H.264, etc.), it can and will blow up. If I transcode the graphics to something like ProRes 444 (like a render-in-place), it's all fine. Audio -- especially if it's missing, lacks timecode, or has filename conflicts -- and also be a headache. Speed changes (slo-mo / freezes / reverses) can lead to trouble.

I've generally had better luck with a "whole copy" Media Management (no trimming), but trims can work. We had a very complex project earlier this year with 10 x 1-hour shows, and the source drives were all 10TB. Each show managed down to about 1TB... and there was enough room leftover for a deliverable copy. So it can work, plus it relinked instantly and reliably. Once the management is done, I reload the session and check it thoroughly, and if there's some bumps in the road, I pound on it with a crowbar until the session is right. Some human intervention is almost always necessary.

Worst case scenario: you could try Nikolai Waldman's utility Resolve Collect, which is a standalone app that will basically do what Media Management does and at least save a copy of the project elsewhere. You still have to manually relink it and it won't trim it, but it's a start.

https://www.niwa.nu/resolve-collect/

I'd like to see BMD incorporate better error reporting in Resolve Media Management, so if it does fail, it'll give you a detailed report as to WHY. And I'd also like to see it always completely finish the process, then pop up an error message that says, "Media Management is done, but encountered the following errors: X file missing, Y file missing, Z file timecode extants do not match," and so on, and give you the ability to save the error report as a text file that you could check. It does not help at all when it get 10% or 50% or 90% through and then just bomb out and say, "sorry, Media Management failed." I've punched large holes in walls over things like this.
marc wielage, csi • VP/color & workflow • chroma | hollywood

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