Scratch PrePost System

[Michael Carn]

Hello Luki,

We are considering the Scratch PrePost System for several features for use in on set processing and logging.

I'm aware of Scratch's capabilities in delivering dailies, transcoding, applying LUT's. I'm hoping you could elaborate on the advantages it offers with data management.

We would be looking to enter all the footage on set, transcode to offline (can Scratch transcode to Prores?) then bring the EDL back for conform for a DPX out.

Could you please outline what Scratch offers as a data management tool? The advantages of using Scratch as a data management tool in this pipeline as opposed to a management of folder directories etc. or other data management systems.

I'm looking to sell this pipeline to the producers.

thank you,

Michael

[Mathew Mackereth]

I also would be very keen to know the above,

particularly;

a) can scratch Prepost be used by DIT/data wrangler to log, check and do prelim looks on set and save this metadata back to the R3D files (or make copies of the modified .R3D files)

b) after the wrap could it push out to something like digibeta or HDcam for dailies screening with metadata/TC burn-in?

or are there any other viable logging/ dailies workflows with red?

[Lucas Wilson]

... a) can scratch Prepost be used by DIT/data wrangler to log, check and do prelim looks on set and save this metadata back to the R3D files (or make copies of the modified .R3D files)

SCRATCH can certainly be used by DIT/Data Wrangler for log, check, prelim looks. But the only device that writes R3D files is the camera.


b) after the wrap could it push out to something like digibeta or HDcam for dailies screening with metadata/TC burn-in?

Yes. We have many customers doing that right now.


...I'm hoping you could elaborate on the advantages it offers with data management. ... We would be looking to enter all the footage on set, transcode to offline (can Scratch transcode to Prores?) then bring the EDL back for conform for a DPX out. ... Could you please outline what Scratch offers as a data management tool? The advantages of using Scratch as a data management tool in this pipeline as opposed to a management of folder directories etc. or other data management systems.

Probably SCRATCH's biggest single advantage in a datacentric workflow is its data management capability. There is an extensive background XML engine that acts as both a data repository and can be used as a push engine to perform unattended sessions within SCRATCH.

Let me give an example...

Digital Domain in Los Angeles is a big customer of ours, and they own multiple SCRATCH systems as part of their dailies and review infrastructure. When any artist on the Features' side of DD has completed a shot, they will open up an HTML-based internal tool that DD built called "SCRATCHtools." They will input a bunch of information into that web page and click "check in." At that moment, a SCRATCH XML command is generated and sent to the appropriate system for that particular Feature. That XML command will typically instruct SCRATCH to pull frames from the artist's workstation to the appropriate storage pool, put it into a SCRATCH project and into the timeline at the appropriate place complete with editorial information and that artist's comments. This background XML engine is used in some capacity for automated dailies and/or conform at CinesiteUK, Laser Pacific, EFilm, Cineworks, PostworksNY, Acht!, Oriental Post, Encore Hollywood, and many other facilities worldwide.

In addition to this input method, there is also an XML export from SCRATCH that details every bit of metadata within a project. This includes R3D files and the itinerant metadata within them. If you parse through this XML file, you can interface it with any back-end database you choose.


I'm looking to sell this pipeline to the producers.

Michael,

Contact me offlist and I will hook you up with some customers that can also talk about it at length.

Best,

Lucas
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ASSIMILATE, Inc.
LA, CA, USA