Archive
26-08-2003, 01:12 AM
" Backing Up Is Hard To Do ... "
Er, it isn't, actually. If you work or are going to work with nonlinear computers then "backing up" could be THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you will ever learn. Here's why. (If you already know all this then skip it)
A Dumb Machine?
That computer is a machine like any other. It doesn't think for itself. It does what you tell it to do, and when you turn off the power it stops. But unlike other machines, a computer does so many things so well that we often entrust to it our thoughts, ideas, our creativity for safekeeping. But one day it will, like any other machine, break down - and that's where problems start. Its important to understand how the computer looks after your creativity.
Saving the Day
When you create an edit, the computer creates a new "file" on the hard disk that will hold the set of instructions for the edit. Then you can add new shots, change bits, trim shots, try out a dissolve or two and then put it all back the way you had it in the first place. All these decisions are stored in the system's memory for fast access and ease of manipulation.
But if some idiot comes along and trips over the power cord, or you accidentally hit the reset button with your knee, all your recent work may be lost if not stored to some more permanent storage medium.
To save the changes, the computer copies the data from memory into a file on the hard disk, just as we tend to write things on a piece of paper as a safeguard against forgetting them later on.
Some programs save your work instantly, others save every few minutes or so, others don't save anything to disk unless you ask it to do so. Once saved, you can turn the computer off with impunity. When you want to resume work on the project, the computer refers to the last saved version on disk, and away you go.
But... Things Go Wrong.
If the disk on which your work is stored breaks down or individual files get corrupted - and despite what the brochure says, this will happen one
- day - you have very little chance of being able to get that work back. Or maybe, someone is looking at your cut while you're at lunch, accidently erases an audio track and turns the computer off ...
Such things won't happen often, but, One Day When You Least Expect It ... (When this occurs, some editors refer to a certain Major Bummer - whoever he was - who first discovered this disappointing phenomenon way back when.)
So ...
You MUST have a second copy - a backup - of your work, and this copy should be as up-to-date as possible. Note that if your computer saves your work automatically THIS IS NOT THE SAME THING AS A BACKUP!
How often?
How valuable is your work? Most editors backup twice a day, at lunch and last thing in the day. This means at worst you will have to repeat half a day's work. If you are not prepared to take that risk, do it more often; but bear in mind that on large projects it can sometimes take 15 - 20 minutes. And hey, if you don't mind redoing a whole week's work, then back-up once a week!
Where to?
Every brand of nonlinear machine has its own recommended backup medium and procedure. (See next article) This could be a to a floppy disk, optical disk, digital tape, another hard disk, or a "ZIP" drive.
The backup copy MUST exist on a physically different disk to where your work is normally stored. Be sure you understand the correct procedure for the facility you are using, including a way of verifying if the backup was correctly done.
Responsibility.
Yours and yours only. Don't leave it to your assistant. The day you need that backup disk will be the day your assistantc got called away early:- the night before ... And if you are an assistant, you could get a lot of mileage out of making a full backup of your own whenever you can, for when your editor has a momentary lapse of reason!
A Warning:
If one day you suspect that you have done something dreadfully wrong and the producer is coming in an hour to see the fine cut,
DO NOT BACKUP IN PANIC!
- By doing so you may copy a dud edit over your only hope of salvation! If you must backup in panic, then at least use a different disk/ tape/ optical disk, just in case. Then have a calm think about what you have done and try to work out whether you could get back what you have lost from your backup disk.
Notes:
1. Some editors take a copy of the backup home at night in case a bomb drops on the cutting room...
2. Always back up before doing something radical such as deleting a lot of stuff. One slip of the mou*[@>
3. If you haven't had a computer crash yet, its your turn very soon.
4. You can't fit much onto a floppy disk these days...
Matthew Tucker
Er, it isn't, actually. If you work or are going to work with nonlinear computers then "backing up" could be THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you will ever learn. Here's why. (If you already know all this then skip it)
A Dumb Machine?
That computer is a machine like any other. It doesn't think for itself. It does what you tell it to do, and when you turn off the power it stops. But unlike other machines, a computer does so many things so well that we often entrust to it our thoughts, ideas, our creativity for safekeeping. But one day it will, like any other machine, break down - and that's where problems start. Its important to understand how the computer looks after your creativity.
Saving the Day
When you create an edit, the computer creates a new "file" on the hard disk that will hold the set of instructions for the edit. Then you can add new shots, change bits, trim shots, try out a dissolve or two and then put it all back the way you had it in the first place. All these decisions are stored in the system's memory for fast access and ease of manipulation.
But if some idiot comes along and trips over the power cord, or you accidentally hit the reset button with your knee, all your recent work may be lost if not stored to some more permanent storage medium.
To save the changes, the computer copies the data from memory into a file on the hard disk, just as we tend to write things on a piece of paper as a safeguard against forgetting them later on.
Some programs save your work instantly, others save every few minutes or so, others don't save anything to disk unless you ask it to do so. Once saved, you can turn the computer off with impunity. When you want to resume work on the project, the computer refers to the last saved version on disk, and away you go.
But... Things Go Wrong.
If the disk on which your work is stored breaks down or individual files get corrupted - and despite what the brochure says, this will happen one
- day - you have very little chance of being able to get that work back. Or maybe, someone is looking at your cut while you're at lunch, accidently erases an audio track and turns the computer off ...
Such things won't happen often, but, One Day When You Least Expect It ... (When this occurs, some editors refer to a certain Major Bummer - whoever he was - who first discovered this disappointing phenomenon way back when.)
So ...
You MUST have a second copy - a backup - of your work, and this copy should be as up-to-date as possible. Note that if your computer saves your work automatically THIS IS NOT THE SAME THING AS A BACKUP!
How often?
How valuable is your work? Most editors backup twice a day, at lunch and last thing in the day. This means at worst you will have to repeat half a day's work. If you are not prepared to take that risk, do it more often; but bear in mind that on large projects it can sometimes take 15 - 20 minutes. And hey, if you don't mind redoing a whole week's work, then back-up once a week!
Where to?
Every brand of nonlinear machine has its own recommended backup medium and procedure. (See next article) This could be a to a floppy disk, optical disk, digital tape, another hard disk, or a "ZIP" drive.
The backup copy MUST exist on a physically different disk to where your work is normally stored. Be sure you understand the correct procedure for the facility you are using, including a way of verifying if the backup was correctly done.
Responsibility.
Yours and yours only. Don't leave it to your assistant. The day you need that backup disk will be the day your assistantc got called away early:- the night before ... And if you are an assistant, you could get a lot of mileage out of making a full backup of your own whenever you can, for when your editor has a momentary lapse of reason!
A Warning:
If one day you suspect that you have done something dreadfully wrong and the producer is coming in an hour to see the fine cut,
DO NOT BACKUP IN PANIC!
- By doing so you may copy a dud edit over your only hope of salvation! If you must backup in panic, then at least use a different disk/ tape/ optical disk, just in case. Then have a calm think about what you have done and try to work out whether you could get back what you have lost from your backup disk.
Notes:
1. Some editors take a copy of the backup home at night in case a bomb drops on the cutting room...
2. Always back up before doing something radical such as deleting a lot of stuff. One slip of the mou*[@>
3. If you haven't had a computer crash yet, its your turn very soon.
4. You can't fit much onto a floppy disk these days...
Matthew Tucker