Reprinted from a Microsoft press release:
REDMOND, Wash., and SANTA MONICA, Calif. – May 22, 2002 – Microsoft Corp. and Sample Digital Inc. today announced that Sample Digital’s Digital Dailies application powered by Microsoft Windows Media Video and Digital Rights Management was used for the first time on a major studio film production. “Sniper II,” an upcoming release from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, used Sample Digital’s Digital Dailies solution to significantly streamline the film production process. By using Windows Media Video, Digital Dailies makes it quick, easy and inexpensive for film and television directors, producers, and studio executives to review and collaborate around the world on time-sensitive “dailies” – footage of the latest day’s shooting – via the Internet and other delivery options.
Earlier this year, “Sniper II” became the first major studio production to use Sample Digital’s Digital Dailies solution during production in Budapest, Hungary. Los Angeles-based executives viewed “Sniper II” Digital Dailies in Windows Media Video on PCs, streamlining the process of reviewing daily rushes by up to 75 percent, saving precious time and money for the filmmakers of “Sniper II.”
Dailies are an integral part of the filmmaking, television and commercial production process. Traditionally, videotape dailies are duplicated and shipped out via messenger and/or airborne delivery, can cost many thousands of dollars per project, and usually lag behind shooting by at least a day. Such delays can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to reshoot costs. Traditional dailies often lack usable time code, simple audio and advanced metadata. As a result, the creative decision-making process becomes difficult and time consuming for all involved. Using Windows Media Video and Digital Rights Management technology combined with broadband Internet connections, Digital Dailies fundamentally transforms the film production process by encoding in real time to Windows Media Video and distributing the content across IP networks.
Sample Digital’s Digital Dailies includes a feature called clip collaboration that allows creative professionals to review dailies and enter comments tied to a particular clip, and then share with editors or directors on location or in editing facilities. The clip collaboration feature also reduces the likelihood of reshoots caused by lag time between shoot and review. Digital Dailies includes user authentication and Microsoft Windows Media Digital Rights Management to prevent unauthorized access to unreleased movie or television content as it travels across public networks such as the Internet.
