Tag: amazon

Overcast Industry Insights: The Evolution of Media Creation

Posted on by Fiona Ashe

Ever-increasing demand for content. Ineffective legacy technology. Remote
collaboration challenges. Difficulty scaling up. These are just some of the
big issues facing the media industry today.

MovieLabs
— a technology joint venture of the major Hollywood studios, including
Walt Disney Studios,
Universal Pictures,
Warner Bros,
Paramount Pictures
and
Sony Pictures
— says that our industry is at a crossroads. There is a time-critical need
for executives to become more aware of supporting the future of media
creation and to invest in it. So, they have written an
Urgent Memo to the C-Suite: Investing In Production Technology and
Cloud Centricity Is No Longer An Option — It is Table Stakes.

MovieLabs has already developed a roadmap to creating the next-generation
ecosystem for media creation. Its 2030 Vision describes technological
advances that will enable seismic changes in media workflows and proposes
ten foundational principles as keys to that future. MovieLabs published case
studies of technology solutions that fulfil one or more of those principles
from
AWS,
Skywalker Sound, Walt Disney Studios, Sony, PFT, Overcast and
ProductionPro. Overcast provides Full Stack Video Management that radically improves
cloud production and post-production workflows through automation and
simplification.

This article delves into the trends and strategic imperatives outlined in
MovieLabs’ Urgent Memo to the C Suite and reveals how the Cloud MAM
solution that Overcast designed for Britain’s
Royal Opera House
fulfills those strategic imperatives.

Firstly, let’s take a look at the five key trends that MovieLabs identifies
as having a significant impact on media creation and that underpin the need
for commitment, support and investment in cloud-centric production
technologies and secure, interoperable workflows.

Trend 1: There is a growing urgency for scaled high-quality global
content production.

Traditionally, Hollywood content was distributed in overseas territories.
However, streamers have tapped into a growing appetite amongst viewers for
local language and local cultural content. Such content is created by local
production companies, but the streamers’ workflows and quality requirements
are foreign to many of these companies, which creates problems.

Trend 2: As release windows are evolving, distribution models are no
longer one size fits all.

The success of a movie used to hinge on its opening weekend box office.
However, the pandemic ushered in a new era of hybrid release strategies,
such as ‘day-and-date’ (where a film is simultaneously released in cinemas
and on streaming platforms), shorter exclusive theatrical runs, and
direct-to-consumer distribution. These have a major impact on production,
post production and delivery supply chains.

Trend 3: Productions are becoming more complex — what we did in the past
won’t work in the future.

With a wealth of cameras, creative tools and new production processes (such
as virtual production), film/TV/video production is becoming more complex.
We’re in a new era of “snowflake workflows”, whereby technological and
creative innovations make each workflow unique…like the individual shape of
a snowflake. While this is fantastic for content creators, the increasing
complexity of workflows coupled with the challenges of global distribution
and teams working remotely means that current practices just won’t and can’t
scale.

Trend 4: Connected, creative remote collaboration has become the new normal,
and it’s here to stay.

The pandemic was a baptism of fire for film, TV and video teams who were
accustomed to collaborating in purpose-built spaces but were suddenly thrust
into a situation where they had to work from home and collaborate virtually.
But, despite the initial shockwaves, it has turned out to be a positive
change. Creatives have more flexibility in where to work and this production
style will drive efficiency. Cloud-enabled collaboration tools will be the
key to scaling global productions.

Trend 5: Technology is evolving extremely fast, and the vendor landscape is
being disrupted.

An increasingly-connected production ecosystem is migrating to the cloud
while traditional methods of post production are consolidating and
contracting. Virtual production technologies and the democratization of
tools have created new “pop up” services, thus disrupting the vendor
landscape. Cheaper cloud-based business models are enabling new start ups to
avoid the enormous capital expenditure required in years gone by and
facilitates the ‘rental’ of tools, tech and talent as needed.

How is media creation evolving?

How is media creation evolving?

The future of content creation is full of exciting opportunities! But,
according to MovieLabs’ Urgent Memo to the C-Suite:

“We must design, create and implement a future-facing technical
pipeline to address the real challenges and opportunities to produce
content at quality, scale and across production locations and global
markets.”

So, back to the MovieLabs 2030 Vision. As we move towards realizing it,
there are three strategic imperatives that underpin the operational,
financial and strategic planning at all media organizations. Let’s unpack
them and examine how Overcast’s Cloud MAM solution for the Royal Opera House
(ROH) fulfill those imperatives.

1. Planning a multi-cloud strategy

Moving to the cloud is the foundation of achieving media creation at scale.
Benefits include almost unlimited storage and computer resources, a
pay-as-you-go business model, and a creative collaboration environment that
eliminates the unnecessary duplication of media assets. This “single source
of truth” principle is central to Overcast’s media management platform.

But MovieLabs deems that cloud is not enough anymore. It’s time to move to
‘multi-cloud’ (multiple vendors and a vast number of interconnected tools
and workflows). This is essential to complex content creation at scale and
the ability to pivot creative and distribution strategies and choices.

One of the foundational principles of MovieLabs’ 2030 Vision states that
assets go to the cloud and stay there, with applications coming to the
media. Today’s workflows span multiple facilities and move assets between
organizations and public/private clouds. To benefit from scalability, speed
and flexibility in a multi-cloud world, studios must collaborate with
industry stakeholders — including cloud providers — to create open
interfaces that connect silos.

Overcast enabled ROH to adopt a cloud-first strategy, which has delivered
more efficient ways of working: reviewing live rehearsals in real-time
remotely; automatically time-coding editorial reviews and approvals for ease
of decision-making; providing secure role-based permissions for freelancers
and ad-hoc users; and the integration or phased shuttering of legacy
on-premise technology solutions.

Through Overcast’s Cloud MAM solution, ROH created a single repository for
video content across all of its constituencies (the Royal Opera House, The
Royal Ballet and the ROH Orchestra). All of the ROH editors and producers
work from that single repository and can stream content to both internal and
external audiences by publishing links to it. A major advantage is that the
system is easy to use for non-technical collaborators (dancers, singers,
clients, sponsors).

2. Adopting a new approach to security

Erecting a fence and installing CCTV at your premises is a logical approach
to security…except if all of your content is hosted in the cloud by third
parties. So, how do we protect cloud-native workflows? We need a new
security mindset.

Overcast’s Cloud MAM enables ROH to give authorized users searchable access
to their library of assets and the ability to share retrieved content by
emailing links to other authorized users, such as dance notation experts who
work all over the world. The ability to share assets securely has enabled
new remote workflows that save on in-person or travel costs.

3. Enabling flexible workflows with increased automation and
interoperability

Time is of the essence when turning around creative projects. But precious
time can be wasted if your teams’ remote collaboration isn’t optimal.
Production workflows must become more flexible, extensible and easier to
assemble.

Automating simple tasks saves production oodles of time. Overcast has
integrated AWS AI tools such as Transcribe, Translate, and Recognition for
metadata tagging and subsequent search and retrieval. In its Cloud MAM for
ROH, these tools automate metadata tagging for bulk ingest, including
tagging of musical scores, leading players, and video attributes, freeing up
editors from these mundane tasks and allowing them instead to weave their
creative magic into the edit.

Future-proofing media management

Overcast believes that managing video files should be as easy as managing a
Word document. Its cloud native Full Stack Video Management is simple to
use, secure, and empowers teams to make, share and publish more content,
faster. Overcast echoes MovieLab’s call for commitment, support and
investment by C-Suite executives and also its vision of a studio and
industry ecosystem that will more readily enable future content forms and
business opportunities.

Get a free demo

Whatever challenges you are having with managing your media projects,
especially video, Overcast can improve your workflow and save you time and
money. We would be delighted to give you a free demo of our platform.
Click here to request a demo.

The Rise of the Creator Economy

Posted on by Fiona Ashe

Lights, camera —> anyone!

There was a time when the phrase “Lights, Camera, Action” was only heard within the exclusive walls of Hollywood studios. Not so these days! 

The past two decades have seen the rise of the Creator Economy…the lowering of technological barriers facilitates anyone to generate an income through delivering content to an audience.

Social media enables access to audiences without the need to go through a broadcaster or publisher. But creators need access to technological tools to streamline the process of making fab content.

Evolution of the Creator Economy

According to Medium.com’s article ‘Evolution of the Creator Economy’, this progression follows a pattern that’s evident in any given creative industry: 

  • Creator Era — top-down tools emerge to support a much larger market of creators and disrupt many of the businesses of the prior eras, e.g. Adobe, Shopify, YouTube.
  • Pioneer Era — first-movers create their own technologies, e.g. Pixar, Amazon, Zynga;
  • Engineering Era — bottoms-up tools and middleware emerge to support overwhelmed engineering teams, e.g. Ruby on Rails, Stripe;
Source: Silverwood Partners’ Media Technology: Strategic Industry Analysis 2022

Prosumer technologies take centre stage

Enabling “prosumer” technologies are a key symbol of the Creator Era. Musicians are expected to expand beyond streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music to technologies that drive discovery on those platforms and empower them to connect with their fans. 

We are also seeing a convergence of podcasts and videos; for example, OffCamera with Sam Jones, which records interviews with filmmakers then releases the audio as a podcast and the black-and-white video footage as an online TV show.

According to Bloomberg, YouTube is reaching out to podcasters and podcast networks, offering “grants” of up to $50,000 to individual shows and $200,000 and $300,000 to podcast networks to entice them to create video versions of their shows. 

Silverwood Partners’ Media Technology: Strategic Industry Analysis 2022 says YouTube’s decision to effectively fund podcasters’ adoption of video serves to validate a wider-industry trend: video will pervade all aspects of entertainment.

Tap into the Creator Economy

If you’d like to tap into the opportunities the Creator Economy offers, please reach out to us for a free demo of our video management platform. 

Trends in the Acceleration of Video Management Technology

Posted on by Fiona Ashe

Trends in Media Technology

Are digital natives planning to take over the world? You may well think so if you look at the media technology industry, where trends support an increasingly digital-native economy, as outlined in Silverwood Partners’ Media Technology: Strategic Industry Analysis 2022.

Video Production in a Remote Working Era

The COVID pandemic jump-started an era of mass remote working, which meant that content creators — who rely on collaborative processes — struggled with video management: searching for clips, reviews and approvals, tracking assets, transcoding, etc. This accelerated technological innovation…as tech companies raced to meet the needs of a broad range of video creators and media companies. 

The Streaming Wars


The confinement of people to their homes led to another disruptive influence: audience numbers for streaming content skyrocketed. En masse, viewers cut the cord with traditional broadcasters and turned their eyeballs to Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Hulu and other streamers.

Upsurge in Video Marketing

Throughout 2021 the demand for content seeped into almost every industry and, in response, the creator economy became more sophisticated.

We’ve seen a significant increase in recent years in the numbers of digital-native ‘influencers’ and professional video creators as they build their personal brand through video. Add to that the rise and rise of video marketing among enterprises, and you get the picture: technology had to ‘fly fast’.

So, it was time to wave goodbye to video files stored on hard drives and face-to-face teamwork —  it was time to embrace the cloud! Remote collaboration became a reality and will need to be a key part of enterprise strategy going forward.

Video Technology Innovation

Top-tier broadcasters and OTT providers require innovative media technology to differentiate themselves and fight for market share. The battle of the streamers is red hot after Netflix recently announced that it lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022 and expects to lose two million more in the second quarter. 

Enterprises and video creators are also operating in a very competitive environment. Broadcast-grade technology such as Overcast’s video management platform — which facilitates effortless collaboration and an efficient workflow — will be essential to their survival.

Request A Demo


We’d be delighted to give you a demo of our platform — please click here to request one.

Zahra – a case study

Posted on by Overcast HQ

The following is a brief introduction to our Zahra Case Study which can be viewed in full below.

Zahra is a full-service content agency with owned media in the Food and Parenting verticals. Their mission is to connect brands with audiences through the creation and distribution of purposeful content.

“The review and approval process within Overcast has made it a lot clearer for everyone who is working on the project: clients, videographer, our team. It’s so helpful being able to compare older to newer versions side-by-side using timecodes.” 

— Alan Breslin, Production Coordinator, Zahra Media Group.

The Challenge 

“Content was stored in multiple locations which meant that things were difficult to find. This wasted SO MUCH TIME. It made collaboration (within the team and with clients) difficult because so much time would be spent trying to transfer enormous files. 

— Gina Miltiadou, Managing Director, Zahra Media Group

We needed a space that we could use internally and have versions 1, 2, 3 — and a place for continuing versions to be easily accessed by clients. If we are in a V3 stage and they decide if we want to use something from V1, we need to be able to access it.

— Alan Breslin, Production Coordinator, Zahra Media Group.

The Solution 

Overcast was able to help them with their folder management and metadata taxonomy. Then we trained up the various teams — client services, editorial, etc. — to show them how they too could manage the content in the cloud.

The Result 

After a few weeks of adapting to the new workflows, more people have been able to become part of the video creation supply chain. Editors now get to spend more time working on what they want to work on — great content. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been how it has helped client relations and experiences. By getting access to centralised content, an easy-to-use interface, semantic search and a well-defined audit trail, they are also able to engage in a clearer and more productive manner.

You can read the full Zahra case study here.

You can also view our other case studies here. 

Content: The Localisation Challenge

Posted on by Fiona Ashe

In this world of streaming video, the demand and opportunity for content targeted at global markets is continuing to skyrocket. But the total money available in those markets is lagging behind. A key challenge is the versioning and localisation of that content.

What do these terms mean? Most of the content produced has to be versioned for the various platforms and services on which it will be distributed. Most of it will also be ‘localised’ — that is, prepared for consumption in another territory — this can include adding foreign language subtitles and soundtrack, and re-editing to comply with regulatory and cultural requirements. 

“The scale of the localisation process is immense. For every asset we create, we can have up to 16 different versions to cover all the regulatory requirements of our various markets. Now, across our consumer-facing international brands alone, we create thousands of hours of original content a year. Multiply that by up to the 16 versions; then multiply that by the number of languages, and then by the different audio dubbing and subtitling requirements. Add in the internal video editing that may be required to make the nuances of storytelling work in different territories: it quickly becomes millions of assets. And that’s before we get into promos and short form.”

— James Crossland, SVP International Operations, Warner Media.

So, what’s being done to address this immense challenge?

The Digital Production Partnership (DPP), a media industry business network, brought together twenty-two senior executives in a special roundtable event titled ‘The Localisation Challenge?’ at IBC 2019 in Amsterdam. The companies represented were: A+E Networks, Amazon Web Services, Apple, Deluxe, Disney, Eluvio, ITV, NHK Archives, PBS, Pixelogic, Prime Focus Technologies, SDI Media, SDVI, SES Video, Sky, UKTV, Videomenthe, Vubiquity, WarnerMedia, Zoo Digital and ZDF Enterprises. 

The roundtable generated the following three key insights.

1. Maturity in internal business relationships 

There’s lots of content being delivered, but…oops!…it’s not compliant with delivery requirements. And…double oops!…it’s not suitable to be prepped for versioning and localisation. Is this because there are no clear standards for deliverables in the media industry? Well, partly, but it’s mostly because people don’t want to upset the apple cart among the creative and commercial teams. 

Solution: Companies need to incentivise and build more productive relationships between different parts of their business.

2. Building trust into what we receive

We’re naturally inclined do business with people we know, like and trust. But when a piece of content is passed from one content provider to another, the receiving company may find that it’s technically inferior to what was promised. This means that even well-established, high-quality media companies don’t trust each other.

Solution: Use a cloud-native central library and agreed specifications for assets.

3. All content should not be equal 

All content is, in effect, tiered at the point of commission. In the pre-streaming world of linear distribution, tiering was based on the schedule: ‘daytime’, ‘peak’, ‘post-watershed’, and so on.

In this new world of on-demand, tiering is more difficult to identify. But, in reality, budgets alone still create tiering. 

Solution: Media companies should reflect the reality that all content should not be equal in the way they manage the onward processing of content. Some content is simply more valuable and should be treated as such.

DPP Tech Leaders’ Briefing

The who’s who of the media industry will converge on London for the DPP Tech Leaders’ Briefing. Overcast CEO Philippe Brodeur will be there on 13th and 14th November and is be delighted to meet you and illustrate how your company could save time and money on more effective media asset management and internal collaboration.

Why Meet With Overcast?

A) Cloud Native

We get it. You want your applications to run more effectively together. You want this workflow to elevate the productivity of your team. So you sign up with a cloud provider and use it to run your existing applications. Problem solved, right? Not necessarily — like content, not all cloud solutions are created equally.  

So why is cloud-native important? Each part (applications, processes, etc) is packaged in its own container — this means your activities, actions and workflows are optimized for the cloud. And that ultimately means less cost and less time fussing about with legacy technologies.

(B) Managed Software as a Service

Managed SaaS is all about being able to create a tech stack. It allows you to integrate best-of-breed solutions, which ultimately allows you to manage your digital assets with maximum flexibility.  

SaaS, while it incurs a subscription charge, is significantly more cost-effective since you’ll save on hardware, licences, tech support, and scaling up.

(C) Tech-enabled services

On a cloud-native platform like Overcast, we segmented our application into microservices. This means they are significantly more agile and maintainable. Crucially, a tech-enabled service empowers you to redesign your workflows for speed and cost reduction. Oh — and it means you can pick and choose what you want so there’s no need to buy a whole tonne of software you would never use.

Contact Us

Please email Philippe on philippe@overcasthq.com if you’d like to pick his brains in London.

AWS To Showcase AI and ML With Overcast At IBC 2019

Posted on by Fiona Ashe

IBC 2019 is only a few weeks away and we are delighted to be attending as part of the Amazon Partner Network. Yes, that’s right, we’ll be on AWS booth 5.C80 from 13–17 September in Amsterdam. Click here to read an AWS blog post about the technological advances in video creation and distribution they will be showcasing.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are changing video workflows. Two of the key innovations that we’ll be highlighting with AWS are: 

  • Searching video clips for objects, colours, settings, events, words, sounds and facial recognition;
  • Automating transcription and translation to generate captions, subtitles, and audio in multiple languages for live and on-demand streams.

Why not find out from our CEO Philippe Brodeur at IBC how to make video collaboration effortless? Click here to schedule a meeting.

“Overcast’s Plan To Go Global” — The Irish Times

Posted on by Fiona Ashe
Chief executive and founder of Overcast Philippe Brodeur with co-founder Zsolt Lorincz: Vodafone Ireland recently commissioned the company to stream VoD content directly to 35,000 household TVs.

Link to the Irish Time Article

Overcast CEO Interviewed On IABM TV in Las Vegas

Posted on by Fiona Ashe

April 2019 was a very exciting month at Overcast HQ! We played our hand in Las Vegas and won.

We attended two global trade shows, announced two major partnerships and participated in an IABM TV discussion.

At Avid Connect 2019 we launched the integration of our software with the world’s premier edit suite. Our presence there has already led to collaborations with some high profile Hollywood clients. 

At NAB 2019, we spent an exciting four days on the Amazon Web Services stand. We were selected by AWS from technology companies worldwide as one of its 12 key tech partners for the event.

While in Las Vegas, Overcast CEO Philippe Brodeur was invited to be a panellist on IABM TV’s discussion about trends in content creation. Here’s what he had to say:

IABM TV Panel

About Overcast HQ Ltd.

Overcast HQ provides powerful video management solutions that streamline how businesses review, approve and collaborate on video using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Built on Amazon Web Services and integrated with Microsoft Azure as well as Google Cloud, Overcast is available around the world and delivers enterprise security, redundancy and scale. Overcast is offered as both a SaaS video and digital asset management service or as an OEM solution that can be integrated through its RESTful API directly into a tech stack.

For further information, please contact Philippe Brodeur on +353-(0)86-834-7881 or philippe@overcasthq.com.

The Cloud In The Sky Is The Limit

Posted on by Fiona Ashe

At NAB 2019 and Avid Connect 2019, we rocked Vegas! Well, maybe not in the traditional sense but we rocked it our way since we’re not as famous as Celine Dion (not yet, anyway).

Avid Connect 2019

We were delighted to launch our partnership with the world’s premier editing software at Avid Connect 2019. Overcast’s Collaboration, Review and Approval application is now directly incorporated into Avid’s Media Central | Cloud UX platform and our presence at Connect 2019 has already led to collaborations with some high profile Hollywood clients. 

Overcast HQ CEO Philippe Brodeur and CTO Zsolt Lorincz at Avid Connect 2019 in Las Vegas
Overcast HQ CEO Philippe Brodeur and CTO Zsolt Lorincz at Avid Connect 2019

NAB 2019

From the Aria Resort we headed for the Las Vegas Convention Center, where we spent the rest of the week at NAB 2019. What a buzz! It was very exciting being on the Amazon Web Services stand, having been selected by AWS from technology companies worldwide as one of its 12 key tech partners for the event. 

Overcast HQ CTO Zsolt Lorincz and CEO Philippe Brodeur at NAB 2019

Global Ambitions

Building technology partnerships with two of the biggest media players in the world is central to Overcast’s global ambition.

After 8 days and more than a hundred client meetings, we left Las Vegas on a high. We can’t wait for next year!

If you can’t wait until then to find out how our video management platform will save you time and money, you can contact our CEO Philippe Brodeur directly on philippe@overcasthq.com. We’d be delighted to give you a demonstration of the Overcast platform.

Overcast HQ Among Top 101 Companies Lighting Up The Online Video Industry

Posted on by Fiona Ashe

101 companies lighting up the online video industry

Pop that champagne! It’s celebration time! Overcast HQ is proud to be named in Streaming Media Europe’s top 101 companies lighting up the online video industry: the 2018 Streaming Media Europe 101 list.

Who’s on the list?

Every year Streaming Media shines a spotlight on 101 trail-blazers i.e. companies they consider the most interesting, important and influential in online video. This list includes US-based companies that are active in Europe and also recognises European-based companies that are having an impact outside of the continent. It highlights the achievements of start-ups making an impact in Europe alongside established players within the industry, such as Google, Apple, Sky and Amazon.

Who is the awarding body?

Streaming Media is a diversified news media company providing global real-time news, resources and information to help foster the adoption of streaming media technology and applications. A team of writers and editors at Streaming Media judged that Overcast HQ merits a place on this prestigious list.

Why did Overcast HQ make the cut?

Overcast HQ’s innovative cloud-based DAM platform makes it effortless for companies to manage their digital assets, in particular video assets. Its video collaboration technology stack creates a streamlined, smart, easy-to-use video management experience for all of its clients.

Reacting to the industry endorsement from Streaming Media, Overcast HQ CEO Philippe Brodeur said, “Our recent launch of machine learning-based services aimed at automating mundane video tasks is changing the way the industry thinks and works. As we move into an era of Big Video — where every business needs to communicate through moving images — the time is ripe for disrupters like Overcast HQ to help standardise workflows, speed up delivery times, reduce costs and ultimately impact on increasing revenues.”

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. To manage cookies, please refer to our Privacy Policy. Please note that you must "accept" the privacy policy to continue using this website. View the Privacy Policy

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close