Codex has expanded its product range with the Codex Production Server and Backbone, a hybrid system with productions taking advantage of local appliances – Codex Production Server – along with the distributed hardware of the Cloud through the Codex Backbone. Based on the technology of the Codex Vault, the Codex Production Server is a repository for all digital files and metadata generated during principal photography.
Codex has sought input from key players in the visual effects industry, including visual effects producer Ron Ames, during the initial development. "I am very excited to see the new tools coming from Codex,” says Ames. “It makes perfect sense from capture to archive with Codex systems. The new digital asset management system will extend the Codex presence from on-set through post. Continuing the information flow in one unified system is the innovation I have been waiting for."
By using the Codex Production Server in tandem with the Codex Backbone, projects can be run in remote locations but can be linked to production, VFX vendors and post-production so that critical information is immediately available to those who need it. For example, a VFX vendor can quickly access a QuickTime file of a shot and submit a bid to the producer; all managed through the secure infrastructure of the Codex Cloud.
Codex has worked with lpipeline provider Shotgun Software during the development of Backbone and Production Server. The Codex Production Server can host the Shotgun Server and can serve as the delivery mechanism for VFX plate pulls and transcodes, as well as managing the creation of bid packages and the submission of shots. This means that VFX management and vendors are completely tied in with production from pre-production through to finishing and archiving.
Don Parker, CEO of Shotgun Software explains, “As the phases of production converge, our clients are asking us to move upstream to help organize and capture metadata from the shoot. We are excited to be collaborating with Codex who are completely awesome on set. Bringing our technology together will provide our clients with major efficiency and speed boosts that save time and money.”
Codex Backbone isn’t just film production as usual plus the Cloud. It’s an integrated end-to-end system designed by filmmakers for filmmakers. It’s a solution from camera through to long-term archiving and can deliver the time and money savings that have been expected from digital productions but often not achieved.
“No matter what the budget, the transition from film to digital production provides enormous opportunities for automating and putting control of all of the digital data and metadata in the hands of production where it can be accessed and utilized easily and quickly,” says Codex managing director Marc Dando. “Both Codex and Shotgun Software have first-hand knowledge of managing digital productions and we will continue to provide cost-effective tools that will facilitate and optimize production in this critical transition period.”
Codex www.codexdigital.com