The creation of filmed content involves numerous steps, including (1) the development of a screenplay, (2) pre-production, (3) shoot preparation, (4) filming, (5) editing, (6) post production, and (7) downstream actions (e.g., marketing tasks). During the various production steps (e.g., active development, pre-production, production/filming, and post-production), many advanced technology tools are available to technicians to both collaborate and perform tasks associated with each process.
The earliest stages of a filmed content project include screenplay development. The screenplay, which is defined as the project's written form, including visual descriptions, acting dialogue and instructions, is typically created by a screenwriter for films, television shows, digital shows, shorts, and many other forms of filmed entertainment. The process for writing, editing, re-writing, and collaborating on a screenplay is managed using a variety of electronic, online, and analog tools and processes. While a screenplay may include varying formats, it is generally broken up into “scenes,” each of which are comprised of a unique location that is specified in the scene description.
A project may not have a finalized screenplay when it begins production, but usually the screenplay is complete. However, in some scenarios, changes are made to scripts frequently on a set. When preparation begins for filming/production, this preparation includes the creation of a shot list. The shot list breaks each scene in the screenplay down into its coverage (i.e., the shots required to film the scene). Each shot typically references the associated scene, camera setup/angle, type of lens used, actors on screen, and the like, so that enough criteria is documented to assist in planning the shoot during pre-production.
The video footage that is shot during production is converted from the original footage stored on camera cards into multiple digital versions for future/downstream functions. These future/downstream functions include (1) previewing the daily footage (“Dailies”), (2) editorial, (3) visual effects, (4) sound editing functions, and (5) marketing requests. Currently, during the production process, the “Dailies” are delivered as digital files via online websites and mobile applications created for this express purpose. In the recent past, before transition to digital production, “Dailies” were stored on DVDs, drives, or other memory devices, which had to be manually delivered to all of the relevant parties for viewing.
Included among these multiple versions of video footage is a lower bit rate copy made for streaming full motion video over the Internet via online websites and mobile applications. This is specifically relevant for previewing the Dailies files in a collaborative manner with other technicians on the production.
Along with the video and audio material from the day, a marked-up version of the screenplay which visually overlays all the planned shots is delivered during post-production. As shown in FIG. 1, for each scene the lined Script uses vertical lines to distinguish different shots by name and length. This marked-up version of the screenplay enables the editors to assess coverage for any given moment. Additionally, the lined Script identifies which actors are on screen for any given shot via a smooth or jagged line (i.e., with the smooth line indicating that the actor is on screen and the jagged line indicating that the actor is off screen). Additional information (e.g., the best/circle take, changes in dialogue, sound and camera information, and any additional notes that could benefit the editorial team during post production) is also delivered in the form of a detailed Continuity Report.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,660,416; 8,218,764; 9,215,514; 9,448,696 disclose the creation, management, delivery, and display of Dailies files, as well as the collaborative interaction by users with Dailies files. The infrastructure for the management and collaborative interaction with Dailies files may include (1) a system server for receiving and storing digital media files, (2) parsing and embedding software to read data from log files that accompany the digital video files and segment the files into new digital Dailies files, and (3) a collaborative display interface that displays the Dailies files as media clips and enables users to collaboratively interact with other users in a frame specific manner.
The systems associated with this streaming function focus on the secure transfer/delivery, storage, and transmission/streaming/display of a low bit rate electronic copy of the original daily footage camera files.
Often projects use multiple applications or tools to attempt to correlate and review the Dailies with the associated information from the continuity log. Accordingly, there is continuing need for associating digital production files and information such as that contained in the continuity log.
Notably, all of the subject matter discussed in this section is not necessarily prior art and should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its discussion in this section. Accordingly, any recognition of problems in the prior art discussed in this section or associated with such subject matter should not be treated as prior art unless expressly stated to be prior art. Instead, the discussion of any subject matter in this section should be treated as part of the identification of the technological problem to be overcome, which in and of itself may also be inventive.
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USPTO Backgrounds