Introduction

To adapt evolving client demand for high-resolution video post production, Real by Fake needed a robust and cost-efficient video storage solution. DigitalGlue's creative.space's On-Premises Managed Storage service allowed them to tackle this challenge head-on. In this case study, we delve into how Real by Fake benefited from creative.space's high-performance hardware, intuitive software, and expert proactive support, and explore its transformative effect on workflow efficiency and budget management.

Background

Real by Fake, formerly known as Local Hero Post, is a boutique post-production house known for their work on popular series such as Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects. Led by CEO Steve Bannerman, the company provides a unique blend of services that offers a scalable suite of post-production and visual effects services.

Challenge

Meeting the high-performance demands of 4K and HDR while managing costs became a critical challenge for Real by Fake Los Angeles. As a boutique post house, the company faced the burden of substantial investments in technology, storage, and monitors to stay current with industry standards. Additionally, the complex and ever-evolving requirements of multiple streaming platforms and studios made mastering and workflow supervision more complicated. Therefore, the need for a flexible and robust storage solution was imperative.

Solution

Enter DigitalGlue's creative.space On-Premises Managed Storage, an innovative service that provides 4K and HDR-capable network-attached storage with the cost spread out across monthly or annual payments. Real by Fake turned to DigitalGlue's creative.space for a comprehensive and flexible storage solution that offered both top-notch technical capabilities and a business-friendly payment model. This allowed their post production operations to utilize the latest technology without the need for heavy upfront capital investments or a lease.

“We didn’t just need a big, fast piece of storage, we needed something that works and service we could rely on. We needed a business model that was going to let us excel, and we got it. One of the things I love most about creative.space is that it helps us keep our infrastructure costs down. If the system we're using turns out to not be the right product, we’re not locked in. We can simply move on to a more appropriate creative.space solution for our needs."

Steve Bannerman
CEO, Real by Fake (previously Local Hero Post)

The creative.space platform addressed the needs of Real by Fake in three critical ways:

• High-Performance Hardware: With separate RAID systems for regular hard drives and SSDs, creative.space offered the much-needed power to handle the demands of 4K and HDR workflows. No longer would Real by Fake need to worry about the lag or system strain when dealing with high-resolution content.
• User-Friendly Software: The strength of creative.space was not just in its powerful hardware but also in its intuitive software. A user-friendly web portal enabled even the non-technical creatives at Real by Fake to manage permissions and scheduling. It effectively removed the technological barriers that often hinder creative processes.
• Proactive Expert Support: As a systems integrator with decades of experience in the Media and Entertainment industry, DigitalGlue provided exceptional tech support that was highly responsive. A secure VPN allowed for remote system monitoring, ensuring that any potential issues were nipped in the bud. This proactive approach offered peace of mind to Real by Fake, allowing them to focus on what they do best—creating stunning visual effects.

Results

The //DEUS EX node, featured in Real by Fake's system, provided both a high-capacity HDD pool and a high-performance SSD pool, thus ensuring efficient and real-time playback with 4K OpenEXR files.

The implementation of creative.space resulted in a noticeable increase in the company's productivity and performance. Now, Real by Fake is able to handle multiple processes simultaneously, such as 4K color grading and conforming, without any lag or issues. Editorial, VFX, and color teams collaborate seamlessly off the same storage.

The intuitive web portal allowed the team to manage permissions, create spaces, set up client sessions, and transfer media easily without any IT background. This user-friendly, efficient system facilitated seamless project management, from major studio productions to independent films.

The self-healing capabilities of the underlying ZFS filesystem provided an added layer of reliability. With the Snapshots feature, they were able to create read-only backups of their Spaces and restore deleted or modified files and folders as needed.

Moreover, the secure VPN access by DigitalGlue offered peace of mind, with remote system monitoring and proactive support ensuring smooth operations.

Conclusion

The creative.space platform has allowed Real by Fake to take on 4K and HDR projects confidently. The Web App's ability to sync data between HDD and SSD tiers has led to efficient capacity usage, and the internal copying feature has saved significant time when processing image sequences. As a result, Real by Fake has not only managed to keep their infrastructure costs down, but also maintain flexibility with their business model. The creative.space solution has truly enabled Real by Fake to excel in their field.