Methods and appartuses for assisting the production of media works and the like

Abstract

Systems and methods for assisting one or more users in the production of a media work from a plurality of recordings are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, digital versions of the recordings are stored on a file-storage server accessible over a communications network. A media-library server provides an organized way for users to access and view the digital versions, and to associate various data files with the digital versions, such as transcription files, logging files, and storyboard documents. The exemplary media library generates web pages that enable users to search and access the digital versions from an internet browser running on a conventional personal computer. The browser also enables users to view the digital versions with a browser-compatible media viewer.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for assisting users in the production of media works and the like from a plurality of recordings and other content assets.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The entertainment industry has developed a new genre of movie / television entertainment called “Reality TV,” or “unscripted programming.” In this genre, untrained actors are placed in various settings with general direction and rules to guide their interactions, but without a specific script for actions or dialog. Beforehand, the production staff has a general idea of the storyline for the production, but the final storyline will depend upon the interactions that take place. Several video cameras are located within the settings and record the interactions among the actors for long periods of time. Various stimuli may be introduced into the settings by the production staff to provoke unpredictable interactions among the actors. After several setting...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]It is another object of the present invention to provide production staff with more organized access to recordings and other content assets used to construct media works.

[0015]It is another object of the present invention to enable production staff to de

Problems solved by technology

The large number of tapes has, however, created several problems that hamper and delay the production, and that increase the need for additional staffing to manage the distribution of duplicate tapes.

As a first problem, the duplication of the videotapes requires time and expensive duplicating equipment.

This has created a significant bottleneck in getting the video material to the production staff.

As a second problem, the task of duplicating tens to hundreds of tapes as quickly as possible often creates a haphazard work environment where the original tapes and duplicates can be misplaced, lost, mislabeled, mixed up, and/or stolen.

As a third problem, the large volume of duplicate tapes complicates the tape management and distribution process, and often leads to the failure to distribute duplicate tapes to key staff pro

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