Information asset management solution provider Knowledge Focus has developed a video logging and retrieval system for M-Net`s latest reality show, The Block. The system captures, digitises and catalogues more than 650 hours of video footage recorded during the series.
The show features four couples who are given equal-sized budgets and 12 weeks to renovate and decorate four similar apartments. The couples are required to live in The Block while camera crews film their DIY skills. They must organise all their own trades people, labour and design advice while maintaining their everyday jobs and careers. When the renovations are complete, all four apartments go to live auction.
"We needed a system that could quickly, easily and cost-effectively filter the large amounts of video tape footage recorded each day, and dump it onto the mainline edit system," relates Ferdie Kunneke, technical co-ordinator of The Block and engineer of M-Net`s business unit Outside Broadcast. "We knew Knowledge Focus had provided a similar system to Carte Blanche, kykNET and SuperSport, so we approached them to do the same for us."
Knowledge Focus based the video logging and retrieval system on Convera`s Screening Room solution, of which it is the sole African distributor.
"Screening Room`s fully integrated modules streamline video archiving and enable users to intelligently capture and index video content, thereby accelerating the video production process," explains Gordon Milton, Multimedia Product Manager at Knowledge Focus. "The repurposed video is easily published on the desktop."
"The solution we developed for The Block enables the show`s directors and editors to instantly find, preview and edit the segments they need right from their desktops. They simply type in a word and a range of footage is displayed as thumbnails. A metadata description can also be added to each file, such as the tape number, date, time, cameraman and shot type. Additionally, the ability to create an edit decision list (EDL) that interfaces directly with the edit suite further facilitates quick, easy and cost-effective editing of the video footage."
According to Kunneke, the Knowledge Focus solution is a significant improvement on the one used in the original Australian series. "Very specific keywords and phrases had to be used during searches or the required footage simply wasn`t retrieved, while the lack of an EDL interface made editing a laborious process. The software on which the system was based was also difficult to modify, which is another reason we decided to go with the easily integrated, modular functionality that Screening Room provides."
"The solution provided by Knowledge Focus is extremely user-friendly and cost-effective, and can be easily modified to meet the requirements of other television shows," he adds.
Piet Dempsey, Managing Director of Knowledge Focus, added: "Although this project is aimed at the media market, it is one of the best examples of capturing knowledge and experience on video and then making it available to a large design team with the instruction to design and implement a better, more efficient system. One of the M-Net staff flew to Australia, video taped the key users of The Block system there and came back with two hours of video interviews, which where used as a basis to build M-Net`s The Block logging system."
The Block has proved to be exceptionally popular in Australia and is in its second season.
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