ABSTRACT
In principle, data management sounds simple: cinematographers download the camera media, put it on a hard drive, and back it up. There are several software applications specifically for downloading and backing up video/audio files within the specific needs of handling data on the set. Practices vary between different data managers and may be adapted or changed for various productions if the producer or insurance company requires certain procedures but they all have one basic goal: ensuring the safety of recorded data by clearly marking what media is empty and what media has recorded data on it. Many digital imaging technicians (DIT) keep the job on their redundant array of independent disks (RAID) until they have assurance that postproduction, the producer, or even the insurance companies have transferred the data to their own systems. Most DITs run RAIDs for immediate storage of video that is downloaded from camera media.
