Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1436481
www.postmagazine.com 24 POST NOV/DEC 2021 OUTLOOK F or many artists and studios unaccustomed to remote workflows, 2020 was a year of trial and error. In 2021, the focus shifted from remote workflow adoption to optimiza- tion, a trend that will continue into 2022 and beyond. Now that remote workflows are here to stay, establishing a secure content protection strategy has never been more important. At the Trusted Partner Network (TPN), protecting content is our key focus. The organization launched in 2018 to establish a benchmark for security preparedness among vendors. Almost all of the major entertainment studios in the US work with TPN to set voluntary guidelines that are then used to evaluate creative studios and tools. The process enables studios and vendors to collab- orate more quickly and safely. As of this year, the TPN is operated solely by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which champions filmmaker diversity, safeguards intellectual property rights, advances technological innovation and supports international trade policies in entertainment. As the gold standard in content security for entertainment, the MPA's capabilities, combined with TPN services, provides studios and vendors with a one-stop resource for content protection, security and mitigation. It may not be the most exciting aspect of filmmaking, but content security is al- ways top of mind for creators. In the digi- tal age, illegally-obtained material can be distributed worldwide in seconds, with potentially catastrophic financial conse- quences. To protect the health and safety of artists throughout the pandemic, stu- dios have been challenged to adopt new technologies and practices that make it simpler to produce content from home. In any case where content moves outside the facility, it becomes more vulnerable to data breaches. Having vendors evalu- ate their security protocols to production studios provides reassurance that IP is protected, without requiring in-depth se- curity audits. Considering how workflows have been supercharged by the cloud, the TPN is exploring how to incorporate cloud-based and remote options into its evalulation process. Remote/cloud production will likely remain a favorable strategy. This means vendors and solutions providers need to consider how to secure content in less tightly-controlled environments. WHAT THE SHIFT TO REMOTE WORK MEANS FOR SECURE CONTENT PROTECTION PRODUCTION BY JAN VAN VOORN ACTING PRESIDENT TRUSTED PARTNER NETWORK WWW.TTPN.ORG WORKFLOWS he media and entertainment (M&E) industry is one driven by innovation and creative problem solving, traits that are essential in difficult times, especially during a global pandemic. When it became clear that "normal production" would no longer be possible, creative studios and professionals quick- ly pivoted, not just to maintain the status quo, but to meet an increasing consumer appetite for high-quality entertainment — from video games to episodic series, movies and beyond. Building on emerging technology and content production techniques, creatives and technologists realized new ways of working to help the industry thrive. Widespread adoption of cloud workflows and open standards, like Universal Scene Description (USD), en- abled remote collaboration and greater pipeline efficiencies for globally-distrib- uted teams. At the same time, advances in virtual production helped reduce on- site staff during production and accel- erated post pipelines, while continued AI and ML technology development provided a boost to artist creativity. With 2022 on the horizon, these pan- demic-era developments are setting the stage for new innovation. Early in the pandemic, global shut- downs accelerated adoption of cloud workflows. Creative facilities crammed years of planning and execution into weeks to connect teams virtually and keep productions running. However, as creatives return to the office, remote pipelines still offer a range of benefits, including reduce overhead and a broader talent pool. For these reasons, I expect to see cloud-based workflows continue to grow and evolve in 2022, and, looking ahead, Autodesk's Forge cloud platform will support global production teams cre- ating content in Maya, 3ds Max, Arnold, Flame and ShotGrid with greater securi- ty, reliability and efficiency. Open standards are also proving vital to the industry's future, as they enable more seamless exchange of assets. USD for 3D data exchange, OpenColorIO for color management, and MaterialX for richer material and look develop- ment are three major standards that are improving interoperability between creative applications and supporting more efficient data transfer across pipe- lines. Autodesk supports and is actively involved in shaping these standards as a member of the Academy Software Foundation, and also via our relation- ships with customers and partners. Beyond these developments, virtual production has seen a meteoric rise in the last two years, as productions min- imized on-set crew and realtime game engines, like Epic Games' Unreal Engine, advanced. As virtual production technol- ogy becomes more accessible, we plan to continue working with Epic and other players in the space to ensure optimal game engine interoperability with tools like Maya and ShotGrid. We'll also lever- age AI/ML technology to eliminate bot- tlenecks and automate repetitive tasks. The progress made is a testament to the resilience of the M&E industry. If the resulting workflows and technologies are an indication of what's to come, we're in for an incredible next chapter. PANDEMIC-ERA EVOLUTIONS WILL DRIVE M&E INNOVATION BY DIANA COLELLA SVP MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT AUTODESK AUTODESK.COM T SECURITY