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..to
the May 2005 Issue of MediaVaultNEWS |
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Issue
eight of the Newsletter for members of "The Media
Vault"
The Media Vault is managed by the Technology
Innovation Centre (tic) and designed
to assist West Midlands Screen-Based Media Companies.
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In
this Issue:
1. Media Vault Comes of
Age
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Successful
project creates jobs and leads to widened use of Millennium
Point-based, media-production resources.
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2.
COMING
UP
- Monthly CREATIVE Networks Event No 7
*DONT MISS OUT*
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Major
Collaborative Networking Event for Creative Industry Professionals
Buyers Forum 2005
- Thursday 26th May - From 6.00pm 'til LATE at tic
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:: Building Technologies WM - Annual Conference - 18th
May 2005
:: Big Screen - 11th May 2005
:: Advantage Creative Fund - Talent Spotting - 10th May
2005
:: Screen Forum - 5th May 2005
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4.
Get the most from your business –
FREE management courses this Summer
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- Could
you be making more?
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i4 courses
are supported by European Social Fund/Learning Skills
Council co-financing
- they are fully subsidised!
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5.
The Media Vault: Work-in-Progress
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:: Shadowless
Records - Corporate Identity and Literature Package
:: Quench Design - Website Development
:: Twisted Media Productions - Website Design and Development
:: Andy Wicket Audio Visual - Virtual TV Studio Hire
:: Big Theme Productions - Supply of Key Technical Resources
:: Katy Connor - Supply of Key Technical Resources
:: Central City Cartel - Digital Asset Management
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We’d
like to hear from you!
Contact Dave Taylor, The Media Vault’s administrator
with your news and views:
:: phone 0121 331 5400
:: email dave.taylor@tic.ac.uk
:: or post to Technology Innovation
Centre, Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham,
B4 7XG
Do you know someone who'd
benefit from our help?
The
Media Vault is ‘open’ now and
ready to support your screen-based media activities.
If you know of anyone who would benefit from these
support-funded services, please contact us via The
Media Vault Website at www.tic-online.com/mediavault
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1. Media
Vault Comes of Age |
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After
three years of helping West Midlands screen-based creative
companies and freelancers to develop, diversify and grow,
the Technology Innovation Centre (tic)’s Media Vault
project has moved up a gear.
Over 200 West Midlands screen-based media businesses have
received assistance from the Media Vault team, and already
around 250 new jobs are expected to result in the region.
Now tic is making Media Vault’s extensive
resources available both commercially and as a subsidised
resource within other new and associated projects.
Its supporting role will see i4 Skills
technology courses delivered through hands-on access to
Media Vault’s wide-range of digital audio visual production
equipment.
Media Vault will also fulfil a supporting role as an enabling
technical resource to a significant, new, tic
-managed project aimed at stimulating use of inter-active
media by the wider community.
Yet to be formally launched, this European-funded programme
will generate demand for new digitally produced audio-visual
programmes for both the public and private sectors. It will
act as a major stimulus to Midlands screen-based creative
businesses.
tic’s interactive media activities
have seen it become a hub to a network of screen-based,
Midlands, creative operators. Its Creative Networks gather
monthly at Millennium Point. Meetings take the form of a
networking reception followed by relevant presentations
from key speakers.
Companies and freelancers are also invited to ‘pitch’
ideas and projects to the meeting and the audience are able
to put questions to both guest and resident experts. Well
over a hundred representatives from the West Midlands, creative
business community regularly attend Creative Networks meetings.
tic’s Interactive Media Centre Manager,
Steve Smith, says of the success of Media Vault:
“We have met or exceeded European Regional Development
Fund targets set for the project. Now Media Vault will fulfil
a major new role supporting our programmes to help more
Midlands organisations make best use of modern media in
communicating with their market audiences.”
Screen-based creative businesses interested in tic’s
wide-ranging training and interactive production support
services should contact Dave Taylor on
tel 0121 331 5400 or e-mail
enquiries@tic.ac.uk
NOTES:
• Media Vault’s extensive resources, available
for hire, include a 3-camera virtual TV studio. This seamlessly
integrates presenters with computer-generated environments.
This is complemented by online, non-linear editing suites
and broadcast-standard location filming equipment, which
includes location laptops for on-the-spot editing.
• In addition TIC offers interactive authoring and
video-streaming enabling users to distribute audio-visual
material over any platform to end-users, worldwide. This
is particularly valuable when linked into the digital asset
management facility, offering producers reliable and accessible
storage for their work-in-progress or finished projects.
• Media Vault’s storage enables speedy, global
distribution of video, photographic, audio and production
files. Users can also directly annotate photos or add graphics
frame-by-frame to stored video footage. The facility is
already used by the regional museums libraries and archives
council, known as MLA West Midlands, who, by means of Media
Vault storage are gradually making huge ranges of visual
material available, internationally. |
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2. COMING
UP - Monthly CREATIVE
Networks Event No 7 *DONT MISS
OUT* |
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Collaborative
Networking Event for Creative Industry Professionals
Buyers Forum 2005
- Thursday 26th May - From 6.00pm 'til LATE at tic
Technology Innovation Centre (tic),
Millennium Point, Curzon Street,
Birmingham, B4 7XG
Visit www.creativenetworksonline.co.uk
for more information
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BUYERS
FORUM 2005
The next event is scheduled for Thursday 26th May
2005 starting at 6pm at tic. There
will be the usual opportunities to network, pitch
your products and services and form partnerships and
collaborations with colleagues from the Creative Industries
Sector. Advance notice is strongly recommended for
those wishing to pitch. Here’s your opportunity to
grow your business - and quickly - in an evening packed
with workshops, presentations and seminars. Reserve
your place now and prepare for an opportunity to make
an impact on 'buyers of content'. |
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| AGENDA |
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| 6.00
- 7.00pm |
Buyer/Supplier
Networking, Hot Buffet and Wine |
| 8.30pm
'til Late |
Buyer/Supplier
Networking at 'The ibar' (Millennium Point) |
| For the Creative
audience... |
Here's
your opportunity to grow your business.
You will hear from potential buyers of your media
services ...and find out about the tic’s
funded projects which will help you - the media content
supplier.
At the Buyers’ Forum we are assembling networks
of non-creative SME’s, actively seeking a wide
variety of media content for their businesses. From
innovative web marketing tools to commercial promotional
video clips, as well as original designs for new ‘product
packaging’ to soundtracks for radio advertising. |
| ...Creative
Supplier Presentations |
| 7.00pm |
Current Tenders -
tic Lecture Theatre
tic's Business Consultants will be
discussing the current tenders through the Creative
Networks portal. |
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| 7.20pm |
Market Awareness
- tic Lecture Theatre
The region's developers will be discussing the creative
business potential existing in a range of industries.
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| 7.40pm |
Investment Opportunities
- tic Lecture
Theatre
Money makes the world go round. Here are the people
with the resources guiding you to accessing them. |
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| 8.00pm |
Bigger Business
Insight - tic Lecture Theatre
Large organisations will be discussing what potential
exists within their company. |
| For the Buying
audience... |
The event will give
you access to the most talented creatives within the
Region. We recognise that finding the right partners
to meet your needs can be time consuming and daunting.
If you’ve done this before you’ll know
that it’s much more than a money decision. It’s
about finding the right personality match, the right
style and a shared belief and vision about what you
are doing.
At the Forum you’ll meet a host of experts in
graphics and 3D modelling, games/software development,
interactive TV, video/film production, sound/music
production. And you’ll find out about tic’s
funded projects which will help you - the media buyer.
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| ...Creative
Buyer Rolling Workshops |
| 7.00pm
- 8.00pm |
Creative Supplier
Pitching - tic Soft Seat
Area
A series of five minute 'elevator pitches' from creative
companies around the Region. Use these to see the
wealth of talent on offer and to help decide who to
talk to at the iBar later. |
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| 8.00pm
- 8.30pm |
Student Start-Ups
- tic Demonstration Area
Many top tic creative students will
demonstrate current projects as well as commercial
or placement projects developed in the last twelve
months. |
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| 6.00pm
- 8.30pm |
Creative Showcasing
- tic Content
Creation Centre
A selection of suppliers demonstrate the abilities
of their companies and how to benefit from the technology
available at tic. |
If you would like to attend please
email (with any dietary requirements)
Mandeep Chana – mandeep.chana@tic.ac.uk
or phone Ha Vu on 07967 706445
Great success stories on
collaboration projects have resulted from the Creative
Networks events - so get pitching. Do contact us first
if you'd like to try!
We will publicise success stories
and past reviews on the Creative Networks portal at ww.creativenetworksonline.com
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Building Technologies WM - Annual Conference
Wednesday 18th May 2005 - Think Tank, Millennium
Point
The West Midlands Buildings Technologies Cluster, led
‘Building Technologies WM 2005’ to identify
the major developments in construction best practice,
in sustainable development and in off-site manufacturing.
These provide key market opportunities for businesses
in the West Midlands. New hospitals, schools, housing
and infrastructure offer a significant market. Building
Technologies directly contribute over £6billion
and 260,000 jobs to the West Midlands economy. It was
apparent from the event that within this sector there
was a need for improved marketing and media/ICT activities.
Big Screen
Wednesday 11th May 2005 -
Liverpool
tic's Peter Rigg recently attended the
BBC Big Screen event in Liverpool with Geraldine McCullagh,
Screen Manager for the BBC’s Birmingham display
in Chamberlain Square. The event demonstrated how interactivity
could be introduced on the beeb's big screens around the
UK and sought to establish whether the public were interested.
Working in conjunction with Philips and ICDC (part of
Liverpool John Moores University), the BBC produced a
variety of games which were tested throughout the day.
Some involved using the Playstation Eye toy, whilst others
used input from mobile phones via Bluetooth enabled handsets.
However, the majority were created using Director MX.
The event proved very successful and generated a lot of
interest from people in Liverpool city centre. It is now
likely that this kind of interactive content will be seen
on Birmingham’s Big Screen in the future.
Advantage Creative Fund - Talent Spotting
Tuesday 10th May 2005 -
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
The Advantage Creative Fund presented
10 companies in whom they had invested and these enterprises,
in turn, were represented by business owners and operators.
They were able to demonstrate their product or service
and describe their plans and business growth. In particular
there was a playback of a short animated movie by Screenburn,
whose work was included in a showreel distributed at this
year's Cannes Film festival.
'Creative Industries', including
screen, image and sound, has become one of ten business
‘clusters’ identified by Advantage West Midlands
which aims to increase the region’s competitive
advantage, reputation and wealth creation. This is to
be achieved by encouraging businesses to collaborate and
exploit strategic opportunities.
Screen Forum
Thurs 5 May- Lighthouse, The
Chubb Buildings, Fryer Street, Wolverhampton
Chief Executive of Light House, Frank Challenger, introduced
Steve Smith (tic Manager Centre for Interactive
Media) at this free event in Wolverhampton. It provided
a chance for attendees to find out about courses and future
training opportunities. The tic team
were able to answer audience questions and introduce themselves
to individual practitioners, many of whose work has been
developed at Light House. A short film was shown, by Alice
Truman and refreshments were served after the presentation,
offering an opportunity for further networking. The Light
House, with its library, special events, projects, exhibitions,
cinema, training, and facilities has now become a training
delivery-partner with the Technology Innovation Centre
(tic).
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4. Get the
most from your business – FREE management courses
available this Summer |
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Introduction
The tic’s i4 Project offers
training in both Management and Technology skills.
These courses are fully funded by ESF funds from Birmingham
& Solihull Learning Skills Council, and are completely
free to creative businesses and freelancers within
the West Midlands who meet all of the eligibility
criteria. |
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Courses Include:
:: Digital Video Editing
:: Cameras, Lights & Sound
:: Virtual Set Design
:: Digital Asset Management
:: Business Planning
:: Commissioning Tactics |
Dates For Your Diary
A series of tic training courses designed
to grow young creative screen-based media businesses has
been planned for this summer. They are FREE of charge
to those who are working for SMEs or are self-employed.
| *These
courses are very popular, and early booking is advised!* |
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| Technology Courses |
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| Digital Video Editing Courses: |
Digital Asset Management:
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Fully Booked - New Dates
to be advised.
Please contact us for more information. |
12 – 14 September 2005
07 – 09 November 2005 |
| Cameras, Lights & Sound: |
Virtual Set Design: |
09 – 11 August 2005
27 – 29 September 2005
18 – 20 October 2005
01 – 03 November 2005 |
12 – 14 July 2005
06 – 08 September 2005
01 – 03 November 2005 |
| Management Courses |
| Business
Planning - New dates to be advised |
| Commissioning
Tactics - New dates t be advised |
For further information about
eligibility criteria, a full list of courses and to take
advantage of this outstanding opportunity contact Paul
Trigg tel: +44 (0)121 331 5400 email:
paul.trigg@tic.ac.uk
or visit the i4 Skills website at www.tic-online.com/i4 |
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5. The Media
Vault - Work in Progress |
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Check
out some of the work we've done so far and what our clients
have said about it. For more information on other clients
we've worked with visit our website at www.tic-online.com/mediavault
and click on the case studies link.
Shadowless Records
:: Corporate Identity &
Literature Package
Birmingham-based, professional, digital-recording studio,
Shadowless Records strives to create a relaxed, yet professional
environment where collaboration between artists and music
producers takes place. Company founder Mark Thompson is
an experienced music producer who also manages and promotes
musical talent. Shadowless is constantly developing its
range of services in tune with its evolving client-needs.
Its primary goal is to become the region’s most
vibrant recording facility with a distinctive brand character
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Mark
Thompson approached tic’s Media Vault team
to develop a corporate identity to help Shadowless
to be professionally marketed across a wide portfolio
of promotional media.
Since Shadowless Records targets the hip-hop/rap
music sector its colours needed to reflect the urban
look associated with the genre. Use of bold dark
colours and fonts give the company a contemporary,
yet professional feel whilst also conveying the
creative essence of the business. The final identity
projected a simple, ‘cool’ image flexible
enough to be used on the web and in print.
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The Client's Quote: “I
am very pleased with the final product, it was presented
and accepted by my team and we consider it to be a winner.
The service we received from tic were
of the highest standard, and we look forward to continuing
a productive relationship. Big thanks to Jeetendra Sidhpara,
as he put in a lot of work within a very short time scale,
very professional.”
Mark Thompson (Tomo), Shadowless Records Limited
Quench Design Ltd
:: Website Development - www.quenchdesign.co.uk
Quench Design Ltd is an agency specialising in design
for broadcast programmes, commercials and corporate television.
Founders Peter Smith and Steve Best claim a ‘passion
for creating new and exciting ideas that make clients’
messages stand out from the crowd’. Taking projects
from concept to delivery, Quench produces titles, programme
content and branding. It offers total multimedia solutions
across the media spectrum from video, DVD, and the Web
to print and display. Quench Design Group is founded on
the founders’ joint experience gained from working
for ITV. Birmingham’s Custard Factory provides Quench
with an ideal base from which to collaborate with their
wide circle of talented artistic and technical contacts
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Quench
approached tic’s Media Vault
team to develop its Internet presence. A key objective
was to showcase its many projects to visitors to the
site with a particular focus on prospective clients.
Media Vault based the resulting site on an existing
design which required technical input from tic
to achieve a slick end-product able to communicate
effectively Quench’s capabilities.
The final stylish and clean-looking website contains
flash animations and multiple video clips embedded
into pop-up windows. Easily used navigation is via
a simple drop-down colour matched menu. |
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The Clients Quote:
“The knowledge and expertise
provided by Claire Blakeway was pivotal
in the production of our site. We have a website that
we are very happy with and have received many positive
comments about it. For potential clients to view our work
online is very important and we feel it sends out the
right message about our company.”
Peter Smith, Quench Design Ltd
Twisted Media
:: Website Design and Development - www.twistedmedia.tv
Twisted Media Productions is a creative team dedicated
to exploring the ‘art of communication’.
The company offers imaginative solutions to promote clients’
marketing messages effectively and successfully. It produces
corporate and training videos, live events, exhibitions,
graphic presentations, electronic and print media.
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Twisted
Media’s unique blend of passion, expertise and
resources aim to achieve successful results which
will bring ‘magic to the industry’. It
is linked into a wide-ranging network of specialists
in cultural awareness, experienced designers as well
as film and other trade and logistical experts. Experienced
personnel in the U.K. and U.S. offices, and throughout
a global network of strategic alliances, are able
to manage international projects. |
Twisted Media’s Scott Greenwood approached the
tic’s Media Vault team to develop
a web presence from which to showcase and promote their
project portfolio and promote them to wider markets.
Media Vault met all the client’s key criteria which
required it to carry Twisted Media’s large portfolio
through a professional looking online presence which was
easy to use and update.
The Client’s Quote: “Thank You,
would be in order 1st as I found Rakesh Sidhpara to be
a very helpful and creative resource which came as a surprise,
his efforts and direction of us as a team has resulted
in a comprehensive mix of our work, which we truly didn’t
expect. I can’t thank him or the tic
enough for there assistance and help. Rakesh you have
a natural talent to direct and enhance peoples vision.
Thanks aren’t really enough… but thanks anyway.”
Scott Greenwood,
Twisted Media Productions
Andy Wickett
Audio Visual
:: Vitual TV Studio Hire
AWAV
creates broadcast standard, animated pop videos for
many clients, having worked with Bhangra stars Stereo
Nation, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Malkit Singh.
An established singer / songwriter, Andy Wickett used
Media Vault’s facilities to produce a music
video called ‘Girls On Film’ to promote
his music.
It blends live performance with animation to create
a ‘dark circus world’ environment. The
tic chroma-key studio was used to film live action
song sequences. |
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The Client’s Quote: “The
staff at the tic have been helpful, diligent,
professional and wicked.”
Andy Wickett, Andy Wickett Audio Visual
Big Theme Productions
:: Supply of Key Technical Resources
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BigTheme
Productions was recommended to approach tic's
Media Vault for help with up-coming production,
“Gift”, a tragic story based on a young
man’s ‘fight with his demons’
as he attempts to buy his sister a thank-you present.
There were two aspects of Media Vault’s support.
First was the hire of Sony DSR-570 DVCAM film cameras.
Once shot, the film was edited in Manchester, but
returned to the Midlands for the finishing touches.
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Secondly,
the Media Vault team worked closely with BigTheme to produce
a DVD of the film which featured a slideshow of the production
photography, a storyboard-to-final-film comparison and
audio options. These included a special 5.1 “Surround
Sound” mix. The finished DVD is to be sent to film
festivals worldwide.
The Client’s Quote:
“During my initial contact with Media Vault
I was instantly struck with the professionalism of the
organisation and I am pleased to say that this impression
has been strengthened in all further dealings with them.
The help they gave me with ‘Gift’ has led
to a final product which is much more polished and professional
than it really had any right to be. Thank you Media Vault
and I very much look forward to working with you in the
future.”
Phillip
Cooper – Producer, Big Theme Productions
Katy Connor
:: Supply of Key Technical Resources
Film
Producer Katy Connor recently approached tic’s
Media Vault team to assist with a large-scale, Arts
Council-funded video installation project exploring
themes of pregnancy and identity. The piece was commissioned
as part of CAPTURE - a strand that highlights the
potential of existing and emergent technology in the
creation of dance-for-screen productions.
Original footage was shot on 16mm film and then ‘telecined’
to Digital Betacam. Katy used Media Vault’s
online Final Cut Pro systems to digitise this footage
and transfer it to her own G4 Powerbook for offline
editing. After she had completed this edit, the Media
Vault team transferred the project back to the online
system where it was conformed to full-resolution uncompressed
video.
The sequences were then encoded to MPEG2 files and
burned to DVD.
The resulting piece will combine large-scale video
projection with a number of smaller, synchronised
monitors being played to an 8-channel audio composition
at Walsall’s new Art Gallery June and July 2005.
The Client’s Quote: “The
nature of the multi-channel installation is such that
we had to transfer all the audio/visual material to
DVDs, in order that they could be synchronised.
Similarly it was very important to the project that
the high quality of visual imagery could be maintained,
as the original footage was shot underwater on 16mm
film. The staff at Media Vault have not only made
this possible, but were extremely helpful with all
of our technical specifications! I'm really looking
forward to working with them again.”
Katy Connor
New Art Gallery Walsall, 7 June – 31
July 2005 |
Photo by Franz Pagot AIC
Crew on location
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Central City Cartel
:: Digital Asset Management
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Independent
TV and Film production company Central City Cartel
is West Midlands based. Its experienced programme
maker, Aston Walker, has worked for some years as
a freelancer during which period he has accumulated
substantial video footage on both VHS tape and mini
DV cams.
Aston Walker approached tic
Media Vault team to find a way of sharing his wide-ranging
content over the Internet whatever the size of the
file. He also needed to store large volumes of multimedia
content. |
Media Vault’s Digital Asset
Management (DAM) system offered the ideal solution. Media
Vault not only assisted the client in creating audio-visual
content - including collaboration with others. The material
was then stored, catalogued and made readily accessible
for distribution. Central City Cartel’s material is
now simply available to unlimited users, regardless of location.
The Client’s Quote: “Media Vault was very
useful in helping CCC to establish a link with US
companies. We were able to give US companies access to
CCC products using the DAM system.
This system helped us in a number of ways. Firstly we
were able to protect our work from download thereby preventing
any copyright issues. Secondly we were able to get immediate
feedback for works in progress using the system which
also saved us money that would have been used travelling
and hiring presentation venues.”
Aston Walker, The Top Don of the Central
City Cartel
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