The new extension doubles the system capacity with a second EFS 300 storage node and incorporates technology from Mobius, seamlessly integrated into the EditShare FLOW asset management system.
Technology provider EditShare has expanded its installation at Abu Dhabi-based post house, Last Cut Media. The extensions, which include AI indexing from Mobius and the EditShare MediaSilo collaboration platform, were implemented by Advanced Media Trading, EditShare’s distribution partner in the Middle East.
Last Cut has replaced its ad hoc storage systems with an EditShare storage network in 2023. This included an EFS 300 shared online store, a nearline server and LTO tape archiving. With the growth in premium business, Last Cut has returned to EditShare to increase both its capacity and functionality. The extension doubles the system capacity with a second EFS 300 storage node.
The new installation also incorporates technology from Mobius, seamlessly integrated into the EditShare FLOW asset management system. This adds AI support to automatically create rich metadata, including facial and scene detection. The core Mobius knowledge base includes more than 5000 objects, emotions and actions, and 10,000 famous people. The base continually expands with every piece of content passing through FLOW.
Last Cut also decided to implement the EditShare MediaSilo collaboration system. This replaced an existing standalone distribution system and provides seamless integration with the rest of the storage network. The result is that producers and other collaborators working remotely from the facility can receive high quality viewing copies, automatically generated, ensuring everything can be checked and signed off in a timely fashion.
“In today’s world, producers want the best facilities, but they do not necessarily want to spend time travelling to them,” said Saad Duaibes, General Manager of Last Cut Media. “We have clients all across the region and in all the creative hotspots like Lebanon, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Adding MediaSilo means we can keep those clients up to date with progress, without adding to our workload, ensuring they see the very latest versions.
“Since we moved to EditShare storage we have been able to streamline our workflows,” Duaibes added. “It has helped our business grow, prompting us to expand our storage network to accommodate new projects. We are very comfortable with the solution, and see our use of it growing, including working with new tools like artificial intelligence.”
Michele Dwayk, head of sales for EditShare in the Middle East, said “Last Cut Media is widely respected in the region, and serves projects from commercials to movies, through television drama and documentaries. Each genre and each project has its own distinct workflow, and its own group of collaborators.
“EditShare FLOW is designed to be open and flexible, allowing Last Cut to set up each project according to the creative and business demands,” she continued. “They have embraced these capabilities and, working with our colleagues at Advanced Media Trading, we have helped them see further advantages for the future, including simple collaboration with MediaSilo and AI indexing with Mobius.”
The extensions to the storage network and the new software functionality were installed in June 2024 and are now fully online.
