Drobo Robotics Case Study with McElroy Films

Drobo^® and DroboPro^® Support a High-Definition Videographer in Boston Area

In His Own Words:
Ben McElroy, Owner and Executive Producer, McElroy Films LLC

“Thanks to Drobo, we now have peace of mind that our video production data is always safe and secure.”

“You don’t have to be a techie to set it up.  It’s really simple for the average user to operate – in just a few steps we had it up and running ourselves.”

Quick Facts
Company: Located in Boston, Massachusetts, McElroy Films is a high definition video production company that creates professional videos for a variety of customers nationwide.

Problem: The data storage needs at McElroy Films were increasing at a rapid pace. The company’s data was spread across a multitude of local and external hard drives making storing and accessing projects cumbersome and inefficient. The company needed a scalable and cost-effective storage solution that could centralize its mission-critical data in a single location without requiring extensive technical expertise.

Solution: McElroy Films deployed two Drobo Second Generation storage arrays (four 1TB drives and four 1.5TB drives) to safely store and backup the company’s critical project files. The company later added a DroboPro as an additional archiving location to protect against data loss and drive failure, which the company favored for its enhanced performance during video editing.

The Company

McElroy Films LLC, a video production company founded in 2006 by owner and executive producer Ben McElroy. McElroy has a passion for creating high-quality professional videos, including music videos, independent films, corporate videos and wedding films. Producing and editing high-definition videos can generate up to nine gigabytes of data per hour, which contributed to the company’s storage requirements increasing several terabytes year over year.

Looking for Consolidation and Affordable Data Storage

McElroy Films needed a simple, reliable, cost-effective storage solution for its critical data.  Prior to purchasing a Drobo Second Generation storage array, the company’s data was spread across several external hard drives ranging in size from 500GB to 1TB, making it difficult to manage and add storage capacity.  Additionally, the company’s mission-critical data wasn’t securely stored and was at risk of data loss by disk failure.

Seeking to eliminate complexity and increase security, the company, standardized on the Apple Mac OS. When the company compared the Drobo solution to the Apple xServe, it ultimately chose Drobo because of the dramatic cost savings – more than $3,000.
Finding Simplicity with Drobo and DroboPro

McElroy Films purchased a four-bay Drobo Second Generation in 2009 and was struck by how easy it was to set up and configure. The company was able to quickly and easily transfer all of its data from its myriad of external drives to the Drobo; set up, configuration and management was simple.

As its storage needs grew, McElroy implemented an additional Drobo Second Generation.  Shortly thereafter, the company experienced a drive failure, but due to the BeyondRaid technology present in its Drobo, the company didn’t lose any data, downtime or access. Concerned about the possibility of multiple drive failure, McElroy deployed a DroboPro, which has the ability to protect data in the event of up to two simultaneous drive failures.

Equipped with both the Drobo and DroboPro, the company is able to focus on the creation of compelling videos rather than the complexities of storing, managing and backing up critical data. The company’s team was thrilled at how fast and simple the Drobo solution was to set up and configure — without needing a tech specialist.

“The average person can use this back-up data storage system, without being an expert in the IT field, at an affordable price,” said Ben McElroy, Executive Producer for McElroy Films.  “Drobo gives us peace of mind that our data is safe so we can focus on our video production.”

Top 10 Essential Tools for Video Production

McElroy Films’ 10 Essential Tools for Video Production. We’ve compiled this list of professional grade industry tools for video production. McElroy Films is a professional HD video production company in Massachusetts. We specialize in corporate, non profit and wedding video production.

1. Software – The most important part of any production is the script. We’ve worked with other popular word processors but nothing beats Final Draft AV. We’ve had great success writing our scripts in two-columned format and it’s served us well. Its fast and easy and we love the automatic formatting it offers.

http://www.finaldraft.com/products-and-services/final-draft-av/

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2. Lighting – At McElroy Films lighting is an essential part to any business. ARRI lights are the “Cadillac” of lights, they’re put to use across the world on feature films, TV productions, TV studios and major sporting events. That’s why we’ve chosen ARRI lights. Our kit consists of 1k’s, 650’s, 300’s, and 150’s.

http://www.arri.com/
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3. Camera – The best tapeless camera on the market is the Sony PMW-EX1 XDCAM. The EX1 utilizes Sony’s three newly designed 1/2-inch type “Exmor”™ CMOS sensors, each with an effective pixel count of 1920 x 1080.
Resolutions supported are1080p, 720p and 1080i. It also includes variable frame rates up to 60fps. The EX1 supports SxS memory card technology, utilizing high data transfer rates that enhance the High Definition content creation workflow.

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/micro-xdcamexsite/

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4. Camera Support – Sachtler makes some of the best tripods in the industry. They’ve been the choice for camera operators for 50 years. They are extremely resilient and break proof under extreme circumstances. We use the Speed Lock Carbon Fiber sticks with the FSB 6 fluid head.

http://www.sachtler.us/index.php?id=1108

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5. Audio – The next tool you’ll need is professional audio. Some of the best microphones in the industry are from Sony. We listed both wired and wireless mics that we use.

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/product-ECM44B/

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/product-UWPV1%2F3032/

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6. Headphones – Now that you have professional grade mics, you’ll need to monitor everything. That’s why we listed these headphones from Sony. They’re perfect for any crowded camera bag because of their compact folding desgin.

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/product-MDR7506/

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7. Dolly – Another great tool in the video production line up is a dolly. They’re not just limited to movie sets and big budget project. Dolly systems have come down in price and are very reasonable. We’ve used the Indie Dolly for years and strongly recommend it. It’s well build and lightweight.

This system comes with foam-padded cases that make it easy for transportation and storage.

http://www.indiedolly.com/
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8. Portable LCD – Every shoot needs them, they’re great for the camera operator and for producers. Ikan makes some very affordable high definition LCDs. Their latest model comes with an HDMI port for fast output from popular video SLRs.

http://www.ikancorp.com/pages/monitors/V8000hdmi/index.htm
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9. Equipment Cases – Now that you have all this expensive equipment you’ll need a place to store it for transportation. Porta Brace from Bennington VT, are experts when it comes to cases. All their bags come with Genuine suede straps, durable leather handles and rugged blue Cordura® fabrics.

From cameras to tripods, Porta Brace has a case that will fit your needs. They’re well built and will last for years.

http://www.portabrace.com/
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10. Postproduction – This is the final step of any video production. After the preproduction and all the shoots it’s off to the editing suite. One platform we’ve trusted for years is Final Cut Pro. We’ve grown up with it and now it’s industry standard.

The workflow from our HD cameras to FCP is seamless. We can edit with out any interruption of system lag or errors. Apple and Final Cut Pro are the best in the business.

http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/

Edit Suite

Photos of the new Final Cut Studio at McElroy Films
Photos by David H. Brow