For companies producing large amounts of video content, the ability for all stakeholders to collaborate efficiently is critical. This is where Media Asset Management (MAM) comes in. Specific MAM solutions push beyond the “finished product” capabilities of traditional Digital Asset Management (DAM) solutions. This enables editors, producers, and clients to collaborate on video from within the MAM, all while work is still in progress.
But not all MAM systems are created equal, especially when it comes to video. Below are 4 things to look for when choosing a MAM for video collaboration.
1. Tools must be intuitive and integrate naturally into your workflow
This is the most important feature to watch for when determining which MAM will work best for your organization. Integrating a MAM into your workflow should make your team work faster, not slower. This means it should plug into the tools you already use, and allow everyone from producers to editors to interact with it in a way that is natural and intuitive. the interactions with the MAM should come naturally for everyone from producers to editors.
Once an editor has a cut, they should be able to store or share the file with ease. Nobody wants to spend time sifting through screens of options or be forced to share their files through a platform like Dropbox that is not optimized for video collaboration.
The good news is that nearly every MAM solution integrates with Adobe Premiere. However, the level of integration with other products is widely varied, as does the level of functionality and support between solution providers. Make sure the MAM you’re looking at works with the hardware and software you already use. Different MAMs offer workflow and version tracking, the ability for multiple parties to comment, and support for other file types such as images and text documents. Understanding the solutions that are available and your unique business needs is crucial when choosing the right MAM system.
2. Easy to share feedback
Your MAM should provide a place in which video editors, clients, and producers can communicate in a manner that is efficient for each stakeholder. This doesn’t just mean facilitating collaboration between the producer and the client, but with the editor as well. Giving your editor direct visibility into client feedback reduces the likelihood of comments being overlooked, and lets your editor get to work quicker.
Feedback and comments should also be aggregated in one spot where they are visible to everyone. This saves a producer from having to collect client comments from multiple sources, remove duplicates, and send to the editor. It also reduces the chance that something important will be missed.
3. Visibility into client interaction
Knowing when and how your client interacts with videos that are in progress lets you save both time and money. When multiple stakeholders are viewing and commenting on a video, it’s not uncommon for post-production to hinge on the actions of a particular stakeholder.
If a producer knows an important stakeholder has not seen the video yet, they won’t waste time and money by having the editor work on the video prematurely. It also allows the producer to nudge the stakeholder to review the video. In a world where everyone has less time to focus on their ever-growing workload, being able to monitor and manage the review process is key.
4. Collaborate seamlessly across devices
It is impossible to know what kind of device your client will be viewing your work on. For this reason, your MAM solution should provide a uniform experience across mobile and desktop devices. Mobile optimization is about more than just the content looking the same regardless of the device. It needs to play back smoothly for the client whether they are in their office, in a hotel, or at an airport. This ensures time-strapped clients can review and comment on work on-the-go without slowing down the process.
Want to learn how one MAM has saved some of the largest media companies thousands of hours of productivity? Check out Evolphin Zoom here.