The ability to navigate smoothly and precisely through megabytes, gigabytes and even terabytes of digital material without getting lost could greatly increase the efficiency of movie making, give studios greater flexibility in how they operate and ultimately cut costs. As a result, most studios now have teams of people wrestling with the issues. The most obvious benefits of a well-run digital archive involve reuse of existing material. Whiz-bang special effects are ubiquitous in movies these days, as well as in television commercials. As their use grows, so does the usefulness of being able to archive what has already been done.
Users can then search by segments or keywords.
Working up a realistic-looking digital model of such a plane on a computer screen can take several months, says Mr. Burton, Dream Quest's director of technology. The next time a fighter jet is required in a movie, it would be quicker and easier to call up the old image on a screen, and then alter it as necessary to fit the new scene. That's just the start. The longer-term advantages of being able to control the flow of vast amounts of digital data are only now being appreciated. One day, people in Hollywood say, digital asset management could be used not only for its archival abilities, but for dealing with actual film shot or other work done for a movie.