Production - File organisation

This is our teams file organization for our music video project. This blog is wrtitten by Kalista 

My team mates and I used several apps to communicate, combine our work, and to make everything organized and easy to find which  really helped us on the process of exporting clips. Our primary mode of communication was WhatsApp, which we used to coordinate with our cast and crew. This platform allowed us to quickly spread information, schedule shoots, and resolve any last-minute changes, making our process more efficient. To further enhance accessibility, we created a WhatsApp community group, ensuring all key updates and discussions were centralized in one place.

Since we had different side cast members scheduled on different days, this system was particularly beneficial in managing availability. Whenever uncertainties arose regarding which actors were available for a shoot, the group chat helped us clarify and adjust our plans accordingly.

File Management & Storage

Beyond communication, we utilized Google Drive as our primary storage solution. We systematically organized our footage into dedicated folders, including:

• Screen tests – To review performances before final shoots.
• Raw footage – To keep unedited clips accessible for editing.
• Behind-the-scenes (BTS) content – To document our production process.

By consolidating everything into a single drive with well-labeled folders, we significantly improved accessibility and changes speed. This structure allowed us to locate and manage our files efficiently, reducing delays during post-production.

Overall, this organized approach played a crucial role in ensuring our smooth collaboration, minimizing confusion, and increasing our production workflow.

Self Reflection: Having this file organisation actually saved a lot of time for my group. Even though it took a long time to set up at first, we can easily share our finalised works or coordinated with specific actors/actress to know which day their available as we can coordinate the location, time and outfit after everyone has agreed on the specific date. This minimises miscommunication between cast members and production crew as if anyone has a question they can easily ask in the messenger app "whatsapp".  We also had our photos and videos organised on gdrive which allows for easy access to download and pick the image/video needed instead of scrolling up thousands of times to find just one "BTS" picture. I helped add the clips I recorded onto gdrive so my team can have the final say on what clips to use this also eases the process of editing for our editor (Chelsea) as if she lost one file she can easily go back to it.  So I fond this to be very helpful as I belive our structure is already well organised, but if I had to change something I would seperate each picture with its own folder of what day we shoot it just to make life a little easier.