2024 Trends in Media & Entertainment: Cloud Adoption, Hybrid Workflows and AI

🔄🖥️ Why Cloud & Hybrid Workflows? 

• Remote Collaboration: Speaking to some customers they mentioned that cloud solutions enable real-time global collaboration, on-demand rendering, and faster production. Hybrid workflows combine on-prem control with cloud scalability offering the best of both worlds. 

Example: In post-production, remote teams can work on the same timeline, eliminating delays in feedback loops using Projective Strawberry, which can be deployed on-prem, integrated with existing storage, in the cloud, or a hybrid model. 

• Scalability: Studios are leveraging cloud resources to handle peak rendering and storage needs without upfront investments. 

Example: AWS Deadline Cloud integrates on-prem render farms with the cloud, enabling seamless scalability during peak demand. 

• Flexibility & Security: Hybrid setups allow our customers to keep sensitive assets on-prem while leveraging the cloud for scalable processing. 

Example: LucidLink offers a secure, high-performance file-sharing solution for media teams, enabling hybrid workflows by streaming files directly from cloud storage. 

Key Tools and Applications Driving This Trend: 

• Collaboration Platforms: 
  • ClearView Flex (Sohonet) – Real-time collaboration platform for reviews, instant feedback, annotations, and aligning remote teams and clients. 
  • Flow Production Tracking (Autodesk) – Production management for VFX and animation. 
  • Streamwell – provides real-time video streaming, management, and collaboration for efficient content review, editing, and feedback across remote teams. 
• AI-enabled Cloud Storage & Management: 
  • Amove Click – enhances any cloud storage with smart, powerful features, revolutionizing how content creators, IT teams, and media companies manage storage, teams, projects, and costs. 
  • Axle AI – automatically tags and organizes media, generating metadata for faster search, categorization, and retrieval which helps streamline workflows. 
  • CloudSoda – optimizes file transfers, cost analytics, and data archiving across cloud and on-prem environments. 
  • Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage – provides fast, affordable cloud storage for backups, archiving, and high-performance workloads, compatible with S3 APIs. 
• Rendering in the Cloud: 
  • AWS Thinkbox Deadline – Hybrid render management across cloud and on-premises. 
  • Google Cloud Render – High-powered rendering for Blender, Maya, and Houdini. 
• Hybrid Editing Workflows: 
  • Projective Strawberry – Remote editing workflow for teams to work anywhere. 
  • DaVinci Resolve Cloud – Real-time cloud collaboration for editors and colorists. 

📈 Industry Impact:
Platforms like CloudSoda and Axle AI streamline file management with seamless workflows, faster access, and cost analytics. Collaboration tools like ClearView Flex, Streamwell and Flow Production Tracking keep teams aligned globally, boosting efficiency while tackling cost and security challenges. 

Challenges like latency, cost management, and security remain, but tools like LucidLink are addressing these barriers. 

👀 Looking Ahead 
I believe that we will continue to see growth and more adoption of the cloud and the push to integrate AI into workflows will continue. However, being able to integrate AI on-prem rather than in the cloud in a hybrid model seems to be what the majority of the people I have been talking to in the industry want. Whether you are a studio executive, a technologist, or an artist, embracing this shift is crucial for staying competitive. 

Contact us at Annex Pro if you need help building a resilient Hybrid workflow or transitioning into the cloud. 

Annex Pro enables storytellers to create and share their dreams with anyone, everywhere. We are Canada’s leading Media & Entertainment solutions provider, with thousands of enterprise, education and freelance customers using the media production solutions we supply to create (and teach) awe-inspiring animation, visual effects, video games, music, immersive experiences and digital media on all kinds of platforms.