Staying creative in entertainment while working from home
Welcome to our "Remote for Real" series, a collection of posts from Box executives across our organization on what it's like when remote work becomes a reality for your organization, whether you're ready or not.
Whether you are on set filming a sequel or a pilot, in the studio recording vocals for a new single, or in the writer room of a late night show coming up with jokes for a sketch, collaboration is an essential part and way of life in the entertainment industry. Often done in person and in groups, collaboration happens from the inception of an idea or a concept all the way to delivery and even to that moment on stage, when receiving a highly coveted award for the success and recognition of that concept.
With the recent developments of COVID-19 and the mandate from many companies to work from home, the entertainment industry is facing the new challenge to stay creative without the in-person settings professionals are accustomed to. Many of the unique production workflows such as rendering or VFX will requires CIOs and IT teams to provide additional hardware and scale their production in the cloud strategy with solutions like Avid for sound editing and TransPerfect for dubbing among others as well as balance security and ease of use.
As you navigate this challenge, cloud solutions like Box can help make this transition seamless. Here are a few tips:
Working on a script
Scriptwriting can be complex, but collaborating to revise and finalize the story shouldn't be. With Box you can easily invite collaborators into a folder, and control the level of access for each person you invite in. You can also set up a transparent workflow with Box Relay to keep your project both moving along and secure in the process. With Box Notes, you can share and capture ideas in real time, with automatic versioning that helps you keep track of storyline progressions and comments. Once finalized and watermarked, you can share from your mobile device. To make it even more interactive, video communication tools like Zoom can help add the face-to-face element content creators are accustomed to.
Finalizing a budget
Before any production starts, budgets have to be finalized and approved. Box is fully integrated with Office 365 and allows you to work seamlessly and simultaneously on an excel spreadsheet without having to download and upload the document to make edits. If Google Sheets is more your jam, Box integrates easily there too. Additionally, of critical importance, seven permission levels help keep confidential information secure. You can ensure the right executives have access only to view your budget numbers, while key stake holders can easily make updates. With mobile access you can keep working on the go, and auto-save documents in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides which happens seamlessly, and directly within Box.
Keeping your audience engaged
With premieres and features getting postponed just weeks or even days before launch, and titles released within the past few weeks now becoming available sooner on VOD. Marketing teams have to find new ways to quickly create digital campaigns to drive momentum on these titles and ultimately keep the audience engaged. Using Box, you can swiftly create virtual workplaces accessible from anywhere and on any device to collaborate seamlessly with internal key stakeholders. You can also quickly onboard external agencies, find assets fast, and keep new ideas and campaigns secure. Enabling communication with tools like Slack helps keep teams aligned as well.
These are just a few examples of how M&E professionals are managing their workflow through the current crisis. There are many more use cases unfolding daily. Please know that you have a team of experts here at Box, committed to guiding and supporting you as you navigate through this unprecedented time and your remote work initiatives. We know this is a challenging time for individuals, teams and communities. Don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] or [email protected] if we can help you along this journey.