This training is focused on asset management in today’s digital cinema productions. Much of what will be covered, apply to asset management for other areas of digital media, as they do overlap a great deal. The job function for this course’s focus is called the Media Manager. But it’s bigger than just managing data.

Figure 1 DIT process steps on-set.

Figure 1. This is the important 30,000-foot view of where this course fits into the overall scheme of the DIT career. The course is focused on steps 1 and 2. Step three is the realm of the DIT… although a DIT does it all.

There is more. Lots more and that ‘more’ is very technical. Although we will wade into the deep end of the digital pool,  understand that this course will get you functional/hire-able in short order. But there’s always more to learn and experience. All that comes with time-on-set.

Once you grasp the core processes and ideas within the lessons of this Media Manager (MM) course, you will be ready to wade into your first BBQ. This is what grips and electricians call your ‘first day’ on the set for a ‘newbie’.

It is important to state at the outset; this endeavor will require your focused time. There’s a lot of reading and hands-on tutorials to plow through.  When all is said and done, you will have an excellent overview, and gain essential skill sets, in areas you only once dreamed of. Many try to be, or think they can be, a MM or DIT with a laptop, hard drive, and card reader. The result is often not good for the production company. Absorb what’s in this course, and it will set you far above the ‘wanna-be’s’. After all, it’s what you can do on the production set that counts.

The MM’s job begins right at the start of production and ends when you hand the production assets off to post-production.

The skills you will learn can be applied to a one-person shop, to a corporate video production setting, to a full-blown, multi-million dollar movie. It’s, as they say, scalable.

DIT textbook

There is a compendium textbook for this course. It’s not required, but if you are like me, I prefer to have this resource at my fingertips without a data connection.

The text ‘The Digital Imaging Technician: A practical guide to on-set management of digital media’ is available through the LearnDIT web site. You can download the PDF or ePub version immediately upon payment.

This book encompasses the Media Manager and the entirety of the DIT job. It’s a meaty tomb with dozens of tutorials, in-depth training on color, codecs, color spaces, workflows using industry-standard software, helping you skill-up for your new career.

With all this in mind, let’s begin.