For many artists and studios unaccustomed to remote workflows, 2020 was a year of trial and error. In 2021, the focus shifted from remote workflow adoption to optimization, a trend that will continue into 2022 and beyond. Now that remote workflows are here to stay, establishing a secure content protection strategy has never been more important.
At the Trusted Partner Network (TPN), protecting content is our key focus. The organization launched in 2018 to establish a benchmark for security preparedness among vendors. Almost all of the major entertainment studios in the US work with TPN to set voluntary guidelines that are then used to evaluate creative studios and tools. The process enables studios and vendors to collaborate more quickly and safely. As of this year, the TPN is operated solely by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), which champions filmmaker diversity, safeguards intellectual property rights, advances technological innovation and supports international trade policies in entertainment. As the gold standard in content security for entertainment, the MPA’s capabilities, combined with TPN services, provides studios and vendors with a one-stop resource for content protection, security and mitigation.
It may not be the most exciting aspect of filmmaking, but content security is always top of mind for creators. In the digital age, illegally-obtained material can be distributed worldwide in seconds, with potentially catastrophic financial consequences. To protect the health and safety of artists throughout the pandemic, studios have been challenged to adopt new technologies and practices that make it simpler to produce content from home. In any case where content moves outside the facility, it becomes more vulnerable to data breaches. Having vendors evaluate their security protocols to production studios provides reassurance that IP is protected, without requiring in-depth security audits. Considering how workflows have been supercharged by the cloud, the TPN is exploring how to incorporate cloud-based and remote options into its evalulation process.
Remote/cloud production will likely remain a favorable strategy. This means vendors and solutions providers need to consider how to secure content in less tightly-controlled environments.
Jan van Voorn is the acting president of Trusted Partner Network (www.ttpn.org).