Shoot Ingest and Backup
Turn a pile of memory cards into two verified copies of every file before anyone starts editing.
Tools
Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, Photo Structure, Bunny.net
Outcomes
Two verified copies before a card is formatted • Frame count logged per card • Truncated files named, not discovered later • Same-day handoff note to the producer
Documentation
Instruction-ready detail below
What breaks
Cards get formatted while the only copy is still sitting on one laptop, and a file that failed to copy looks exactly like one that did. The gap is found on Monday, when the cut is already booked.
What the workflow does
- Copy each card to the working folder without renaming anything yet.
- Recalculate a checksum for every file and compare it with the card listing.
- Copy the same folder to one offsite location and wait for the counts to match.
- Write the frame count per card next to the shoot name.
- Add the card to the format list only after both copies check out.
What a human still approves
The second person on the shoot confirms the frame count per card before anything is formatted, and names which offsite copy counts as the backup. Checksums catch silent truncation; they do not catch a card that was never read at all.