Skip to main content

We’re introducing Satellite Review add-on for on-premise Enterprise customers. Using this new approach, you can perform hybrid cloud/on-prem remote review sessions, which should come in handy during this remarkable era of remote work. Read on to find out how to set up this new feature and maintain creative momentum on your (suddenly) remote projects.

Rarely has the current generation experienced such an unprecedented upheaval of daily life. The coronavirus situation continues to develop and affect us all in unexpected ways, and no industry is safe from its impact. We’ve heard from many creative studios how the outbreak restrictions have increased pipeline complexity, for instance, as creatives set up for work from home and new requirements emerge. As an industry, we must work together and react to these changes in any way we can.

At ftrack, we’re devising numerous approaches to creative collaboration that we hope will alleviate the strain as our customers navigate today’s unfamiliar processes. One such solution is Satellite Review.

Satellite Review is a hybrid cloud/on-premise media review solution add-on for on-prem ftrack Enterprise customers. Once implemented, on-prem Enterprise customers can perform cloud-based remote review sessions with ease to maintain creative momentum in ongoing projects.

We hope that this makes things a little easier as studios find a new way to work within the limitations imposed by the pandemic.

To learn more about how to add Satellite Review to your on-premise implementation, please contact your ftrack account manager, or send an email to sales at [email protected].

Satellite Review

With Satellite Review, Enterprise customers can create a hybrid cloud platform, based on their ftrack on-premise installation, which enables collaborators to perform review sessions over the internet.

We built this solution to make reviewable media files available outside a company firewall, thus increasing ftrack client review process efficiency. This effort included support for a hybrid platform based on a primary ftrack instance inside the firewall and a satellite instance available outside. It was therefore possible to automate client reviews by allowing access to a client review for collaborators over the internet, or for internal collaborators.

A review satellite is another ftrack instance either in a DMZ or cloud that can be accessed from the internet but is completely isolated from the primary on-prem production server.

How to get Satellite Review up and running

Here’s what you need:

  • A primary on-premise ftrack production server.
  • Another server for Satellite Review. This must be in the cloud or an environment accessible on the internet.
  • You must use https and a public SSL certificate to enable access to the Satellite Review
  • You must enable timezone support and run UTC on the satellite server.

We have packaged actions for communication between the primary server and the satellite into a Docker container. You can run these actions on any container orchestration system.

When the above requirements are in place, you must configure the satellite server and the production server. Please let us know if you need any support with this!

How to conduct a Satellite Review

Start off as usual:

  1. Create a client review in a project on your primary ftrack server.
  2. Add media files for review (images, movie/videos, multipage PDFs, etc.)
  3. Add your collaborators; either internal, external, or both
  4. Here’s where things change. If you would like to use the Satellite Review option, don’t send out invites. Instead, open the actions in the client review. You will find two options: Transfer Review and Generate Report:
  • Transfer Review: This action will transfer the client review to the satellite and automatically send emails to the collaborators and yourself. If you add new versions of any media or add another collaborator, just rerun the action to update the Satellite.
  • Generate report: This action will generate and download a report of all the feedback provided in a review session.

We hope that this makes things a little easier as we all adapt to our new remote workflows! It’s a challenging time, but if we all tackle it together, we’ll come through better and stronger as an industry on the other side.

Magnus Eklöv

CTO, ftrack

“We hope that Satellite Review makes it easier for on-prem Enterprise customers to maintain creative momentum as we react to the impact of the coronavirus. As an industry, we’re great at using ingenuity to tackle times of crisis. At ftrack, we’ll continue to innovate to make ftrack easier to access from remote locations and make the WFH situation as stress-free and navigable as possible.”

ftrack Enterprise

Gain access to everything available in ftrack Studio, plus an additional set of features and services specially tailored to your organization and its unique requirements. ftrack Enterprise is designed to maximize what you can achieve with the ftrack platform – and what it can achieve for you.

Learn about ftrack Enterprise
Visit the ftrack remote work hub
Interested to learn more about Satellite Review with ftrack Enterprise? Let us know your needs and we’ll be in touch.

    What problem are you experiencing that has made you take a look at ftrack Enterprise?*

    By clicking Send you agree to our Privacy Policy.

    More from the blog

    ftrack achieves SOC 2 Security compliance, setting a new standard for secure creative project management

    | Announcements, News, Product, Review, Security, Studio | No Comments
    We’re pleased to announce the successful completion of ftrack’s independent SOC 2 audit, reaffirming the commitment, consideration, and care we continue to give to the security of your projects. For…
    ftrack

    Protecting Your Creative Vision During Desktop and Web-based Review & Approval

    | cineSync, Product, Review, Tips & tricks | No Comments
    When it comes to the question of security for media review solutions, how do we manage the balance between protecting the media, but still keeping the solutions simple and user…
    Twilight POST

    Twilight POST: On the Front Lines of India’s Expanding VFX and Animation Industry

    | Animation, Case Study, News, Q&A, Studio | No Comments
    As the world sits up and takes notice of cinematic marvels like K.G.F: Chapter 2 and RRR, it's clear that Indian cinema is a force to be reckoned with. VFX…

    How to Bypass the 3 Mental Snags of Media Sequence Creation

    | Animation, News, Review, Studio, Tips & tricks | No Comments
    Forging a compelling media sequence in the fires of creativity and urgent deadlines is a craft that requires meticulous planning, seamless transitions, and an instinctive understanding of storytelling. Whether for…

    How Cine Chromatix Automates Production Workflows with ftrack for Award-winning Work

    | Case Study, News, Q&A, Review, Studio | No Comments
    Racking up industry awards in VFX is just the beginning for Cine Chromatix.   Cine Chromatix is a full-service partner for feature films and series with an in-house VFX and…

    What’s new in ftrack media review – Easy sequence editing, audio-only file review, and huge uploads!

    | New features, Product, Release, Review, Studio | No Comments
    We're introducing even more efficiency and precision to your reviews with the latest media review updates in ftrack Review and ftrack Studio! We've fine-tuned our review and approval process, introducing…

    What’s new in ftrack Studio – New UI views, search settings, and powerful API features!

    | API, New features, Product, Release, Studio | No Comments
    Discover the fantastic new features we've incorporated into ftrack Studio, designed to take your user experience to a new level! Get ready to boost your production efficiency, streamline tasks, and…

    What’s new in cineSync 5 – Wacom support, playback control, and new annotations

    | cineSync, New features, Product, Release | No Comments
    Breeze through your cineSync sessions with our latest updates, designed to make you more productive and – with the new Wacom and stylus support – even more creative! So, kick…