CASE STUDY
Leonfilm Finds Flexible SAN Solution with Facilis TerraBlock
David de Leon began his career in post production as a freelance editor in 1997. In 2009, after freelancing for several years,he launched his own post production studio – Leonfilm in Cologne, Germany. The studio specializes in TV and corporate video post production, and has garnered prominent clients like Sony Pictures FFP, Grundy Light Entertainment, UFA Entertainment and Sony Ericsson over the last three years. As de Leon’s client roster grew, so did his need for a more flexible shared storage system.
Last year Leonfilm expanded into a new studio, which David saw as the perfect opportunity to upgrade to a new SAN. He said, “Our former storage systems were closed, unstable and expensive to maintain. When we moved into the new bureau, I thought we could really use a flexible, open shared storage server that could grow alongside our company, and TerraBlock seemed like an excellent fit.”
In April 2011 David purchased the TerraBlock 24D from Systempiloten in Cologne. He shared, “TerraBlock worked perfectly from the start; it was easy to install and use. I’m definitely not a technical specialist, but a creative man, so having a system in place like TerraBlock is key. It removes the complicated IT overhead you’d typically experience with similar systems – freeing up more of our time for creativity.”
Working across three or four different Avid workstations that are all connected to the TerraBlock by Ethernet, de Leon and his team are able to sort and retrieve files to deliver projects faster. “It’s absolutely necessary for us to have a flexible, stable shared file system like TerraBlock. I’m able to sort every project into it’s own volume, which makes it easier to back up files and find projects,” de Leon said. “I can easily grab a project made in Adobe from TerraBlock, open it up in Avid to edit and then save my work to the TerraBlock. The fact that it supports programs I use every day like Pro Tools an After Effects is an added plus.”
The team relies heavily on TerraBlock to manage data flow for a variety of projects and constantly fills TerraBlock to the brim. “No matter how full our TerraBlock is, it continues to perform solidly; there is no drop in performance whatsoever.
We’ve had nothing but good experiences so far,” he added. For each new project de Leon also contracts freelancers who must learn how to use TerraBlock before beginning a project. Impressed with its ease of use he explained, “It’s absolutely crucial that I have a system our freelancers can pick up and run with easily; TerraBlock only takes about two minutes to explain, and is straightforward to operate.”
“As our work advances and industry formats evolve, it’s good to know that we have a solution in place with the option for Fibre and Ethernet connectivity. If we’d like to work on HD films shot in RED, we can. That’s a great feeling,” he concluded.
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