Network Resources

The Production Center maintains a computer network for media production. The following description briefly explains gaining access to Production Center computers and the Production Center network. All CMA/DJAM majors who are officially listed by the registrar and have completed registration on time by the start of the fall semester are assigned accounts in the Production Center computer system. The two most common reasons for students not finding their expected account are as follows:

1. You are not an official CMA/DJAM major.
2. You did not finish registration before the start of classes.

If you are not a CMA/DJAM major but you are in enrolled in a CMA/DJAM production class, an account can be set up for the semester if you request it. Please contact Production Center staff for details.

Each student's login to the Production Center's network is structured the same. Log in using your Biola NetID username and password. Note that this is not a private network; it is an educational, production network. Production Center staff have access to all student folders on the network.

The Production Center computer network can generally be accessed from any computer on the Biola network. To access it from another computer network—from home, for example—you must use SFTP.

Go to the Finder application. When in the Finder, select Go > Connect to Server… from the menu (or use the ⌘K keyboard shortcut). Enter the address of the server you would like to connect to into the Server Address field. Click the Connect… button. Supply your Biola NetID and password. Select the network share you would like to mount, and click OK.

Click on the Start menu, and select Computer. Right-click anywhere in the folder, and select Add a network location from the menu; this opens up a setup wizard. Click the Next button, then select Choose a custom network location and click the Next button again. Enter the address you would like to connect to* in the Internet or network address field. Click on the Browse… button, then click on the appropriate address in the list. Supply your Biola NetID and password at the prompt. Select the network share that you would like to create a connection to, then click Next. Choose a name for the network location. Click Next, then click Finish.

To access the Production Center network from off-campus, you can use SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol), a network protocol used to transfer files. You can also use SFTP when on campus, but it is not recommended.

For transferring files over SFTP, we recommend using the free Cyberduck SFTP client (http://cyberduck.ch/) due to its ease of use. Your upload and download speeds will depend primarily on the speed of the Internet connection on the computer that you are using. When using an SFTP client, like Cyberduck, use Server Address as the “server name” or “host name” and use your Biola NetID and password to log in. By default, SFTP clients open your home folder when you log in.

Features of the Production Center Computer Network

The following is brief summary of network features.

Summary of Share Points Available

When you log in to the server, several share points are visible:

Home Directory Share Point

Your home directory is the folder designated by your login name. Do not store files at the root level of your home directory; they will be accessible by everyone. Store files only within folders such as “Documents”, “Music”, “Movies”, and so on. You can also store files in other share points and folders.

SFX Files

The Production Center pays a royalty fee for the use of a library of around 10,000 sound effects (SFX). You can use the SFX in any production at no charge to you.

These Sound Ideas and Lucasfilm SFX are searchable using the Sound Ideas search engine available on the Sound Ideas Web site (http://www.sound-ideas.com). They also have a downloadable version of their search engine for you to download to your computer.

Warner Chappell Production Music

The Production Center also pays an annual royalty fee for the use of an extensive library of music. You can also use this music in any academic production for which you do not receive compensation at no additional charge to you.

This music library can be accessed directly from the Warner Chappell Web site at warnerchappelpm.com. Directions for accessing the library are stored in the Music Library share point.

The Warner Chappell Music License includes:

• Exports: Student projects for which there is no compensation received
• Streaming: Covers use for streaming student projects online. Please note that your stream will need to be whitelisted by Warner Chappell in order to not be flagged.
• Festivals: For an additional fee, a student can obtain a festival license from Warner Chappell. Please contact Production Center Manager for details.

Production Center Computer Use

Computers bring an incredible set of tools to student productions. It is also possible to destroy hours of work in almost an instant. The following are very important guidelines that will contribute to successful computing projects.

The Production Center maintains a file server where you can store work in progress. If the server storage space fills up, older files may be deleted. Do not expect your files to remain on the server forever. You are responsible for backing up your work. Usually, files older than a semester are deleted. If there is still no space available for new projects, files that are taking up the most space are deleted until there is space available for production.

Very Important Hints

• When editing a movie, the project file or edit decision list (EDL) is the most important file. This file stores all of your edits, all of your creative decisions. It is a text file, meaning that is usually very small in size making it ideal for backing up on a flash drive. Always make backups of this file! With this single file, you can automatically reconnect footage and completely restore your project if there is a computer catastrophe.
• Keep all aspects of a media project saved in one folder. Media production on a computer can generate hundreds and even thousands of computer files. If these files are spread over several areas, your project will eventually fall apart.
• Do not share your account with others.
• The single, most common reason for a piece of software not to work properly in the Production Center is corrupted user preferences. If an application, such as Adobe Premiere will not open, go to Library/Preferences and delete the preference file for the application that will not launch or is behaving erratically.

Generally, Production Center computers are set up with two hard drives. The first hard drive is used for the operating system (OS) and computer programs. The second hard drive is named “Media Drive” and is your work area.

Do not attempt to store projects or other files on the OS drive. There are several reasons for this. One is that your project will work better if the files are all stored on a dedicated hard drive. This will also help the software that you are working with to obtain optimal performance. If the OS drive fills up, software will begin to crash and you may experience other frustrating behavior. Any personal files left on the OS drive will be erased.

The Media Drives on Production Center computers are to be used for projects that you are currently working on. Media Drives are not to be used for long term file storage.

For larger projects or projects that are worked on occasionally, your files must be stored off of the network. If your project is larger than what your network storage space can hold, use an external hard drive to store your project.

Before the beginning of a new semester, Media Drives and server scratch space are cleared to make room for projects for the next semester. Also, during the summer, personal home folders are cleared, along with other server share points, to ensure a clean start for the next school year.

If you need a special computer setup, please feel free to ask. We may be able to help.