Edit Cloud CEO Simon Green explains why he believes its work on Come Dine With Me shows the benefits of the cloud
The UK’s broadcast industry is creaking at the seams - at least, from a financial perspective. Total film and high-end television production (HETV) hit £4.23bn in 2023, according to the BFI. Although this was almost a third lower than 2022, it is reminiscent of the expenditure prior to the pandemic.
On a more granular level, it’s not difficult to see what is driving this rise. HETV accounted for 67% of total spend, with UK shows alone responsible for £766m (a 21% increase from the previous year). For studios, this is all the incentive required to develop innovative solutions to streamline workflows and improve efficiency, and subsequently mitigate rising costs.
I believe the market’s competitiveness is only trending in one direction. Factor in the notable increase in HETV commissions, and it’s unsurprising there’s a corresponding demand for skilled producers and high-quality content that stands out in a crowded market. The challenge then becomes devising a cost-effective strategy which embraces new technology without compromising on creativity.
Edit Cloud recently partnered with ITV Studios to implement a new way of working; one of their long-running productions is the TV show Come Dine With Me. The series, produced by ITV Studios’ label Multistory Media for Channel 4, needed to design a new way of working that would deliver short term efficiencies, and demonstrate a future-proof workflow that embraced cloud and assistive AI technology.
The first point of call was to upskill ITV Studios’ existing team, with our Edit Cloud Academy. This training, which was conducted remotely to minimise friction, aimed to ensure editors were proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud. The hands-on approach helped to secure internal buy-in (with participants reporting a 94% positive feedback rating), hoping to avoid any potential resistance to change.
Cloud-based technology was brought in with the aim of consistently delivering high-quality content at scale. We implemented a cloud-based system, powered by AWS and Adobe Premiere Pro, to try and facilitate operational agility whilst being mindful of costs, whcih reduced ITV Studios’ production time by 25%. The incorporation of AI-powered tools such as Text-Based Editing and Speech To Text also looked to optimise the editing process.
Cloud-based workflows were also introduced to help with ITV Studios’ bid to improve sustainability, a key priority given that environmentally responsible practices are becoming increasingly influential within funding decisions and partnerships. Moving away from the on-premise editing systems (and by extension, their extensive energy demands and travel requirements) allowed ITV Studios to reduce its carbon emissions by up to 51%.
With industry pressures showing no signs of abating, it’s unsurprising that more and more productions are turning to cloud-based and AI technologies. Successfully implementing these solutions could unlock streamlined workflows, reduced costs and improved collaboration. ITV Studios is aiming to have 50% of its unscripted content edited using cloud-based solutions within the next three to five years.
Simon Green is CEO of Edit Cloud
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