Media management can be one of the more irritating facets of filmmaking, especially in the digital age. While various DIT tools exist for the purpose of transcoding, creation of proxies, LUT application, on-set grading, etc, many of the more effective solutions are way beyond our budgets. For the past several months, Red Giant's BulletProof, a comprehensive suite of media management tools, has been in a public beta in order to work out the kinks in the software. Today, BulletProof 1.0 has finally been released into the filmmaking world. Check it out:
Here's Red Giant's launch video for BulletProof:
And here's the awesome quickstart guide, which highlights just how versatile BulletProof can be:
And here's are several in-depth guides to getting started with BulletProof:
Step #1: Import
Step #2: Organize
Step #3: Review
Step #4: Refine
Step #5: Export
One thing to keep in mind is that BulletProof is currently limited in its compatibility, both with codec support and operating systems. At this point, the program is only available for the Mac OS, although a Windows version is purportedly in the works.
Additionally, if you're looking to use BulletProof right away with anything other than DSLRs and GoPro cameras, you might be out of luck, as it currently only supports the import and export of h.264 and ProRes. With that said, there is an update roadmap in place that will offer free upgrades to the program giving full support for the most requested codecs. So, if you want BulletProof to work with your workflow, let Red Giant know and chances are that they can make it happen.
All in all, BulletProof looks to be a fantastic solution for folks who need a practical and cost-effective solution to the issues of digital media management. BulletProof is $199 for the full version, and $99 for the academic version. If you're interested, head on over to Red Giant's site and check it out.
What do you guys think? Is Bulletproof the future of low-budget media management? What codecs would you most like to see incorporated into the software in a future update? Let us know in the comments!
