Okay, you're a new filmmaker and you're on set with your skeleton crew. You've got lots of cameras rolling...2, 3, maybe even 4...and the usual chaos you'd expect from a film production is going on: lighting needs adjusting, hair needs fixing, blocking needs rethinking, and batteries need recharging.
Absolutely everything is happening all at once and just as the last bit of your attention is claimed by some other pressing issue, your memory cards are getting filled up and you need to switch them out quickly so you can get back to shooting.
There are many ways filmmakers manage their data to reduce the risk of misplacing or mislabeling memory cards, but here's a super cheap and easy method that takes little to no brainpower at all. Check out this video by The Basic Filmmaker to find out what it is.
Like I said before, there are many ways to solve the data management issue.
Some filmmakers like to use label makers to label memory cards, while others simply label them with a Sharpie. Personally, I like the gaff tape approach, since it's less permanent than a label maker and more permanent than labeling with a Sharpie. I can remove the label between projects or when a card goes bad or missing, but the tape might cause clearance issues when inserting the card into the camera.
But the Basic Filmmaker's method addresses many of these workflow issues, from being stuck with a label forever to having a label rub off to not being able to actually insert your memory card because of your label. Because you're not labeling your memory card until after it's full, you can use the semi-permanent gaff tape solution and not have to worry about clearance.
"Wait, not labeling my memory cards before a shoot will slow me down!"
I mean, maybe a little. But the way the Basic Filmmaker preps them makes that process super fast and idiot-proof. Just place your labels on the side of each corresponding camera, and when you've filled up a memory card, just throw a label on the bad boy you're switching out. You don't have to stop everything to grab a roll of gaff tape and a pen—just grab a tab, slap it on, and you're good.
Now all you need is a safe place to put those spent cards and you'll be right as rain, honey. (Bonus points for having separate spots for your fulls and empties...like these.)
How do you manage your memory cards? Do you use gaff tape, a Sharpie, or some other ingenious method we don't know about? Let us know down in the comments.
Source: The Basic Filmmaker
