DV Info Net - Workflow Enhancing Idea

Final Cut has some feature that allows you to create like a quicktime reference movie, where you have an MOV that just references other MOV's.

What about a cineform one of those? Editor and Colorist and Sound Mixer have all the CFHD files on their own hard drives. The editor just goes to export (not just final cut, make it an option in all the NLE's by writing an encoder that looks like a new codec, but just makes a reference MOV or AVI.) a reference movie and an EDL. The EDL and reference movie both take up very little harddrive space, so it can be sent across dropbox.

The reference movie is playable in any program with NeoPlayer installed on the computer. WMP, QT Player, VLC, Pro Tools, whatever. Same as any other cineform avi or mov.

On the backend the file just frameserves in the the other I-frames from the other files, pulling them through the dropbox-synced LUT's and into the calling app. All three people have their drives matched so it won't have to look for a file. If a file is missing though it could just display a red screen for those pages with a missing file error and the description of where it would be. all this would be displayed within the playing video.

So the Colorist can continue to correct through FirstLight and see his changes as they fit into the edit, all in real time without having to open an NLE that they may or may not have. The editor might have an Avid Nitris, but I don't think the colorist / sound mixer should have to make that investment.

The EDL referenced above is for the sound guy's updated Protools timeline, and the reference video is for his video track.

What do you all think about this? Potential problems?

Another option is to be able to render a file that doesn't have the color correction burned in. Basically a single file that contains markers inside it that reference multiple GUID's. Not as small of a file, but reasonable, and maybe easier to implement.

What do you think about that?

Anyone feel free to chime in. The days of shoot -> edit -> sound -> color are over. Let's make non-linear editing truly non-linear. No more need for picture locks.