How to Set Up File Sharing for Post-Production Teams

What Makes Post-Production File Sharing Different

Post-production file sharing has requirements that general-purpose tools don't address. An editor sending a Premiere Pro project to a colorist isn't like a sales team sharing a PDF.

The files are large. A single day of 4K shooting generates 500GB to 2TB of footage depending on codec and camera count. Project files reference media across multiple drives. Renders output in formats (ProRes 4444, DNxHR, EXR sequences) that consumer platforms compress or reject outright.

The workflows are complex. A single project might involve handoffs to:

• Assistant editors for organization and syncing
• Lead editors for the creative cut
• Colorists for grading locked picture
• VFX artists for specific shots
• Composers for score and music editing
• Sound mixers for audio post
• Clients for review and approval

Each collaborator needs different files at different stages. The assistant editor needs everything during ingest. The colorist only needs the locked timeline and full-resolution media. The client needs a streaming preview, not a 50GB download.

Generic file sharing treats every file the same. Post-production file sharing understands that a project file is useless without its linked media, that review cuts need instant streaming, and that handoffs happen on tight deadlines where waiting 4 hours for a download isn't an option.

5 Requirements for Post-Production File Sharing

Based on how post-production actually works, five requirements separate platforms that work from platforms that create more problems than they solve.

1. Speed That Matches Production Schedules

When picture locks at 6 PM and the colorist needs media by morning, upload speeds matter. Consumer platforms top out at 20-50 Mbps on a good connection. Professional workflows need accelerated transfers that saturate available bandwidth.

The math is simple: a 200GB project at 50 Mbps takes nearly 9 hours. At 500 Mbps, it's under an hour. That's the difference between starting work tomorrow and starting work next week.

2. Security for Unreleased Content

Film and TV projects carry strict confidentiality requirements. Studios issue security guidelines. NDAs cover everyone who touches the footage. Leaks end careers and trigger lawsuits.

Security features that matter:

• Encryption at rest and in transit
• Access controls at folder and file level
• Link expiration for temporary shares
• Download restrictions for review-only access
• Audit logs showing who accessed what and when

3. Organization That Scales

A feature film generates hundreds of thousands of files across departments. Without structure, finding the right version of the right shot becomes a daily frustration.

Effective organization means:

• Workspace separation by project and department
• Consistent folder structures that match post workflows
• Search that finds files by name, metadata, or content
• Version tracking that shows which file is current

4. Review Without Downloads

Directors, producers, and clients need to watch cuts. They don't need to download 30GB files to do it.

Streaming playback via HLS lets reviewers watch immediately in their browser. The video starts in seconds, not hours. Quality adapts to their connection. They can scrub the timeline, leave comments, and share feedback without ever downloading.

5. Versioning That Tracks Changes

Post-production is iterative. Every cut has multiple versions. Every VFX shot goes through revisions. Knowing which version is current, which was approved, and what changed between them prevents costly mistakes.

Version control should be automatic. Upload a new file with the same name and the system keeps both, marking the new one as current while preserving the previous version for reference.

How Post-Production Teams Share Files Today

Different file types and workflow stages call for different sharing approaches.

Project File Sharing

NLE project files (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer) are small but reference external media. Sharing a project file without its linked footage is useless.

Two approaches work:

Collect and package: Export the project with all linked media consolidated into a single folder. This creates a portable package anyone can open. The downside: file sizes balloon because you're duplicating footage.

Shared storage: Keep media on cloud storage that everyone can access. Project files reference the same paths, so handoffs only require sharing the small project file. The upside: no duplication, instant handoffs. The requirement: reliable, fast access to shared storage.

Proxy workflows help both approaches. Generate low-resolution versions of source footage, edit with proxies, then relink to full-resolution for finishing. Proxy projects are small enough to share easily while maintaining the link structure for final assembly.

Dailies and Rushes

Production generates footage daily. Editorial needs to start organizing and cutting while shooting continues. Getting footage from set to post quickly keeps editors from falling behind.

Camera to cloud workflows upload footage directly from location to cloud storage. Editorial accesses files as they upload, sometimes beginning selects before the day's shoot wraps.

For traditional handoffs, shooters ingest camera cards and upload overnight. Editorial downloads or streams the next morning.

Review Cuts

Review cuts go to directors, producers, showrunners, and clients. They need to watch, not download. They need to leave feedback tied to specific moments, not send paragraph descriptions of "that part around the middle."

Streaming links with timecoded commenting handle this. The reviewer watches in their browser, clicks a frame, types their note. Everyone sees the same timeline with the same feedback visible.

Final Deliverables

Masters need to arrive at their destination bit-for-bit identical to the source. No compression, no transcoding, no quality loss.

Delivery tracking confirms receipt. When a distributor claims they never got the files, logs show exactly when they downloaded and what they accessed.

Proxy Workflows for Remote Post-Production

Remote editing at scale requires proxy workflows. Nobody is going to download 2TB of 6K RAW footage to their home internet connection to start a cut.

How Proxy Workflows Work

1. Ingest source footage to central storage
2. Generate proxies at editing resolution (typically 1080p ProRes Proxy or H.264)
3. Editors work with proxies for responsive playback
4. Conform to full-resolution once picture locks
5. Finishing specialists use original media for color and VFX

Proxies are typically 10-20x smaller than source. That 2TB of 6K becomes 100-200GB of 1080p, workable over a decent home connection.

Server-Side vs. Local Transcoding

Where you generate proxies matters.

Local transcoding means each editor generates their own proxies. This takes hours, duplicates effort across team members, and requires everyone to have capable hardware.

Server-side transcoding generates proxies once, centrally. Editors access the same proxy set immediately. No waiting, no duplication, no transcoding hardware needed on their end.

Cloud-native platforms can generate proxies automatically during upload. By the time the source media finishes uploading, streaming proxies are ready for editorial.

Maintaining Project Portability

Proxy workflows depend on precise naming and frame-rate matching. The proxy must match the source file frame-for-frame so relinking works automatically in your NLE.

Good proxy generation:

• Preserves original filename with suffix (SOURCE_NAME_proxy.mov)
• Matches frame rate exactly
• Matches timecode exactly
• Uses consistent codec across all proxies

Security for Film and TV Projects

Studios don't trust their content to platforms without security infrastructure. A leaked trailer, an early script, an unfinished VFX shot posted online can derail marketing campaigns and spoil releases.

What Studios Require

Major studios publish security guidelines covering:

• Encryption standards for data at rest and in transit
• Access control policies (who can see what)
• Watermarking for tracking leak sources
• Geographic restrictions for content that can't leave certain regions
• Audit requirements for tracking all access

Studios sometimes require vendors to complete security assessments before sharing content. Having answers to these questions ready speeds up onboarding.

Practical Security Features

For day-to-day post work, these security features matter most:

Granular permissions: Control access at workspace, folder, and file level. The assistant editor sees everything. The colorist sees only the locked timeline. The client sees only their approved cuts.

Link controls: Set expiration dates, require passwords, restrict to specific email domains. A review link to a director works only for their email address, expires in 48 hours, and doesn't allow downloads.

Watermarking: Burned-in identifiers track who received which copy. If footage leaks, the watermark identifies the source.

Audit logs: Complete history of who viewed, downloaded, or modified each file. When security incidents happen, logs provide the investigation trail.

Working with Clients Under NDA

Client reviews often happen under NDA. The client needs to see the work without being able to download and share it freely.

View-only access with disabled downloads handles this. The client watches the streaming version, leaves comments, approves cuts, but never has a downloadable file on their device.

Integrating File Sharing with Review Workflows

File sharing and creative review are connected. Getting files to reviewers is half the problem. Collecting their feedback efficiently is the other half.

The Review Bottleneck

Review cycles average 3-5 rounds per project. Each round traditionally goes:

1. Editor exports a review cut
2. Upload to sharing platform
3. Email link to reviewers
4. Wait for everyone to watch
5. Collect feedback via email, Slack, text, calls
6. Compile scattered notes into a change list
7. Implement changes, repeat

The creative work in step 7 might take an hour. The logistics in steps 1-6 can take days.

Streaming Review Links

When reviewers can watch instantly via streaming link, the timeline compresses. No download wait means feedback can arrive the same day instead of the next day.

Link sharing should be simple: generate a URL, set permissions, send. The recipient clicks and watches. No account creation, no app installation, no file downloads.

Frame-Accurate Commenting

Feedback pinned to specific timecodes eliminates ambiguity. "Fix color at 01:23:15:04" beats "the shot of the car looks too warm."

Good review interfaces let reviewers:

• Click a frame to pin a comment
• Draw on the frame to highlight specific areas
• Thread discussions under each note
• Mark comments as addressed or pending

Consolidating Feedback

When feedback arrives from multiple sources (director, producer, client, EP), consolidation becomes its own task. Copy-pasting notes from emails into a change list takes time.

Centralized commenting keeps all feedback in one place. Export the complete comment list as a PDF or spreadsheet for the change list. No manual compilation.

Setting Up File Sharing for Your Post House

Implementation depends on your team size, project types, and existing infrastructure.

For Small Teams (2-10 People)

Small teams need simplicity. Complex systems with elaborate permission structures add overhead without benefit when everyone works on everything.

Focus on:

• Single workspace per project with straightforward folder structure
• Streaming previews so clients can review without downloading
• Basic version tracking so previous cuts remain accessible
• Simple link sharing for external collaborators

Skip elaborate permission hierarchies. When five people work together daily, they don't need granular access controls.

For Mid-Size Post Houses (10-50 People)

Mid-size teams juggle multiple projects with different crews. Organization and permissions start to matter.

Add:

• Workspace separation by project and department
• Permission templates for common roles (editor, colorist, client)
• Project archiving to keep storage manageable
• Usage tracking to understand storage and bandwidth patterns

For Enterprise Facilities (50+ People)

Large facilities need scalability, security compliance, and integration with existing systems.

Consider:

• SSO integration with existing identity providers
• API access for workflow automation
• Advanced audit logging for security compliance
• Dedicated support for implementation and issues
• Custom retention policies for different content types

Migration from Existing Systems

Moving from one platform to another requires planning. Account for:

• Data transfer time (terabytes take time to move)
• URL updates (existing links will break)
• Permission mapping (recreating access structures)
• Training period (team adoption takes effort)

Run systems in parallel during transition. Don't cut over completely until you've verified everything works.