Problem
A proxy naming script strips camera roll identifiers, making two editors' footage sets appear interchangeable when they are not.
Solution
Root Cause / Diagnostic:
Poorly configured batch-renaming or proxy scripts that truncate filenames to a simple index (e.g., trimming A001_C001 to C001) cause catastrophic naming collisions across different camera rolls and shooting days.
Actionable Fix:
1. Mandate Immutable Filename Inheritance: Configure proxy transcoders to inherit 100% of the source filename string without character truncation or prefix deletion.
2. Preserve Folder Hierarchy Context: Retain parent folder names (Card/Roll indicators) in proxy directory structures to provide secondary metadata verification.
3. Audit Script Logic Before Production Deployment: Run proxy automation scripts against complex test folder trees containing multi-camera footage before using them in live pipelines.
Pro Tip:
Never truncate camera filenames in proxy automation scripts; proxy files should always match the camera raw filename character-for-character, differing only in file extension.
Poorly configured batch-renaming or proxy scripts that truncate filenames to a simple index (e.g., trimming A001_C001 to C001) cause catastrophic naming collisions across different camera rolls and shooting days.
Actionable Fix:
1. Mandate Immutable Filename Inheritance: Configure proxy transcoders to inherit 100% of the source filename string without character truncation or prefix deletion.
2. Preserve Folder Hierarchy Context: Retain parent folder names (Card/Roll indicators) in proxy directory structures to provide secondary metadata verification.
3. Audit Script Logic Before Production Deployment: Run proxy automation scripts against complex test folder trees containing multi-camera footage before using them in live pipelines.
Pro Tip:
Never truncate camera filenames in proxy automation scripts; proxy files should always match the camera raw filename character-for-character, differing only in file extension.