Media and the shared library

FilmOpen separates creative descriptions from the media that realizes them. The current application reads three locations: the project folder, its media root, and the shared library.

The project folder

This holds the manifest and creative JSON files: authored project versions, entities, commentary, and official pointers. You can organize entity files in subfolders; their filenames carry their identity.

The media root

The manifest can point to a separate location for generated or imported media. For example:

filmopen-project.json

{
  "filmopen": 1,
  "tag": "cartographer",
  "data": {
    "type": "local",
    "path": "../the-cartographer-data"
  }
}

This keeps media beside the project folder. Relative paths are portable when you move the folders together. Without a separate media locator, the project folder is its own media root.

The current application resolves local media locations. Other locator types in the specification, including cloud services, are recognized but are not connected to those services yet.

Inspect takes

Select an entity and open Takes. The application discovers media by filename and associates it with the relevant source version and render batch. It previews images; audio and video currently use placeholder icons.

Missing media should not hide the film’s JSON. Check the media location shown in the project overview and whether the referenced files exist there. Git LFS pointer files are not the full media files.

The shared library

Models, platforms, and plugins can live in the application-wide shared library. Open Settings → Shared library to see its location, reveal it in the file browser, choose another folder, or use the default.

The application seeds the default library once. It does not automatically update that library and does not edit its contents through project editing controls. Entities from it are marked Shared library.

Move or collaborate on a project

Keep relative locations valid when moving project and media folders. A synced folder can transport files between collaborators, but simultaneous edits can still conflict. Git adds history and review; it is not required by the format.

Do not put service passwords, API keys, or access tokens in project files. A location tells FilmOpen where data lives, not how to log in.