A BRAW offload is complete only when the footage exists in the required destinations, the copies have been verified, the card is logged, and an authorized person has released the source media. Dragging a folder to a drive and seeing the file count match is not the same as a verified backup.
The data rate chosen in camera determines how quickly this workflow must run. A safe process therefore begins during pre-production, not when the first full card reaches the laptop.
Define “safe” for the production
A common minimum is two verified copies on separate physical devices before camera media is formatted. Irreplaceable or high-value work may require a third copy, separate transport, cloud transfer, LTO, or an immediate clone at another location.
Clarify in writing:
- Number of required copies
- Approved destination media
- Verification method
- Folder and naming convention
- Who checks reports
- Who may release source cards
- When one copy leaves the set
- How errors or mismatches are escalated
Without a release rule, speed pressure can turn an unverified copy into a formatted card.
Use checksum verification
A checksum is a computed fingerprint of file contents. A copy tool can read the source, write the destination, compute fingerprints, and confirm that the destination matches.
Useful verification approaches include established copy applications with logs or command-line tools configured to compare hashes. The exact algorithm is less important than a consistent, documented process that detects a changed byte and records success or failure.
File size and count checks are useful secondary signals, but they cannot prove every byte matches. Spot playback confirms that selected clips decode; it does not verify the full card.
Preserve the source structure
Copy the complete camera-media folder or card volume into a uniquely named destination folder. Do not cherry-pick visible BRAW clips while ignoring sidecar files, metadata, audio, stills, or hidden structures.
A practical destination path might include:
PROJECT / SHOOT_DATE / CAMERA / ROLL_ID / original card contents
Use camera roll IDs that are unique across the entire production. If Camera A and Camera B both create a folder named “001,” the parent structure must prevent collisions.
Avoid renaming source clips before verified copies exist. Editorial metadata can provide human-friendly scene and take labels without changing the negative.
Calculate whether the station can keep up
Suppose a 512GB card usually arrives 80% full: about 410GB. If the end-to-end copy-and-verify process averages 250MB/s, the theoretical single-pass transfer takes about 27 minutes. Verification strategy and two destinations can increase that time.
Now compare with camera consumption. If the next card fills in 35 minutes, the margin is small. A second reader, faster destinations, more cards, or a lower data setting may be necessary.
Test the real path:
- Full source card or representative source SSD
- Actual reader and cable
- Actual computer port or hub
- Both destination drives
- Selected copy software and verification
- Concurrent transfers expected on set
Headline drive speed is irrelevant if the complete job averages far less.
Sequential versus simultaneous destinations
Two common strategies are:
- Copy source to Destination A, then copy source or A to Destination B.
- Read source once and write to A and B simultaneously through a copy application.
Sequential copies take longer but can isolate destination bottlenecks. Simultaneous copies may be faster overall but can divide source, interface, or system bandwidth. Copying B from A reduces card-reader time but creates a dependency on the first destination and its verified state.
Choose deliberately, test it, and keep logs. Do not switch strategy ad hoc when the station becomes busy.
Card-state control
Physical and digital states should be unambiguous. A simple system:
- Red / exposed: footage present, no verified copies
- Yellow / in process: copy or verification underway
- Green / released: required copies verified and release logged
Only the authorized data role changes a card to green. Camera assistants do not format a card because “someone said it was copied.”
The log should include:
- Card ID and camera roll
- Camera and operator
- Time received
- Source capacity used
- Destination paths and drive IDs
- Verification result
- Error notes and retries
- Release time and approver
Handle copy errors conservatively
If verification fails:
- Do not release or alter the source.
- Save the error report.
- Identify whether the source, reader, cable, port, destination, or software path caused the issue.
- Retry to a known-good destination through a known-good path.
- Compare multiple copies and play affected clips.
- Escalate before the camera needs the card.
Repeated read errors can indicate failing source media. Minimize unnecessary reads and create the strongest possible copy before experimenting.
Separate failure domains
Two copies on one physical SSD are one hardware copy. Two partitions on one enclosure are one hardware copy. A mirrored RAID improves availability but does not automatically protect against accidental deletion, filesystem corruption, enclosure failure, theft, or fire.
Separate devices are the baseline. Separate transport and location improve resilience further. If both shuttle drives leave in the same backpack, the production remains exposed to loss or damage of that bag.
Plan destination capacity with overhead
Use the calculator to estimate camera originals, then add:
- Production buffer
- Audio recorder media
- Stills and behind-the-scenes material
- Proxy or dailies files
- Project databases and reports
- Exports or client review files
- 10–20% free space for stable drive performance
A destination filled to 99% is not a healthy working drive. Round purchases up to a practical capacity and leave room for pickup days.
End-of-day reconciliation
Before wrap is complete, reconcile:
- Every issued card has returned or is accounted for.
- Every exposed card has the required verified copies.
- Destination totals and roll counts match reports.
- Copy logs are saved on more than one device.
- Random clips from every roll open and play.
- One copy is prepared for separate transport if required.
- Unreleased source media is clearly isolated.
Send post-production a manifest, not a pile of drives. The manifest should connect camera roll IDs to destination paths and verification logs.
A durable BRAW data workflow
- Estimate daily volume and peak card turnover before the shoot.
- Label every source and destination uniquely.
- Copy complete card structures with checksums.
- Create the required number of copies on separate devices.
- Log verification and release authority.
- Keep copies physically separated when practical.
- Reconcile cards, folders, totals, and reports every day.
- Test restoration—not only backup creation—before trusting an archive plan.
The BRAW storage calculator tells you the expected size of the river. The offload workflow builds a bridge wide enough to move it without losing a frame.
Sources and calculation notes
- Blackmagic RAW overview: manufacturer information about the codec and encoding modes.
- BRAW Planner methodology: the estimation formulas, unit conventions and limitations used on this site.
Workflow suggestions in this guide are planning guidance, not a claim that a particular camera or drive has been tested by the author.
Use the BRAW storage and recording-time calculator to model your exact resolution, frame rate, compression setting, safety buffer, and media capacity.