The Short Answer
Archive a finished film by deciding what you must keep, making at least three copies on at least two kinds of storage with one copy somewhere else, checking those copies on a schedule, and writing a short note that explains what is where. For a small team, a sensible mix is two copies on hard drives or a NAS, one copy on LTO tape or in a cloud archive tier, and a yearly check. No single medium is safe on its own, and none of them replaces the checking.
This post is about the finished-film archive. For backup during production and post, read backup strategy for video production.
Step One: Decide What to Keep
Archiving everything is expensive, and archiving too little can cost you a remaster, a sale or an insurance claim. List what you hold in four tiers.
| Tier | What it is | Typical decision |
|---|---|---|
| Masters | Final picture master, textless elements, final mixes, stems, M&E, captions and subtitles, trailers | Keep. Always. |
| Project files | Edit, color, audio sessions, VFX and graphics projects with their media links | Keep, packaged so they can be reopened |
| Camera and sound originals | Everything shot and recorded | Keep unless a buyer, insurer or contract says otherwise. Ask before you delete. |
| Working files | Proxies, caches, renders, render previews, old exports | Usually delete, since they can be remade |
Your distribution or sales agreement may say who holds originals and for how long. That is a contract question, so ask your lawyer. Also keep the paperwork that goes with the film: cue sheets, licences, delivery schedules, QC reports and the final script.
Step Two: Package It
Before archiving, build each archive so a stranger could open it in ten years.
- Finish the project and get approval that nothing else will change.
- Consolidate or collect media so the project files do not depend on scattered drives. Test by opening the project on a clean computer.
- Use the naming and folder structure in film project folder structure and naming.
- Include a README with the title, dates, software and versions used, frame rate, color settings, codecs and a list of contents.
- Generate checksums for every file and save the list with the archive. If your offload tool wrote ASC MHL files, keep those as well. See the camera card offload checklist.
The Rule of Thumb and What Standards Say
The common 3-2-1 rule is three copies, on two different kinds of media, with one copy off site. It is usually credited to the photographer Peter Krogh. Some teams now add an extra copy that is offline or cannot be changed, to protect against ransomware.
The National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA) levels of digital preservation give a similar scale. In the first version of the levels, Level 1 asks for two complete copies that are not stored in the same place, and Level 4 asks for at least three copies in locations with different disaster risks. The levels also ask you to check file fixity and to record who can read, write, move and delete files.
Choosing a Medium
| Medium | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Hard drives (HDD) | Cheap per terabyte, easy to read on any computer | Mechanical parts fail, drives left on a shelf can fail to spin up, and one drive is not an archive |
| NAS or RAID | Convenient, can be checked remotely, good for the active copy | RAID protects against a drive failing, not against deletion, fire or ransomware |
| LTO tape | Offline by nature, low cost per terabyte at scale, designed for long storage | Drive cost, generation changes, and the need for software and know-how |
| Cloud archive tier | Off site without driving anywhere, no hardware to manage | Ongoing fees, retrieval time and fees, upload time, and the need for a strong account setup |
A few facts on LTO
- Capacity. LTO-9 holds 18 TB native. LTO-10 launched in 2025 at 30 TB native, and a 40 TB cartridge for existing LTO-10 drives was announced in November 2025, with availability expected in the first quarter of 2026. Reports at launch said LTO-10 drives do not read or write LTO-9 tapes, which breaks the one-generation compatibility earlier drives had, so check compatibility before buying drives.
- LTFS. The Linear Tape File System is an open format that lets tape work like a drive with files and folders. It is an ISO/IEC standard (ISO/IEC 20919) and needs LTO-5 or newer. A tape written in LTFS carries its own index, so it does not depend on a database.
- Plan for migration. Tape drives and generations change, so plan to read your archive and copy it to newer media every several years.
A few facts on formats
The Library of Congress Recommended Formats Statement moved FFV1 in a Matroska container to a "preferred" format for video preservation in late 2023. Studios and sales agents may still ask for ProRes, IMF or an image sequence, so keep the masters in the format your buyer named and talk to an archivist if you need a long-term preservation copy in an open format.
A note on cloud
Pricing, retrieval times and terms for cloud archive tiers change often, so compare the current numbers for your own data size, including what you pay to get the files back. Think about who can log in, whether the account has multi-factor authentication, and what happens if the account is locked. See cloud storage for video professionals for the wider comparison.
A Realistic Setup for a Small Production Company
- Copy 1: the NAS or working drives, kept until the film is delivered.
- Copy 2: a pair of verified drives, stored in a different building.
- Copy 3: LTO tape (two tapes if you can) or a cloud archive tier.
- Checks: every year, mount the drives, verify checksums and log the date. Replace any drive that shows errors.
- Records: a spreadsheet of which drive or tape holds which project, who has the keys or credentials, and when it was last verified.
Mistakes to Avoid
- One drive labeled "archive"
- Archiving the edit project without its media or fonts and plugins list
- No checksums, so no way to tell if a copy has quietly changed
- Never reading the archive back
- Keeping credentials for the cloud copy in one person's head
- Deleting camera originals because a distributor's file looks fine
Want a person to help?
Our production consulting team designs backup and archive plans for productions and small studios, including tiers, tools, checks and recovery drills. See our backup and storage consulting, or tell us about your archive and a real person on our team will reply.
Archive a finished film
List what to keep
Sort masters, project files, originals and working files, and check contracts before deleting anything.
Package each project
Collect media, add a README and generate a checksum list for every file.
Make three copies
Store one on a NAS or drives, one on separate verified drives in another location and one on LTO tape or a cloud archive tier.
Verify the copies
Check the checksums on each copy and open a project from the archive on a clean computer.
Record where everything is
Keep a register of media, locations, credentials and last check dates.
Schedule checks and migration
Verify the archive yearly and plan to move it to new media before old drives or tape generations become hard to read.
Questions people ask
How many copies of a finished film should I keep?
A common minimum is three copies on two kinds of storage with one stored off site, often called 3-2-1. The NDSA preservation levels use similar ideas, including copies in different places and regular fixity checks.
Is LTO tape better than hard drives for archiving?
Tape is offline, designed for long storage and cost effective at larger sizes, but it needs a drive, software and migration planning. Hard drives are cheaper to start and easier to use, but need more frequent checks and replacement. Many teams use both.
What should I delete after a film is finished?
Working files that can be remade, such as proxies, caches and old renders. Keep masters, project files, originals and paperwork unless a contract or buyer says otherwise, and ask before deleting originals.
What is LTFS?
The Linear Tape File System is an open, self-describing format that lets an LTO tape be browsed like a drive. It is an ISO/IEC standard and works with LTO-5 and newer.
How often should I check my archive?
A yearly check is a sensible baseline for a small team: mount the media, verify the checksums, log the result and replace anything showing errors. Keep the schedule written down.
Written by the team at Clouds Agency, a Los Angeles creative and production consulting agency.