BASIC PRACTICES STEP 1 Protect Your Media in the Field Come up with a plan to keep your memory cards safe from physical damage and from those who might confiscate your footage. While in the field, consider practices such as: • • • • Swapping out the used card with a blank card and hiding the used one; Creating an immediate backup to a drive that you carry with you; Uploading the footage immediately to a secure server; Storing memory cards in sturdy, dust-free card cases when not in use. STEP 2 Protect Your Media in Your Home or Office Come up with a plan to keep your footage safe after you return from the field. Consider practices such as: • Setting the write-protection lock on your memory card before transferring your media; • Saving the original file by transferring it from your card to a hard drive without processing the video in any way. Do not run it through special software or change the file format, file name or file structure; • Backing up the original file at least once and twice if possible. Once copied, don’t alter the original file in any way; • Keeping backup copies on separate devices and in a separate physical location from your primary copy; • Keeping storage media secure by limiting physical and digital access to only those who need it. STEP 3 For more information See Keeping Files Intact (and Proving It!)” at archiveguide.witness.org/transfer/ keeping-files-intact Organize Your Videos If you would like to organize videos offloaded from your camera, organize them in folders by date and creator. Again, do not alter the format, filenames or directory structure of the original video. Name your folders in a standardized way so that you can easily sort and identify them. For example, yyyy-mm-dd_CreatorName_IncidentDescription. 67 VIDEO AS EVIDENCE: BASIC PRACTICES V 1.0