"Here is a media file that can be deleted. Can it?" –

Question

Or: managing media files across multiple projects.
Here is what happens in our workflow:
We do a lot of shows for one specific customer. Each program is a project. Usually a bunch of tapes is shot and then edited. So far, the project stands for itself.
Now, it happens that weeks or months later some other editor wants to use footage from that that project in his own. So he opens up the old project and then copy-pastes some clips into his sequence.
Again some time later, it's my job to free up some space on our RAID. So naturally starting from the oldest projects, I use the media manager to backup the final sequences and maybe some other clips that might still be useful. I save the consolidated project along with its media.
The I go to the original project and delete the original media files using the "make offline" command.
And this is where I unknowingly destroy the newer project my colleague has created. Bad thing.
To make a long story short: is there a way of keeping track of all links that point to a given media file from a number of given FCP *.proj projects? Can Final Cut Server handle this problem?
I know I could just start by archiving the newest projects first – but then it's not "archiving" since the newer projects might still be worked on.
Anyone out there with the same problem - or even a solution?
Manuel
(from Munich, Germany - so please cut me some slack concerning my English)

Answer 1

Thanks for the helpful hints so far, although they are just work arounds, in my opinion.
In everyday life it will be hard to prevent editors from doing what they have been doing all the time. And duplicating media files is not a good replacement for a site-wide media management really.
I would like to see someone write an application where you drop your *.proj files. The app then lists all media files that are referenced by more than one project and temporarily locks them in the file system. This would be the perfect purpose for FCSvr and a strong motivation for us to install it since all its other features wouldn't really leverage our editing process.
As I remember, even in those old days of Avid Media Composer you were able to lock bins and sequences, and the media tool then saved you from deleting those clips that were still in use.
At least it seems that there is not something that I might have overlooked in FCP and that would be the "perfect solution to our problem".
So all we can do is to hope for Final Cut Studio 3 or the next version of FCSvr.