How Does DevOps Compare to Film Productions?

Nobody in the world would care about DevOps if it wasn’t for the speed increase. This might not be an ideal scenario for developers and IT professionals, though. Consumers are demanding faster releases. Nobody seems to have much patience anymore. This even translates to film and television; fans want releases immediately and lose their minds over delays. Not only faster releases, but faster gratification. 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the best films of all time, but it would probably be a commercial failure today considering its slow pace.

Releases and applications (films) need to be faster. You can almost think of DevOps like a giant film studio. It seems like Disney is releasing a new film every month. Their films are fast-paced and have a predictable successful formula. How can they be so consistent with increased speed, and what can you do to mirror them?

Collaboration

The most disappointing film ever is arguably Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. How could a film in the renowned Star Wars series fail so catastrophically? Let’s start with what made the original trilogy so great. Star Wars was about collaboration. People built real sets, real characters, and real worlds. Everything was about a group of people coming together to make an amazing passion project. The Phantom Menace took a different approach.

George Lucas was given complete control of The Phantom Menace, this obviously didn’t work. This wouldn’t work in IT either. Teams need to work together to get releases out as quickly and efficiently as possible. Giving one person final say on everything, while being unable to deliver criticism, will never work in any field. DevOps is about a culture of acceptance and collaboration. The best product is released when people with different backgrounds can comfortably come together.

Would you rather have Empire Strikes Back or The Phantom Menace?

Blind spots

Security is everyone’s primary complaint about DevOps. Security teams are often shut out of the development process, leaving vulnerabilities in released code. Development teams might download insecure code from a software library, like GitHub, and security might not catch it until the release is public. This is comparable to films with blatant issues or inconsistencies. For example, Batman shooting people in Batman V Superman. How did that slip through the cracks?

Another negative component to DevOps security is the blind trust. Tesla’s recent hack was due to no password on their container platform. This kind of oversight is likely due to collaborative trust, but trust needs to be managed. This would be the equivalent of a film being leaked to the public early. There are strict restrictions, but it can still happen. Trust needs to be earned and managed carefully.

Technology

The way film studios think about movies is changing every year. Film cameras are seldom used anymore, now we see 4k, 8k, IMAX, etc, which automates much of the filming process. DevOps’ technology is constantly changing as well, in favor of automation. Automated tools are utilized to eliminate repetitive processes in development, just like eliminating splicing in the film industry.

Simplicity is the cornerstone of technological advancement. Modern filmmakers, such as Steven Soderbergh, are using the iPhone in place of a bulky cinema camera. Containers are a way to simplify IT workloads. Many filmmakers want the easiest product to use, and the same goes for developers. Containers are a lightweight option to traditional development environments.