Wedding video / Mac crash / data loss question

[JimPMM]

Hi
I'm asking this here as I have no experience with Mac editing or use.
A friend had his wedding video done (big Hindu ceremony, civil ceremony and large Hindu reception) a year ago. He contacted me (as a friend and wedding photographer and IT expert) 2 days ago to say his videographer has been in touch and said that his Mac had experienced a bad crash and the data was lost - there was apparently no backup. It was sent away for data recovery and what was salvaged was about half (if that) of the video and none of the audio. I want to help my friend in any way I can - I have extremely good knowledge of IT so can turn my hand to the Mac to help with data recovery if necessary, I've just never done it before!
As I'm relating this 3rd hand I don't want this to go down any legal / 'cant believe he didn't...' / 'he should sue..' route, my thread is here to ask the following due to my lack of knowledge:

1. Is the explanation given by the videographer feasible?
2. Is the recovery of half the video and no audio explanation feasible?
3. Are there any options for enhanced recovery?
4. Is it feasible to recover the data from the original cards? I'm assuming it was shot digitally but haven't confirmed this

Mods, please feel free to move this if necessary.

Thanks for any advice I can pass on - if there's more info required I can find out. My friend is absolutely gutted at the moment, having seen a DVD given to him by the videographer (he just used one word - "Unbelievable" - and not in a good way!) and I feel really bad for him so want to help him if I can.
Regards
Jim

 

[JonathanRyan]

1. Is the explanation given by the videographer feasible?

Kind of. It won't strictly speaking be a crash but a hard drive in a Mac can fail (just like any computer). The drives in the new Macs can be a cunning fusion hybrid so bits of them can fail and the rest not. I guess....

2. Is the recovery of half the video and no audio explanation feasible?

Again, possible. Once a file is broken you can mend bits of it but maybe not all. I'm pretty sure the audio is stored separately from the video in most formats (or at least it's easy to detach it). More importantly, if this weren't true, it's a very odd lie to tell.

3. Are there any options for enhanced recovery?

Yes. But they get expensive very fast. You asked us not to comment on legal stuff but I don't see why the client should pay But if regular recovery has failed it's likely to be very expensive. A client works for UK Customs and has experience of forensic data recovery. He told me that no data is ever really deleted but sometimes you have to want it pretty badly. Enhanced recovery can include dismantling of platters and electron microscopes.

Google suggested these people - http://www.datarecoverydirect.co.uk/harddrives.aspx but of course you'll need the original hard drive.

4. Is it feasible to recover the data from the original cards? I'm assuming it was shot digitally but haven't confirmed this

Possible - but very unlikely. A busy videographer may have overwritten the card several times but if he hasn't that may actually be your best bet. Recovering from a card format is usually trivial.

I'd advise you to find out what you can actually get your hands on and then come back for more advice.

 

[admirable]

1/ yes
2/ yes, they are different files. One file could be recovered the other may be on a different platter that is kaput?
3/ unlikely if it's already been sent away to a specialist
4/ yes if the cards have not been overwritten but due to the timescale (1 year ago) it would seem unlikely

 

[Chappers]

I must say that I find it odd that a reputable videographer wouldn't have back up for just this situation, but then !!!!

Loosing the audio is a bit odd but then it depends on how the recovery software works. I'm no expert on this so it could be true.

 

[st599]

1 Yes. If he's an idiot and hasn't backed it up.
2 If he recorded audio separately yes. Can't see how a combined file would lose audio only
3 Yes. Depends on his budget
4 depends on how much they've been used since.

Presumably he'll be organising and paying for a re-shoot.

 

[mikew]

Have I miss read this,he was kept waiting a year,sounds like the photographer cocked up before he got it on his Mac.

 

[Chappers]

Have I miss read this,he was kept waiting a year,sounds like the photographer cocked up before he got it on his Mac.

Was thinking the same

 

[JimPMM]

Hi
Just wanted to revisit and say thanks for all the replies. I caught up with my friend yesterday and it sounds like he's pretty much resigned to not getting the missing footage / audio at all, and I gave him my opinion coupled with the advice here. Not going to go into lots of detail but at the very least the videographer has been woefully incompetent when it comes to protecting the clients' data.
My friend has pretty much decided he's not going to be fighting too hard (eg court) but is going to try for some money back - he's been so stressed and annoyed by it all it's making him ill so he's decided to quit before it gets too much. I hope he gets at least some sort of recompense. The only up side is that the hi res images should still be provided (although the standard is somewhat in question!) - I've offered to do what I can to help him on that front with albums etc, with the caveat that there has to be something in writing from the original photographer allowing editing and use.

Thanks again everyone,
Regards
Jim

 

[lolage]

Some of the money back? Surely he should be getting a full refund.​

 

[LASTOLITE]

Hi
Just wanted to revisit and say thanks for all the replies. I caught up with my friend yesterday and it sounds like he's pretty much resigned to not getting the missing footage / audio at all, and I gave him my opinion coupled with the advice here. Not going to go into lots of detail but at the very least the videographer has been woefully incompetent when it comes to protecting the clients' data.
My friend has pretty much decided he's not going to be fighting too hard (eg court) but is going to try for some money back - he's been so stressed and annoyed by it all it's making him ill so he's decided to quit before it gets too much. I hope he gets at least some sort of recompense. The only up side is that the hi res images should still be provided (although the standard is somewhat in question!) - I've offered to do what I can to help him on that front with albums etc, with the caveat that there has to be something in writing from the original photographer allowing editing and use.

Thanks again everyone,
Regards
Jim

Very sad for the couple...

 

[swanseamale47]

I argree, it should be a full refund, theres not really any excuse for not having the original backed up, and personally I'd want to have a darned good reason why it's taken a year to find out.