The survey now announced aims to gather anonymised data on how lens metadata is captured, transferred, preserved and used, and where workflows most commonly break down. 

The survey now announced by DCS will help to better understand how lens metadata is captured, transferred, preserved and used across post-production and VFX pipelines. The aim is to identify where metadata is lost, where confidence breaks down, and how missing or unreliable lens data affects time, rework and production efficiency. 

DCS says it has decided to run the survey because “lens metadata is often discussed as a technical detail, but its impact is felt across the whole production pipeline. When metadata is incomplete, inconsistent or missing entirely, teams may need to recreate information manually, validate data shot by shot, rely on workarounds, or accept reduced confidence in the results.” 

Despite that, DCS continues, “there’s limited shared data on how often these problems occur, where workflows tend to break down, and which teams are most affected. This survey is intended to help establish a clearer industry picture. The anonymised findings will be shared in a public report, giving teams useful benchmark data they can use to support workflow planning, internal discussions and investment in better metadata practices.” 

The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete and is open to anyone working with, relying on, or managing lens metadata across production, post-production and VFX. The anonymised data shared by participants will contribute to The State of Lens Metadata in Post-Production and VFX, an annual industry benchmark report designed to help studios, supervisors, producers, pipeline teams and technology providers understand the scale of the problem and where better workflows are needed. 

The survey will also support DCS’s accepted lightning talk at ASWF Open Source Days 2026, where Gary Keller, General Manager of DCS, will discuss the role of lens metadata in VFX workflows, why a shared benchmark is needed, and how the findings can help the wider production technology community.