Batch upload mode

I have to upload a lot of pictures(thousands) and movies(hundreds) using the upload module, the only way I know how to do it under drupal is to upload them one by one manually which is very time consuming and tedious. Is there a way to upload all files from a directory, or upload multiple chosen files at once via drupal's "create content" interface(i.e. the upload module)?

-or-
Can I upload files via ftp/scp to the files/ directory on the server side directly, then let the database somehow recognize their existence so that I can use them in my blogs(e.g. url=system/files/myfile)? this might be a hack so if the first option mentioned above can work, that'll be great.

as I have some many files stored under files/, I also hope someday upload module can support sub-folders in drupal's core base.

thanks!