Bluescape is a cloud-based, software as a service company based in Silicon Valley, CA, that provides a digital whiteboard of the same name.
$10
per month
Frame.io
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Frame.io in New York offers a video collaboration platform, supporting the video editing process by providing creative teams with time stamped comments, annotations and hashtags, and an accelerated sharing and approval process, as well as integrations with popularly used editing tools (e.g. Final Cut Pro) to enhance the editing and collaboration process.
This digital version of a pin-up space is absolutely an improvement to my workflow. The input is so robust. What you do with it is where the magic happens. This program is best suited for team collaboration. It helps to discuss how/where the team will contribute information to it--whether that is discussing the templates or a plan of action. Otherwise, the workspace can tend to get messy. I like the idea of having a presentation mode, where some of the markups could be hidden. The idea of a working session with consultants or clients sounds appealing, but at the same time, there is a desire for a cleaned up, clear shareout.
By far Frame is the best video review service out there mainly due to how easy it is to introduce to new users, including on the client side. There is not much instruction required in order to share and edit with a client and ask them to start providing feedback - the system is designed to invite users to give notes and that alone is worth the money.
Frame.io provides an intuitive interface for clients to leave detailed feedback on videos they've hired us to produce. Users can leave public or private comments and start and stop on whichever video frames they choose. Users can draw on a frame using a non-destructive marker to make specific feedback (e.g. I don't like that this window is overexposed and is distracting me from looking at the interview). This allows for making nuanced critiques that are otherwise difficult to convey without using screengrabs or long email threads.
Frame.io is easy to learn. If a user is new to the application, the software determines this and a short tutorial video pops up and teaches the new user how to interact with the application. It does this without taking the user to a new page and risk confusing a client. The software is simple to use and I never have issues with uninformed or flustered clients because of it.
Frame.io makes sharing simple. Producers can send review links within the application or copy and paste the link into an email, whichever their preference. Users can also create live presentations to walk clients through a video as well. I've not used this feature extensively, so I'm unsure of how well it works, but the option is available.
Frame.io interacts with video editing software (i.e. After Effects, Premiere Pro) using a plug-in. Before applications like Frame.io, we had to reference emails with timecodes and then decipher what the client is asking to have changed. It was cryptic, and feels archaic in hindsight. Now, the integration between the application and our software is seamless. I can revisit feedback by clicking on a comment in the review window, and it takes me to the exact point of criticism in the timeline. It's so easy to use and saves so much time.
Frame.io's permissions aren't great. Each individual project has its own permissions and there is no way to set a general admin permissions to team members thus allowing them to be added to every project.
Frame.io sometimes has issues for our clients where they cannot add edits or where their film does not load.
I've used other video review systems, Frame was the only one I didn't question how they allowed you to review - I just started reviewing. It's that simple. It's easy to set up projects, invite collaborators, and then provide a final cut for download. It's naturally built for the kind of work that TV/Film & video production companies do.
I've only reached out to Frame.io a few times but they responded quickly and offered achievable solutions. The fact that I haven't had to reach out to them more is proof that the platform is easy to use, reliable, and can run on its own. The only issues we have had were related to uploading issues on our end.
We have Workware installed on different computers in our office that were supposed to be great for presentation but we had issues after a user connected their laptop then they no longer had access to our server. If they had files they needed for the presentation they had to save them to their desktop to make sure they were accessible.
Frame.io is better when being compared to the Google Drive as a platform just because of the usability. Frame.io has a more simple design format, that makes organizing projects and file structures much more readily available when doing a quick search. The ability to review and comment on the different projects is also better in Frame.io as it shows who said what and at what timecode they are referring to.
