Direct, produce, and edit videos more collaboratively with Camera to Cloud.
Vince Masciale, Director of Video Production, Frame.io
![mistake not understanding your audience](./media_1538a1fb28c4e74bfd454fa65e54d2f374bc9cbdf.png?width=750&format=png&optimize=medium)
For example, one of these was starting as a contractor for Frame.io back at the beginning of 2020, which then led to me joining the team officially as a full-time video director in early 2021.
Others have happened during my time as a producer, director, or editor on a bunch of different film and TV projects, including the movies Faith Based and Fear, Inc. as well as a grueling 700+ episode stint of editing TMZ on TV.
But probably the first of these significant moments took place way back in 2004, when I started at the bottom of the pile as a tape logger in LA. It was the worst job. Not just in the industry, but ever.
Starting at the bottom.
If you’re lucky enough to have no experience of tape logging, it’s the process of manually creating a text record of the visual and audio contents of a video tape. And back in 2004, it was very manual.
The footage for the shows I was working on was copied to ¾ inch tapes, and I’d sit at a desk with a tiny monitor and a word processor with headphones on — in a room with eight other people doing the same thing — logging, by timecode, everything I was seeing. And when I got to the interviews, I’d transcribe them, too.
Misery is a pretty strong motivator, and I gradually worked my way up the food chain, starting with a post PA role, then assistant editor. Around a year later, thanks to taking on a few cast-off jobs that no-one else had the time for, I landed a full-time editing role and found myself cutting shows for MTV and VH1.
But it was when I started working for National Geographic as a producer on Building Wild that things really started to change for me (and I’d like to give a shout-out to William Spjut, who was instrumental in getting me this opportunity). Definitely a significant moment.
I was out in the field, producing four episodes of this amazing National Geographic series that we were shooting in Vermont. It was a mind-blowing experience. Better than film school. Better than anything I’d seen at that point in my life. So thanks, Will!
Optimizing video production and post.
Whip-pan to today, and you’ll find me neck-deep in Frame.io productions as a producer, director, and editor. It’s keeping me pretty busy. Every month we’re shooting something and starting work on something else. So I’m constantly on-set, which is wonderful. I love it. And being boots-on-the-ground for the release of Camera to Cloud has to count among the most significant moments so far.
Frame.io is a video collaboration platform that unites video teams from pre-production to post. We use it for everything from uploading casting and location assets, to review and approval on edits, and transferring footage directly from set to editorial with Camera to Cloud.
Camera to Cloud uploads footage from my camera directly to Frame.io with matching clip names and timecodes. This means that the moment the camera stops, my editor can begin cutting, even though I’m still shooting, and even if she’s working in another country. It’s simultaneous production and post — and anyone can do it.
I’ve always been a huge advocate for optimization. In fact, while shooting Faith Based, I’d already built a highly effective 8K dailies workflow using Frame.io with friend and colleague Patrick Southern (who’s also part of the Frame.io family now).
Vince in his element on the set for Faith Based.
While it was a long way from Camera to Cloud, this homebrewed chain of hardware and software saved us enormous amounts of time during production, as well as avoiding costly directorial pitfalls. And we were (understandably, I think) very proud of it.
For example, on the very first day of shooting, I was able to watch footage on my phone by lunchtime — which was incredible for me as a director. On the morning of Day Two, we were looking at a rough cut of Day One.
In that moment, I could see that the tone wasn’t landing the way I thought it should and was able to give notes to the actors to pull it back to where I wanted it to be.
The morning of Day Two, we were looking at a rough cut of Day One.
The way forward with Camera to Cloud.
Skip forward a couple of years, and I’m on set for Frame.io watching the footage from a Panavision Millennium DXL2 stream through a Teradek Cube directly to the cloud. In seconds.
So I don’t need to be told that Camera to Cloud is the way forward. With the exception of maybe Michael Cioni, I’ve been using our cloud-based workflow longer than anyone. I helped build it. And what we’re doing now makes our Faith Based prototype look like something from the Dark Ages.
With Camera to Cloud, it’s just better. You see things instantly. It makes a massive difference. And it opens up a lot of different parts of the process — like editing and post-production — while you’re shooting. You’re not waiting for a hard drive to come out of the camera, get dumped on a computer, and then transferred to the people who need it. It happens in moments.
Live monitor feed on the set of Faith Based.
My iPad is now my best friend on set.
My iPad is now my best friend on set. Everything’s on hand — our shot lists, my notes, live clips previews, stuff on Frame.io. It’s easily my favorite piece of tech right now.
But that doesn’t mean that we put technology first. Camera to Cloud enables creativity, but it doesn’t replace it. We still live by the very human, very creative elements of filmmaking that form the core of our work.
That’s a wrap! Vince and the Frame.io production squad close out the day’s shoot on a high note.
Adobe can help.
Frame.io is a scalable video collaboration platform that can cut video turnaround times by 31% and improve client satisfaction by 36%. Accelerate your production workflows by sending media right from your camera to stakeholders anywhere with Camera to Cloud. Streamline your creative process with centralized asset storage, seamless integrations with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, and frame-accurate video reviews so you can collaborate in real time with distributed team members. Protect your creative assets with enterprise-level security and access controls. With a modern video workflow, your team can work at the speed of creativity.