What a year.
2020 reshaped so much about the film and television industry, not to mention how we live outside of work.
But even as we dove headfirst into the new reality of socially distant production and remote workflows, a new and brighter future is on the horizon. It’s astounding how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time, and we’re excited to see what’s next.
So as we enter a new year and work toward a better future, let’s take a look back at the stories you, the Frame.io Insider community, found most informative, interesting, and inspiring.
Here are our top 20 articles from 2020.
#20 Made in Frame: The New Ford Bronco
High profile commercials are unique creative challenges in their own right, but especially when it’s the rebirth of one of the most iconic automotive brands in history. Meet the continent-spanning team, and the cutting-edge remote workflow, that produced the visually stunning 2020 Ford Bronco campaign.
#19 Five Tips for Getting Perfect Skin Tones in DaVinci Resolve
As in years past, color grading articles were a fan favorite in 2020. Here are five techniques to help you achieve accurate skin tones every time.
#18 How to Craft Visual Style Using High and Low Contrast Looks
Similar to skin tones, contrast is one of the most fundamental aspects of a film’s style, and certainly one your audience will notice. Making it look “right” on screen takes careful creative thought and precise technical skills.
#17 Workflow From Home: Episode 10 – Scaling Remote Post Facilities
Our Workflow From Home series was a massive undertaking, and we’re gratified that it was so helpful for filmmakers around the world. One of the biggest questions we wanted to answer was, “How are large-scale post facilities making the jump to remote workflows?” We caught up with the team at Light Iron to find out.
#16 Anatomy of a Cloud Workflow: How the HPA Made a Movie with Frame.io
The Hollywood Professional Association summit was just early enough in the year that we attended in person. It was an exciting glimpse into the future of cinematic technology, and we were happy to participate in charting the industry’s path forward.
#15 How to Prepare Your Premiere Pro Project for Color Grading
It’s good to take a step back every now and then to make sure we’re keeping our teammates and collaborators happy. Here’s how to smoothly hand off your Premiere Pro timeline for color grading.
#14 LUTs vs Transforms: How They’re Different and Why It Matters
Continuing the theme of color, we get a lot of questions about LUTs and color transforms, so we wrote an article about it. Find out how they’re different, and what they can do for your workflow.
#13 How to Build a Studio-Caliber Workflow on an Indie Budget with FCP X
This is a feature film our very own Patrick Southern edited, and we were duly impressed by what this scrappy indie team pulled off. See how the crew behind Faith Ba$ed built an 8K workflow from the ground up, and learn how you can do it yourself.
#12 Workflow From Home: CONAN’s At-Home Workflow
We went behind the scenes with the CONAN team to see how they shifted to writing, shooting, editing, and distributing their four-nights-a-week production entirely from home. It’s extra impressive when you see lead editor Rob Ashe working from his kitchen with his three kids playing in the background.
#11 AI in the Edit Bay: Inside VICE’s Incredible Automated Workflow
VICE produces a huge variety of shows across the world, and they’ve built impressive workflows to make it possible. See how they leverage AI and the Frame.io API to save (literal) months of work.
#10 Ten Things Editors Need to Know Before Working From Home
Our friend Jonny Elwyn has been working entirely from his home for years, and he has some awesome insights to share. Here are the 10 questions to answer if you want to work successfully from your home office.
#9 The Post-Production Supervisor: One of the Industry’s Unsung Heroes
We’ve all got stories from the trenches, but few in the industry have more intense challenges than the post-production supervisor. We wanted to highlight the work of these behind-the-scenes heroes, so we talked to post-supes for Green Book and The Good Place to hear how they keep productions running smoothly while making it look easy.
#8 Workflow From Home: Remote Interview Setups
One of the biggest challenges we faced in 2020 was figuring out how to shoot interviews outside the studio. Our SVP of Innovation, Michael Cioni, walks you step by step through assembling your own home interview setup.
#7 Best Practices for Adopting a Remote Post-Production Workflow
Another of our close industry friends is primetime TV editor and remote-workflow expert Zack Arnold, ACE. Zack has been cutting from home for over a decade, and we sat down with him to learn how he stays efficient, creative, and happy.
#6 The Essential Guide to Building a Successful VFX Workflow
VFX tools today can do increasingly amazing things, and we’re always curious to see how creative teams are using them. If you want to add some new tricks to your toolkit, here are the essentials you’ll need to build a successful VFX workflow.
#5 Introducing Workflow From Home, Our New Training Series on Remote Workflows
When we began our Workflow From Home series in March, we had no idea how quickly we’d adapt throughout 2020 and how much we’d learn. But this early episode still remains relevant today.
#4 The Essential Guide to Color Spaces
Another article on fundamental color grading concepts? You keep asking, so we’ll keep delivering in 2021. Here’s what you need to know about one of the most critical choices of modern digital workflows: color spaces.
#3 How Parasite Uses Brilliant Design and Invisible VFX to Transcend Language
We were honored to sit down with Parasite editor Jinmo Yang, as he shared his insight from the Oscar’s Best Picture-winning film. His work with director Bong Joon Ho is artistically and technically impressive, and clearly we were all inspired by the techniques he used to create this cinematic masterpiece.
#2 Workflow Breakdown of Every 2020 Oscars Best Picture and Editing Nominee
Our Oscars Workflow Breakdown has become one of the most widely read annual articles in the industry. It’s our privilege to highlight the work and achievements of those working at the top of the industry, and we’re already preparing for the 2021 awards. In case you missed it (or just want to look back again), here’s a dive into how they created all the Best Picture and Best Editing nominees from last year.
#1 Five Tips To Improve Performance in DaVinci Resolve
And just like last year, a detailed guide on DaVinci Resolve takes the top spot. Join veteran colorist Jason Bowdach as he shares his best tips and tricks for getting the most out of DaVinci Resolve.
Thank you
We want to thank you, the Frame.io Insider community, for sharing your passion and creativity with us during another year. It’s a joy connecting with filmmakers from around the world, and an absolute pleasure learning from your skill and experience. We’re honored to serve you.
We also want to thank the brilliant filmmakers and artists who contribute their expertise to make these articles come to life.
- The interviewees: Jenna Lyng Adams, Robert Ashe, Charlie Buhler, Paul Chapman, Ted Cost, Laurel Dusenberry, Elastique., Lucas Harger, the HPA, Shane Hurlbut, iJustine, The International Emmys, Reed Kaufman, Robert Komatsu, Natalie Krinsky, Light Iron, Vince Masciale, Jeff Molyneaux, Paul Nicholson, Andrew Orloff, Oxcart Assembly, RKM Studios, Shawn Paper, Real Art, Frank Sackett, Semkhor Productions, SoKrispyMedia, Scott Squires, David Stevens, Mark Toia, Dee Wassell, Nathan Wilson, Bill Wolhlken, Jinmo Yang.
- The writers: Zack Arnold, Jason Bowdach, Jonny Elwyn, Laurence Grayson, Charles Haine, Alexander Huls, Alexis Van Hurkman, Cullen Kelly, Scott Squires, Dan Swierenga, Octave Zangs, and Frame.io’s very own Emery Wells, Michael Cioni, Patrick Southern, Ben Bailey, and Lisa McNamara.
On behalf of the whole Frame.io team, thank you. Cheers to 2021.
