Over the course of the past six years at Frame.io, we’ve worked hard to improve the way filmmakers and creatives collaborate.
Back when we started, our first goal was to streamline the editorial review process, enabling post-production teams to work together remotely, from anywhere in the world.
The fact that we now have over one million creatives using Frame.io as the hub for their post-production workflow means that we’ve been able to solve some big problems for a lot of people, from individual creators to major studios. It’s our privilege to see the incredible work you’re producing using our product.
But solving those problems didn’t mean we stopped thinking about new solutions we could provide. If anything, what we’ve learned through our work on the post-production process fueled us to tackle the next big obstacle. And that was the process of getting footage from location sets and sound stages to offsite reviewers and moving it into post-production without the delay of shipping physical media.
That’s why I’m so excited to announce our newest product: Frame.io Camera to Cloud.
Introducing Frame.io C2C
Camera to Cloud (C2C) is a secure service that lets you upload and stream images instantaneously from on-set cameras to creative teams anywhere in the world. This enables entirely new collaborative workflows and reduces the time it takes to create content.
If you think about the way we’ve captured and distributed moving images for the past 100 years, there have really only been two major changes. The first was the transition from film to tape, and the second from tape to files. But the hurdle has always been getting original footage from production to post-production.
Now, we’ve solved that problem, completing the move from a physical workflow to one that’s completely digital.
How it works
We’ve partnered with some of the industry’s leading hardware and software developers to create the C2C process.
This cutting-edge technology uses current LTE networks and WiFi to transmit low bandwidth, high-quality H.264 proxies with matching timecode and filename metadata directly to the cloud. And once 5G becomes more ubiquitous, you’ll be able to upload full-resolution original camera files just as easily.
There are already more than a dozen C2C-compatible cameras from RED, ARRI, and Sony available through Panavision and AbelCine, with many more to come. Connecting the camera to the Teradek Cube 655 and authenticating it in Frame.io allows you to stream proxies to anyone off-set for viewing on computers, iPhones, iPads, and to receive them in their NLEs for immediate editing.
How fast does this happen? Every time the camera is triggered to capture a take, it is automatically available in Frame.io seconds after the director calls “cut.”
If you’re recording sound, the Sound Devices Scorpio and 888 field recorders can upload uncompressed audio files, which also contain the same timecode and scene/take numbers as the video.
Not only is the audio saved on the recorder’s internal drive, it’s instantly transmitted to anyone in post who needs to access it. And here’s what’s most exciting: the audio is automatically synced to the video from every camera that’s rolling.
Our third partnership is with Colorfront, the leading dailies program for professionals. Their newest version of Express Dailies is cloud-based, so DITs can send log proxies directly into Colorfront to be graded, transcoded, and rendered out according to the production’s needs—ProRes, H.264, and even HDR H.265.
All of this is done in the cloud in combination with the Frame.io integration. There’s no waiting for a drive or a card. Your dailies are now truly “instantlies.”
The proxies also contain the same metadata as the original camera files, so it’s possible to create an offline, link back to the OCF, move them into your NLE for a conform, perform a final grading and sound mix, and create a master deliverable—all in the cloud.
And this entire process is protected by Frame.io’s industry-leading security.
Frame.io is TPN compliant, and all of C2C assets are governed by the same security features you’ve come to trust, like Watermark ID for automatic real-time visual burn-ins. Only authenticated users can access these assets, and the external devices connected to Frame.io have write-only access, which means that they can never read or view the information in your account.
Integration and customization
Frame.io C2C is revolutionizing the way all kinds of productions work.
We’ve helped Songbird, the first Hollywood feature to shoot during the pandemic, comply with safety protocols by allowing producers to view what the director was shooting in nearly real time—from their homes.
We’ve helped Zeiss create programming from last year’s Sundance Film Festival with a production crew in Park City working with their editor in Los Angeles.
The Zeiss crew at SundanceBecause we know that no two productions are exactly alike, C2C is designed to give you more control over how you work.
The Frame.io platform integrates easily with the tools you love to use, and our Cloud Devices API gives you almost limitless freedom to optimize and customize your workflow. We’re providing in-depth documentation, along with reference implementations in C++, Python, and Go to jumpstart your integrations so you can connect the set to the cloud.
Pricing and availability
We think the power to dramatically shorten the time and distance between production and post will be invaluable. Which is why it will be completely free. You only need an existing Frame.io account in order to access C2C.
We’ve also listened to your feedback, so we’re rolling out a new, flexible Enterprise plan for limited use that’s available for production companies and studios in three-month increments.
We’ll be shipping C2C this month, and invite you to watch our in-depth C2C demos and to explore our developer resources.
I hope you’re as excited as I am about the new workflows and creative control C2C unlocks, and can’t wait to see how you use it. We’ll look forward to hearing your reactions and hope you’ll share your stories with us as we move into the future of production together.
Frame.io Camera to Cloud will become available in March 2021. Meanwhile, you can learn more and request early access through our C2C beta program.
