6 Free Tools I Use in My Film Business Every Day
I have found each of these tools to be essential in building my business and managing film projects.
They all have full-featured Free versions, so you can try them out. And in many cases, that's all you'll need!
In full transparency, I pay for some of the premium versions of these apps, because I think the added storage space, or extra team functionality you get is worth the cost because of how much they contribute to the efficiency of my day.
If you do decide to upgrade, I may get a small affiliate commission, but it won't cost you any extra. Plus, I don't believe in recommending products or services unless I use them and find them worthwhile in the first place.
So, in no particular order:
Evernote
I store everything in Evernote. Research from web pages, PDFs, notes and idea lists. Because they have apps for your laptop, iPad and phone, all of your notes are available wherever you go.
Plus, it's all searchable, even the text in the PDFs.
Asana
Asana is a project management tool that makes it easier to coordinate with your teams and manage tasks.
My team isn't all in the same place, so we can maintain threaded discussions and keep checklists so our projects keep moving.
Google Drive
Moving our documents and files to Google Drive has made sharing them easier, as well as relieving stress because they are always backed up and available.
And it reduces version problems, too. Instead of emailing back and forth, we can be working on the same doc or reviewing data in the same spreadsheet at the same time.
Trello
Trello works like a virtual bulletin board, with "cards" you can move through stacks or columns. It's a great way of collecting and collaborating on ideas, like managing an editorial calendar.
We keep columns for Brainstorming, To-Do, Doing, and Done.
Vimeo
Vimeo is where all our videos live. The privacy controls make it easy to manage where our clips can be displayed.
And the review tools allow our clients or team members to leave comments with timecode reference, which is really handy for keeping requests organized.
Zoom Conferencing
We hold our team calls on Zoom, because there is nothing like a face-to-face conversation. Plus, it allows us to share screens, which gets everyone on the same page really quickly.
BONUS #7
Blackmagic Davinci Resolve
I don't use Davinci Resolve every day, but I use it every day I Edit!
I had to put this app on the list, because it's amazing that you can start working with the same tools used every day on major Hollywood productions, for Free.
What tools do you use? Let us know in the Facebook Group!