Over the past couple of months, I have been using a a new client video sharing service known as Wipster. It is a service that allows you to share your videos online and get feedback. Many artists today often use YouTube, or Vimeo with password protection to accomplish their needs, with a few limitations. This is where Wipster looks to improve and make the experience better, and more user friendly for both the user, and the client.
First, lets start out with the user interface, which is very simple and easy to use. There is not much to learn. Managing and adapting to the user interface can actually be done in a few clicks and you will be up and running. This makes the experience a lot more positive. The user interface is incredibly clean and has big beautiful icons that makes navigation a breeze.
Once you have created your account and uploaded your video to Wipster you can then share your video with anyone. They don’t necessarily need to have a Wipster account. The client will receive an email with a hyperlink to your video. Once the client / producer receives the email they can follow the link, watch the videos, and tag notes on to the video. The application of adding notes directly on to the timeline is a great bonus, especially when working with timecode based material. Surprisingly, the user interface for the client is simple as well. Even some producers who are not as tech savvy were able to figure out the interface and make notes.
After you receive your notes you can go back and tick them off as you work, this a great feature. This almost reminds me of working with traditional shot lists. But, it does not stop there. A great subtle feature is the ability to reply back to to the notes. For instance, you may disagree with a color tone or a lower third. You can reply directly back on the video. This makes communications between producers and editors a great experience.
Organizing your edits are actually easy. Wipster will flag revisions with a version number. This makes working with clients easier, and often times less confusing as they can refer back to previous versions.
Wipster is not without a few issues. I would like to see a fast forward or rewind button. Right now, there is only play and pause. You can jump in the timeline by dragging the playhead, but sometimes you need a visual scan. A volume level would also be nice, as of right now, there is only a mute button. This is not a deal breaker just a minor issue.
Final Thoughts
Wipster has done a wonderful job providing you with the tools you need to get feedback. It’s fast, efficient, and has a friendly UI which makes for a very positive experience. It really saves you time in making screeners, or shipping DVD’s, or hard drives to clients. They have created such a clean user interface, even people who are less tech savvy won’t have an issue with it.
If you are looking for a faster, and easy way to share you work in progress with producers and directors. Wipster can definitely provide you with great service. It is a great solution for sharing dailies, screeners, or even getting client feedback on just about any video project. Wipster has an annual price of $499, but also as a trial period for you to test drive.
