Hello, KROCKIO Readers!
Meet our guest, Elliott Klein, a Senior Audio Engineer at ClickView based in Melbourne, Australia.
— Tell us a little about your company. How was the company established, and how did it get started?
ClickView is the leading interactive video solution for schools. We curate and produce high-quality videos to inspire teachers and engage students. Videos on ClickView are curriculum aligned and come with interactive versions that give teachers real-time insights into student learning and engagement. ClickView was founded in Australia in 2003 and is now used by over 4 million learners worldwide.
— Please describe the state of the EdTech industry in your country and the obstacles you’ve encountered.
The increasing adoption of online learning platforms, digital content, and personalized learning solutions is the basis of the success of ClickView within the EdTech industry of Australia, and as we expand abroad. This poses the challenge of remaining ahead of the competition, requiring us to continually differentiate ourselves and offer a solid unique value proposition.
— Do you have a big team? How is your company different from others?
ClickView has about 100 staff spread across Australia, the UK, and the US. The production department is made up of about 20 people in various roles, covering the whole production workflow from start to finish. As ClickView is a complete video streaming platform solution, having its own in-house production unit means we can produce content that is curriculum-aligned and tailored to what students are learning in the classroom.
— What drives your company?
At the core of ClickView lies a passion for transforming education and empowering learners worldwide. We are driven by a deep belief in the power of visual storytelling and multimedia to engage, inspire, and enhance the learning experience.
— Share some exciting or curious stories inside your company that you remember.
We decided to experiment with VR and 360° video, back when that was all the rage. It was a completely new medium to us that none of us had really worked with before. You kind of have to throw out everything you’ve learned about filming and start again. There isn’t a set ‘frame’ to set up, as you are capturing everything. You can’t have any lights or crew in the shot, everything needs to be hidden. And then there’s the challenge of how do you make educational content that works well in the 360° video format. There’s a lot to think about.
I ended up 3D printing a rig to hold 6 GoPros and tried experimenting with taping the GoPros to a bike helmet to get a moving point-of-view shot, attaching it to a drone, and all kinds of crazy stuff. Some things worked, some things didn’t…
Example of one of the 360° Videos we produced:
— What are some qualities that make a successful company like yours?
Some qualities that make ClickView a successful company are high-performing teams, a commitment to crafting world-class content, embracing innovation, and keeping at the forefront of technological developments. These together, enable us to deliver a product that is relevant, engaging, and impactful.
— What is your favorite project, and why?
So many to choose from, but I think one of my favorites is the Respectful Relationships series we produced a few years ago. Shooting at some beautiful locations like the old Werribee Mansion and on a replica Tall Ship, The Enterprise, out in the middle of Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne. There is something special about shooting drama, so many different people all coming together and working towards the same goal.
We were filming on the tall ship the week just before the COVID-19 lockdowns. It was a weird time, as there were talks that the state could go into lockdown. Luckily, we managed to just scrape by and finish all the filming days before Melbourne went into full lockdown.
“One of the clips from the Respectful Relationships series shot at the Werribee Mansion”
Experience in using KROCKIO
— How did you find out about KROCKIO?
Our production department used to rely on Frame.io. However, over time, as the platform grew and was acquired by Adobe, it seemed to cater only to large studios or small production companies. Unfortunately, it felt like they forgot about the middle ground, and their pricing became unaffordable for us. As a result, we had to find an alternative solution.
During our search for a suitable platform that could fulfill our video reviewing requirements, we came across KROCKIO.
— Why did you choose to use our platform?
After trialing different platforms, we found that KROCKIO fulfills all the requirements needed to support our unique production workflow. The straightforward pricing structure, which allows us to pay for only the storage we need while still accessing all of KROCKIO’s features, appealed to us. Unlike other platforms that restrict certain features to specific plans or enterprise customers, KROCKIO gives us unrestricted access to all features and eliminates user limitations.
— Has KROCKIO impacted the way your workflow is organized, and how?
As we had come across from another similar platform, the best thing about transitioning to KROCKIO was that there was a very minimal impact on our workflow. KROCKIO not only provided us with a very similar and familiar review system, but we are enjoying many more additional features that have increased our productivity through this phase of production. This includes many quality-of-life features like filtering, favoriting projects, a variety of board types and presentations, and also the huge value you get in terms of storage, workspaces, and users with the team plan. It’s actively being developed, so new features are constantly being added.
— Give others advice on how to manage work on big projects.
Being organized and equipped with efficient tools is crucial.
Krock.io is an excellent platform for this as it’s so easy to keep things organized and in one place. Gone are the days of emailing video files around and having feedback all over the place. Keeping it all in one place, like in KROCKIO, makes sure things don’t get missed or forgotten.
Check out more interviews on Krock:
