ReelCraft: eLearning Platform for Video Editing

ReelCraft: Learn to See Like an Editor

A specialist learning and critique workspace for filmmaking, video editing and visual storytelling, where feedback is pinned to the exact moment in the cut and improvement is visible across versions.

AssignBriefs, grading criteria and real source footage to cut

CritiqueInstructor notes pinned to the exact frame, range or shot

CompareVersions on aligned timelines, with changes marked

TabletCritique view that jumps straight to each moment

Project at a Glance

Industry

Education · Film and Media

Engagement

Specialist Web and Tablet Platform

Platform

Web Workspace, Tablet-First Critique

Learning Model

Assignment, Cut, Critique, Revision, Comparison

Core Use Case

Time-Coded Critique Across Versions

Users

Editing Students and Instructors

Challenge and solution

The Business Challenge

Editing is learned through the work: a cut that lands a beat too early, a shot that holds too long. Generic course tools can't point at those moments.

✕Written feedback like "the pacing feels off" doesn't say which cut or which frame.
✕Feedback lived in documents and emails, separate from the media it described.
✕Students couldn't easily show, or see, what changed between versions.
✕Standard LMS layouts gave the media too little space to judge a frame.
✕Instructors needed a clear place for expert judgement, separate from any automated measurement.

The SoluLab Solution

SoluLab built ReelCraft as a media-first workspace where the cut is the centre of every conversation.

✓Assignments with source footage, criteria and submission requirements.
✓An editor view with a large preview canvas, a full timeline and a shot list.
✓Time-coded critique pinned to frames, ranges and shots, with each type of input clearly labelled.
✓System observations measured from the edit, with the calculation shown.
✓Version comparison on aligned timelines, with changes marked.
✓Instructor debrief against the assignment's criteria.
✓A tablet-first critique view that jumps straight to each moment.

Solution Architecture

Users & Inputs

Everything the workspace works with, starting from the media.

Source Footage

Clip bin per assignment
Source timecodes
Proxy frames

Assignment Brief

Prompt and criteria
Requirements
Due dates

Submitted Cuts

Versions per learner
Shot list and cut points
Change notes

Instructor Notes

Pinned to timecodes
Ranges and shots
Final debrief

Web Workspace

Learners and instructors
Large canvas and timeline

Tablet

Critique review
Jump to moments

Application Layer

One shared timeline model, so every note points at the same frame.

AuthenticationLearner and instructor roles

Media HandlingUpload, proxies, thumbnails

Timecode ModelFrames at 24 fps, shot ranges

VersioningEvery submission kept

NotificationsCritique and debrief ready

Workspace Records

Everything linked to the cut.

Clips & Proxies

Source media and thumbnails

↓

Versions & Shot Lists

Cut points per version

↓

Notes & Observations

Timecode, range or shot

↓

Debriefs

Notes against criteria

ReelCraft Critique Workspace

Assign

Brief and criteria
Source clip bin
Requirements
Due dates

Edit View

Preview canvas
Timeline and tracks
Shot list
Playhead timecode

Critique

Notes at a frame
Notes on a range
Typed by source
Composer at playhead

Compare

Versions side by side
Aligned timelines
Change markers
Synced playback

Debrief

Notes per criterion
Final note
Attempt history
Outcome

System ObservationsMeasured from the edit, shown as reviewable evidence rather than a verdict.

Shot Lengths

Duration of every shot
From cut points

Section Averages

Average shot length
Before and after a timecode

Calculation Shown

The numbers behind it
Open from the note

Instructor Decides

Observations inform
Judgement stays human

Core Platform Services

Authentication

Roles & Cohorts

Media Storage

Timecode Model

Notifications

API

Delivered Surfaces

Media-first, on web and tablet.

Learner Workspace

Assignments, cuts, critique

Instructor Workspace

Notes, compare, debrief

Tablet Layout

Critique review on the move

Hosting & MediaBuilt for video-heavy work.

Cloud HostingWeb and API

Media StorageSource and submissions

ProxiesFast scrubbing

DatabaseWorkspace records

NotificationsLearner and instructor

ReleasesWeb and tablet

Access & RightsFootage and student work stay protected.

Role-Based AccessLearner, instructor

Cohort ScopingInstructors see their groups

Private SubmissionsVisible to the class team

Footage LicencesCredits kept with clips

Why Artifact-Level Critique: Our Product Decisions

Creative work needs feedback that points at the work itself. Every decision in ReelCraft keeps the critique attached to a frame, a range or a shot, and makes improvement visible between versions.

Feedback attached to the work

"The pacing feels off" doesn't tell a student which cut to change.

Notes at a timecode: Each note is pinned to a frame, a range or a shot, and opens the cut at that moment.
Clear authorship: Instructor feedback, system observations, source evidence and learner notes each look different.
Shared source footage: Everyone cuts from the same clips, so notes can reference exact source timecodes.

Improvement you can see

Learning happens between versions, so the versions sit side by side.

Every version kept: Submissions, change notes and critique stay in the attempt history.
Aligned comparison: Timelines line up so moved cuts and changed durations are easy to inspect.
Human judgement last: System measurements inform the critique; the instructor's debrief is the final word.

Key product choices

DecisionWhy we made it

Media-first layoutThe canvas and timeline get most of the space, because the work is the subject of every conversation.

Frame-accurate timecodesNotes resolve to exact frames at the project frame rate, so a ten-frame suggestion is unambiguous.

Measurements, not verdictsSystem observations show their calculation and stay reviewable, so they support the instructor rather than replace them.

Tablet-first reviewLearners read critique and jump to moments on a tablet, away from the edit suite.

The result: critique that points at the exact moment in the cut, and improvement that is visible in the cut itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is ReelCraft?

ReelCraft is a learning and critique workspace for film and video editing. Learners submit cuts for assignments, receive critique pinned to exact moments, revise and compare versions.

2. How is it different from a standard LMS?

It is built around the media: a large preview canvas, a timeline and a critique panel beside the work, rather than a course dashboard.

3. What does an assignment include?

A brief, assessment criteria, a bin of source clips with timecodes, and submission requirements such as length, format and an edit note.

4. How does time-coded critique work?

Instructors pin notes to a frame, a range or a shot. Selecting a note moves the playhead to that exact moment in the cut.

5. How are different kinds of feedback distinguished?

Instructor feedback, system observations, source evidence and learner notes each have their own visual treatment and label.

6. What are system observations?

Measurements taken from the edit itself, such as shot lengths and section averages. The calculation is shown, and they are presented for review, not as a judgement.

7. How does version comparison work?

Two versions are shown side by side with aligned timelines. Changes such as moved cuts and changed durations are marked.

8. Does the system grade the work?

No. The instructor's debrief against the assignment's criteria is the final word.

9. Can learners use it on a tablet?

Yes. The critique view is designed for tablets, with each note jumping straight to its moment in the cut.

10. Which footage was used in this walkthrough?

Tears of Steel, (CC) Blender Foundation, mango.blender.org, licensed under CC BY 3.0.

ReelCraft: Learn to See Like an Editor

Project at a Glance