Dear Stefan Kubicki and Shayar Bhansali,
You guys rock.
For many sleepless nights and seasons, I’ve been searching the web, sifting through a bajillion apps, but none of them does what Dropcode does. Why is that?? Not to be simplistic, but at its core, it’s just a stopwatch. Yet, Dropcode does it so elegantly because you know your audience. Every other timestamp app out there (HULOG, Logger, etc.) provides the same functionality, but they lack two vital features: they log notes with a “date” timestamp but never with a timecode, and — what I find most ludicrous — there is NO pause button! I get it, these people aren’t watching films, but does it hurt to add a PAUSE button? I need a pee break sometimes, and if I keep the timer running, my timecode is gonna get all messed up!
Don’t get me wrong, there are ways to do this yourself. I can use those aforementioned apps and convert the timestamps into timecodes in Excel. Or I could create Javascript actions on the Drafts app and modify it to strictly fit my needs. But I’m a filmmaker, not a programmer, so it took me ages to fundamentally accept the fact that I could never create something with all these features. And then... on the 100th night of no sleep... I found Dropcode. There has never been such a specific app for such a specific type of person. I dare you to find one. The niche of this app is outrageous, but it delivers. Thank you. frame.io and other similar apps achieve the same thing, but that’s if you have a file to sync to. What if I’m at the cinema and I wanna take notes?
Giving this app 5 stars so there can be more visibility on the App Store, because it shouldn’t be THIS HARD to find. Right now, the only way I could find it was by writing the keyword “timecode,” and it was the 155th result (I counted), appearing after apps like ChatGPT, Google Chrome, and CamScanner of all things. As you can tell, I was really desperate and mindlessly scrolling at that point, even if the results didn’t make sense. But thank our messiah, I don't know, Denis Villeneuve or Greta Gerwig, that I kept on scrolling.
Also, note to developers: I don't know if you can tell, but this app is great not just for editors, but for movie critics too (or Letterboxd connoisseurs), especially if you’re at the cinema. Since you made it all dark mode with a red night vision mode, it doesn't bother others around me. So yeah, I needed this mainly for taking notes of movies I watch to help me write reviews later for my new YouTube channel (#plug).
I also love the haptic feedback when I click start and stop. Very useful. And I also really love that I can modify the preset markers, thank you.
Now... please, make a discount for us poor filmmakers out there, or at least a 7-day trial period, because I was very afraid of spending my money on an app that could have been a bust, since I’ve been hurt in the past. I’m not Hollywood (yet). That said, this app is SO WORTH the price tag!
★★★★★ ♥︎
Update: After finding Dropcode, I had more SEO to work with and found some alternatives: CutNotes, but it’s only for iPad (and not that pretty, lol, sorry), and a free web app on editingtools.io (but I still prefer Dropcode). I mention the latter because they can convert your markers into more NLEs (Premiere Pro, Final Cut) and also SRT and CSV export. So I’ll use these two in combo until Dropcode has exports for Final Cut Pro, CSV, simple text (and After Effects, everyone forgets about After Effects).
A few suggestions, if I may:
- iCloud backup and in-app library: If the app crashes or accidentally closes, you lose your current session... a very tragic experience.
- Edit button: Since we're typing notes while not looking at the screen, typos are inevitable. I'd like to know what I meant by "Zendya cll at tennis" a week after watching Challengers. Also, it would be great to adjust the timestamp after the fact for better accuracy.
- Manual timestamps: Sometimes I rewind and notice something else I want to jot down, but I'm stuck at the current timecode, but according to Dropcode, Marty has already traveled into the future.
- Theme options: Always keeping it dark mode, just more styles. Sometimes I need the screen to be even darker for my fellow cinema seatmates.
- Clear indication of running timer: Sometimes it's unclear whether you clicked start or stop (they are visually very similar word-wise), and since you're focused on the film, you kinda forget if you hit start or not, and don't want to be constantly checking. A simple flashing red dot like the good ol' camcorders would suffice... I like movies a bit too much.
- Multi-line notes: Something similar to how the text field in messages works. The single line is not enough for more fleshed-out thoughts. I never go more than three sentences mind you, but since there's no edit button, it's simply too difficult to review what you wrote. It can start with one line and then grow to three lines or a limited number of your choice. I trust you guys with my life (or maybe let's just say my really expensive equipment).
- Title for the file name: It would be great to name the film you're watching so when you save the .txt and .edl you know what film you're talking about (or if it’s a TV show, I can name the show and episode number).
- Export to Final Cut — or really just SRT, so you can use it anywhere.
- Preset markers are illegible when iOS is set to dark mode: This is just an UI issue. If you don't keep your phone in light mode, the text on the preset pop-up menu is black on black.
And those are my thousand words since I couldn't take a picture of me saying: Thank you ♥︎ Movies rule.
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