CREWMATE Camera Prep App to Be Launched Soon – Crowdfunding is Now Open

Software

by Francesco AndreolaMarch 13^th, 2024

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Built on the success of the now-discontinued Camlist app, CREWMATE is a completely redesigned application that promises to facilitate professionals working in the camera department during the delicate phases of pre-production. The team behind it has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support it through the final stages of development.

A few years ago, we brought Camlist to your attention. Launched in 2019, this mobile app was designed specifically to help camera assistants in the creation of easily readable camera lists. It included a massive database of equipment, a worldwide list of rental houses, and even collaborative tools.

However, as its founder Thomas Albert puts it, with 5,000+ active users, Camlist ended up becoming “a victim of its own success”. Indeed, the app required a complete re-write of its source code, but the small Camlist team could not bear this burden alone. Long story short – Camlist was removed from the App Store in 2023 but is now coming back in a new guise.

CREWMATE – The “new” Camlist is prepping for launch

If you are not familiar with Camlist, I highly recommend reading our previous article here. It provides a pretty extensive overview of the main functionalities of the discontinued app. In a nutshell, these included generating camera lists, browsing through the inventory of global rental facilities, consulting gear tech specs, providing suggestions for camera accessories, exporting .PDF lists, collaborating with other members of the camera department, and more.

Currently, there aren’t many details on the features of the upcoming CREWMATE app. What’s certain, however, is that the development team intends to go way beyond the camera department: 

We are developing Crewmate with future evolutions in mind, which is crucial in establishing a universal, stable, and solid structure. Thus, although Crewmate will initially be aimed at camera assistants and directors of photography, we will subsequently welcome other technical departments, such as sound, lighting, machinery, photography, or video/broadcast.

The CREWMATE team

However, the company needs a little bit of financial help to get going. Currently, they’re raising funds to make it through the final stages of development. These include refining the UI, expanding the gear database, improving collaboration features, ensuring data security, and making sure CREWMATE is bullet-proof upon launch.

Price and availability

The launch of the new CREWMATE camera prep app is scheduled for the first half of 2024. Initially, the application will only be available for iPhone, but the team plans to develop an iPad version as well. There’s currently no information regarding the price of the app.

If you’d like to support this project, you can do so by choosing a reward from CREWMATE’s crowdfunding campaign webpage. Depending on the amount of your donation, you can get early access to the beta version of the app, gain a 1-year or lifetime license, or even become a strategic advisor for project development.

We say this at the end of every crowdfunding-related article: Be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Please read the platform’s terms of use and keep in mind that there can be significant delays when delivering the product/service. Some projects even don’t get delivered at all.

For more information, please visit CREWMATE’s crowdfunding campaign here.

Have you ever used Camlist when prepping a shoot? How do you create camera lists during pre-production? Do you think CREWMATE can assist you during prep? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!