We wanted to make a film. Not manage a stack of subscriptions.
On our first documentary,
This Is Not A Draft, we found ourselves using roughly
15–20 subscriptions to get the film made.
Research in one place. Contacts in another. Tasks, notes, and
files spread across tools. Keeping the project organized became a
job of its own.
So we decided to build Saga Collab. Our goal is to bring many of
those subscriptions down to one shared workspace, giving
filmmakers more time and resources for the stories they want to
tell.
Behind the camera.Working together.Getting the story made.
From our own behind-the-scenes photo collection.
02 / THE SHARED WORKSPACE
One source of truth. For your story.
Which version is current? Who has the interview notes? What still
needs a release? When the answers live across different tools, the
whole team loses time.
Make Saga the shared place your team returns to: research, people,
tasks, and linked files organized around the same project. Less
hunting for context. More room to listen, collaborate, and make the
film.
01
Keep the story in view.
Gather themes, research notes, narrative beats, interview
questions, and quotes in your project’s story workspace.
02
Remember the people.
Keep interview subjects, crew, and sources together, with
contact details and release-form status close at hand.
03
Know what comes next.
Turn the next step into a task. Keep an owner, a due date, and a
status attached to the work.
04
Give your files a home.
Create and link Google Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides, and Drive
folders from the project they belong to.
03 / FOLLOW THE WORK
One project. Every chapter.
Start with the questions. Keep tasks and linked files organized as
your production moves forward.
FIND THE THREAD
A strong story starts with good questions.
Bring your early research, potential interviews, story ideas, and
next steps into a shared pre-production workspace.
The current app is built around pre-production, with tasks and
Google file links available across all four phases.
THE RIVER BETWEEN USIllustrative project
Pre-productionIn progress
✓Gather initial researchAL
Prepare interview questionsJM
Confirm next steps with the teamSK
↗Interview notes · Google Doc
04 / THE STORIES BEHIND THE SOFTWARE
Every voice matters. Help more stories get told.
We build these tools to help finance our documentary projects. Saga
grows out of the challenges we face as filmmakers—and the belief
that important stories deserve the time and care it takes to tell
them.
OUR FIRST DOCUMENTARY
This Is Not A Draft
A documentary about post-9/11 veterans, their service and
sacrifice, and life after war. Making this film showed us how much
work it takes to keep a production connected.
We’re currently developing our next documentary project, focused
on missing and murdered Indigenous women. The need to organize
research carefully, keep track of sources, and make space for
people’s voices is central to this work.
The next chapter in our filmmaking journey.
A FEW PRACTICAL DETAILS
Before you gather around.
Who is Saga Collab for?
Documentary producers, researchers, directors, editors, and the
collaborators helping them develop and organize a production.
What can we use today?
The current web app includes project research and story items,
people and release status, tasks, and linked Google Workspace
resources. Pre-production is the most developed workspace; later
phases currently provide tasks and Google file links.
Does Saga replace all my production subscriptions?
Consolidating more of the work into one subscription is why we’re
building Saga. Today it brings research, people, tasks, and linked
Google files into a shared workspace. Editing, specialist
production tools, and third-party services may still require their
own software or subscriptions.
Is there a desktop app?
A connected Mac experience is being planned alongside Story
Ledger. It is not yet part of the available Saga Collab web app.
How do I open my project?
Choose “Open the app” to go to Saga Collab and sign in. Project
access depends on your account and project membership.
