With files accessible and organized in Dropbox, Sagafilm can focus on creativity

Background

Sagafilm is Iceland’s leading film and television production company. With 30 full-time employees and up to 1,200 contractors hired each year, they tackle everything from local documentaries to global productions for platforms like Netflix.

Challenge: juggling tools and subscriptions

Sagafilm’s workflow covers everything from planning and filming to editing and final delivery. During production, footage is reviewed as dailies and shared for feedback. Post-production involves editing, subtitling, color grading, and preparing final deliverables like video files and cue sheets.

But with five different platforms in play—for file transfers, version tracking, and sharing edits—keeping everything on track wasn’t easy. People had to remember where each file was uploaded, which version was most recent, and how to share it. That often led to extra back-and-forth and slowed down collaboration.

Managing multiple platforms also meant dealing with different pricing models, hidden fees, and services that needed constant maintenance. Some were free, but upgrading or maintaining them took more time and technical know-how than the team could spare. Others had costs that were hard to track—until the bill showed up. “In this business, work fluctuates a lot with busy periods followed by slow months. The less services we have to juggle with to scale up or down our tools, the better,” says Örn Sveinson, Post Production Manager at Sagafilm.

Solution: one platform that does it all

Sagafilm made the switch to Dropbox—replacing five platforms with one that keeps everything in sync, secure, and easy to access. All sorts of files, from videos to cue sheets and contracts, are now easy to find and manage thanks to a clear folder structure. The team also uses Dropbox Transfer to track file activity and to share folders instead of sending multiple emails for specific files to different parties. Producers and clients abroad receive rough cuts through password-protected links, allowing them to review footage without needing to download large files.

And with Dropbox Replay, feedback is fast and friction-free. Editors get time-stamped notes right on the video. Sound engineers can pull comments straight into their editing tools. Even subtitling is easier with reviewers suggesting changes right in the timeline.

Results: less stress, more storytelling

Overall, having everything in Dropbox makes things simple:

• Assets can be all found in one place, and within a clear folder structure
• Tool subscriptions are easier to manage
• Collaboration with directors and editors is seamless
• Password-protected links and curated access rights helps ensure compliance
• Teams don't need to dig through emails or track versions across different platforms

“Having just one service instead of five makes it that much easier to scale licenses up or down if needed,” says Sveinsson. He no longer has to worry about hidden costs like overlooked subscription fees or about hardware upgrades. This has reduced overall costs.

With so much less energy and time wasted on dealing with scattered files or juggling subscriptions, the team can focus more on creativity, bringing stories to life, and creating shows that reach more people’s hearts.

"My peers are often impressed when I tell them everything we do with just that one platform. With Dropbox, we can do as much—if not more, thanks to the file centralization—than when we were using five separate services." Sagafilm plans to drop another tool soon—by adopting Dropbox Sign for digital agreements.