StoryFolder for education

Study the choices behind the scene

Break a finished film or video into shots, keep your own observations against each one, and share the study.

Educators prepare a scene before class. Students study a reference, build an argument from what is on screen, and hand in the breakdown.

Apply for educational use See what you get

Three frames from Run Rabbit scene 13: shot 237 with Maya near and Benji in a doorway, shot 239 an embrace, shot 256 Maya down a hallway with Benji blurred at the edge. — Example study note · Shot 256 Maya stands far down the hallway. Benji is blurred at the near edge. How does what happens between shot 239 and here change what this distance means?

Examine a scene, shot by shot

Import the video and StoryFolder detects the shots.

Open one, look at the frame, and attach what you notice. A note can be an observation, or the question you want the class to answer.

Timing, movement and sound need the video, so students play the shot again before they commit to a reading. The film and their own judgment stay the basis of the study.

The StoryFolder editor on RUN_RABBIT_MASTER.mov, filtered to 65 of 461 shots, shot 256 selected, with an Observation and a Question written beside it.

Run Rabbit, scene 13, shot 256 selected. The notes are examples written for this page.

Choose what you want to study

Just a few examples of how StoryFolder is used in education.

Cinematography: Compare how the doorway holds the two characters apart in shot 237 with the shared close frame in 239.
Editing: Note what becomes visible immediately before and after a cut you have confirmed on playback.
Writing: Name the action that changes the exchange, and cite the shot that shows it.
Directing and blocking: Track who approaches, who withdraws and who turns away across the passage.
Production design: Follow the couple portrait from its first appearance in shot 230 to the hands on it in shot 279.
Sound: Listen with the picture, then write what the sound adds beyond the still.

Two frames from Run Rabbit scene 13: shot 230, a framed drawing of a couple on the wall, and shot 279, two hands holding the same drawing against the wall. — Shot 230 and shot 279, selected moments. The same drawing, in two places in the scene.

Built for custom classes

You define the fields, so a study can be about anything you like.

Customize your notations with six different types: text, tags, dropdowns, checkboxes, ratings and numbers. Name them the way you already teach, and the same schema carries across every scene you break down.

Text fields
Single choice
Multiselect Tags
Numbers
Checkboxes

Bring the breakdown into your coursework

Educators

Prepare the scene before class. Set the discussion questions against the shots that raise them.

Export a PDF the class can hold while they argue. The same handout works in a film studies seminar, a screenwriting workshop or a production class.

A page of the exported PDF: four Run Rabbit frames, two to a row, each with its shot number, duration, an Observation and a Question.

Class discussion handout

Students

Study a reference for an assignment, or for a shoot you are planning. Record the choices worth investigating, write the interpretation, and submit a share link.

Your own finished film works the same way when you are deciding what to do differently next time.

A published board in a browser, view only: three Run Rabbit shots in a list, each with an Observation and a Question and no controls.

Student scene study

A share link is view-only. Feedback and grades stay in the tools your course already uses. A board shared from a local file carries the frames and the notes, not playback of that file.

Make room for your research question

Choose the fields your study needs.

Write freely, add categories you can compare across shots, and keep the vocabulary of your subject instead of a general cinematography worksheet.

AI field discovery can propose fields from a research question. Adding one defines the field. It does not analyze the scene for you.

StoryFolder settings, Shot Metadata: a Comedy study category with a Comic Function dropdown offering Setup, Misdirection, Escalation, Payoff and Callback, and an Explanation text field.

Comedy
Where is the setup, and which reaction lands the payoff?
Comic Function · Reaction Shot Role
Suspense
What does the audience know before the character does?
Knowledge Alignment · Reveal Status
Romance
How do gaze and distance change an exchange?
Gaze Pattern · Distance Change
Horror
What stays hidden, and what makes us anticipate it?
Threat Visibility · Sound-Image Relation
Social video
What does the opening promise, and does the ending deliver?
Narrative Role · Payoff Status

Pro for teaching and studying

Educators

One year of Pro, free

Normally $168 a year. For approved educators.

No card. Use Pro for scene studies, lesson preparation and class materials, then re-apply for the next academic year.

Apply as an educator

Students

One year of Pro, $38.99

Normally $168 a year. For approved students.

Twelve months at the student rate, or $3.95 a month. Use Pro for assignments, reference research and your own productions.

Apply as a student

Pro removes the shot and board limits and adds spreadsheet export, Statistics and password-protected share links. Applications are reviewed and approval is not automatic. Sign in to apply, or see what Pro includes .

Apply with your school or course details

1
Sign in, choose educator or student, and give your institution and course details.
2
Attach proof of employment or enrollment. A staff or student ID, an enrollment letter or faculty information all work. An institution email address is optional.
3
A person reviews the application, usually within one business day, and emails you the decision. Approved accounts sign in to pricing and activate the offer.

FAQ

Who can apply?

Educators and students who can show proof of their role and course. The form covers secondary and sixth form, college, university and other levels. Applicants must be at least 13.

Do I need a school email address?

No. An institution email is optional. The application asks for your institution and course details and a proof document.

What happens after the free year?

Education status can be reverified. You can reapply starting 30 days before your verification expires, and continued free access depends on approval.

How long does the student discount last?

The student rate covers 12 months of Pro at $38.99, against $168 at the standard annual price. Reapply to stay eligible after that.

Does every student need to apply?

Yes. The offer is based on individual applications, so an educator's approval does not approve or provision a class.

Which computers can run StoryFolder?

Mac and Windows desktops. A shared board opens in a browser, but boards are built in the desktop app.

What happens to my proof document?

The application says the proof file is removed after it has been processed. Your application record itself is kept.

Apply for education pricing

One form for both roles, reviewed by a person, usually within one business day.

Apply as an educator Apply as a student