Review: What's a Doddle?
September 18, 2012

Review: What's a Doddle?

By David Basulto
Filmmaker
Engage Media
noise@engagemedia.tv 
Pasadena, CA

Last weekend I took the wife and son to see a great animated film called Paranorman. After tickets, popcorn, some candy and soda, I blew past 50 bucks. Driving home I began to think how $50 didn’t really buy much anymore. I was about to be proven wrong….

The next day as I went through emails I saw one with the subject line, Doddle. What was this about, I wondered. I began to read and was enthralled. The email consisted of a mash-up of interesting stories targeted at a media mogul like me. I took the bait and clicked for more, and this took me to the Doddle site. Once there I perused the pages and came across a service called DoddlePro. Ok now I get it they want my money right? Lets’ see what its all about.

DODDLEPRO

Doddle Pro is an app for the iPad, iPhone or Andriod device that allows me to do many things. One can create interactive call sheets, surf the well-thought-out directory (it’s like the Yelp of the production world!), and for $49 a year I can even post my info.
The interactive call sheets really had me hooked. Being in the industry for years, I know how huge being able to do this digitally was, and have it all update in realtime. In addition to being a filmmaker, I also teach audio/video at a high school. Now I could teach my students how big roll call sheets are. I could update them on weather, post emergency contacts, add photos of locations, and even PDF documents. What about having the built-in GPS on smart phones show them the way to the shoots! Awesome. Also, they being the crew, pay nothing for this service. They simply download the free Doddle app!

The premium listing also allows me to advertise my services. I can upload photos, videos like my reel, audio files, and even add up to 16 keywords. Needless to say I posted all my info as I really believe this will become the go to place for the filmmaker world.

But the dog ate my call sheet.

Sorry but this excuse won’t work people. DoddlePro has a call sheet delivery report so I know who got it and when. I can add notes, contacts and attached a PDF if I like. Progress, I love tech progress. From one person who hated waiting for a fax or even worse had to pay a production assistant to deliver call sheets at all hours of the night doddle pro is heaven sent.

THE DODDLE EMPIRE

Doddle currently has four primary offerings for the professional production community. They are Doddle Directory for the iPhone, DoddlePro, DoddlePro Online and DoddleNews.

The DoddleDirectory is an entirely free interactive, digital mobile production resource guide for the film and video industry. Imagine you needed a caterer or gaffer for an upcoming shoot, Doddle can get you their info based on your location. Massively helpful, indeed!

DoddlePro, as I said above, is a mobile, collaborative call sheets and productions planning efficiency tool optimized for the desktop/browser, iPhone and iPad.

DoddlePro Online is the browser-based version of the DoddlePro app and syncs with the IOS devices.
If you are in production or have a product or service or talent used in the industry, take my word, Doddle is here to stay and worth the price of a movie with my family.

VITAL STATS
PRODUCT: Doddle apps
WEBSITE: www.doddleme.com

PRICE: $49
-    Huge time saver. A ton of resources at your finger tips
-    Syncing with my mac, ipad, iphone
-     Extremely cheap entry price