How to select the best Workflow for your Project

When you create a Project in ScreenKey, you will choose a workflow mode.

A workflow mode controls how your Project is presented and how people interact with it. In simpler terms, it helps ScreenKey understand what kind of Project you are creating.

Are you sharing finished screeners in a polished viewing experience? Are you collaborating on production or post-production media? Are you collecting media from contributors so it can be reviewed and approved?

ScreenKey supports three primary workflow modes:

• Theater Mode
• Workspace Mode
• Media Approval Mode

Choosing the right mode helps make sure Reviewers, Contributors, Approvers, and Team Members get the right experience for the job they need to do.

Quick recommendation

If you are not sure where to start, use this guide:

For most new users who simply want to upload media, share it securely, and make it look great for Reviewers, Theater Mode is usually the best place to start.

What is a workflow mode?

A Project is the main workspace for managing, reviewing, approving, and sharing media in ScreenKey.

A workflow mode changes how that Project is used.

For example, the same film or television title might need different kinds of Projects at different stages:

• A Workspace Mode Project for reviewing rough cuts, dailies, VFX, color, or other in-progress media
• A Theater Mode Project for sharing polished screeners with buyers, executives, or awards voters
• A Media Approval Mode Project for collecting and approving submitted photos, artwork, or other media from contributors

You do not always need separate Projects, but many teams use different Projects for different stages of work.

Theater Mode

Theater Mode is designed for secure screener review and distribution.

Choose Theater Mode when your main goal is to present content to Reviewers in a polished viewing experience. This is the mode to use when you want your Project to feel more like a secure streaming environment and less like an internal workspace.

In Theater Mode, folders display as viewer-facing categories, making it easy for Reviewers to browse and watch content across supported devices.

For enterprise clients, Theater Mode can also support custom branding. The reviewer experience minimizes the ScreenKey interface and places greater emphasis on your organization’s own branding.

Theater Mode is best for

Use Theater Mode when you need to:

• Share screeners with external Reviewers or stakeholders
• Provide a polished viewing experience
• Make content easy to browse on desktop, mobile, and TV devices
• Organize folders as categories for Reviewers
• Track viewing activity
• Protect content with security features such as watermarking, DRM, and access controls

Common Theater Mode use cases

Theater Mode is commonly used for:

• Sales review
• Distribution review
• Awards campaigns
• Executive review
• Compliance review
• Buyer screenings
• Festival or market screeners
• External stakeholder review

Who typically uses Theater Mode?

Theater Mode is useful when content needs to be reviewed by people outside the core project team.

Typical Reviewers may include:

• Buyers
• Distributors
• Sales teams
• Awards voters or campaign recipients
• Executives
• Compliance reviewers
• External stakeholders

How to create a Theater Mode Project

To create a Project in Theater Mode:

1. Go to your active Organization in ScreenKey.
2. Select Create a New Project.
3. Enter the Project details.
4. Choose Theater Mode as the presentation mode.
5. Finish creating the Project.

After the Project is created, you can add media, organize folders, configure access settings, and share the Project with Reviewers.

Can I change Theater Mode later?

Yes. Projects created in Theater Mode can be changed to Workspace Mode at any time.

To change the Project mode:

1. Open the Project.
2. Open the Edit Project Details modal.
3. Change the mode from Theater Mode to Workspace Mode.
4. Save your changes.

Workspace Mode

Workspace Mode is designed for production and post-production collaboration.

Choose Workspace Mode when your Project is less about presenting finished screeners and more about working through media with a team. It is useful when Reviewers need to move through folders, compare assets, review many files, or collaborate on feedback.

In Workspace Mode, Reviewers have access to a workspace-style layout with grid and list views, similar to the way Team Members navigate the Project. This makes it easier to work efficiently in larger Projects with multiple folders, versions, or deliverables.

Workspace Mode is best for

Use Workspace Mode when you need to:

• Collaborate on production or post-production media
• Share work-in-progress assets with internal teams or vendors
• Review dailies, rough cuts, VFX, color, sound, or promotional assets
• Give Reviewers a folder-based workspace experience
• Use grid and list views for larger Projects
• Collect feedback in a more collaborative environment

Common Workspace Mode use cases

Workspace Mode is commonly used for:

• Dailies
• Rough cuts
• VFX review
• Color review
• Sound review
• Marketing assets
• Promotional materials
• Vendor review
• Internal production review
• Post-production collaboration

Who typically uses Workspace Mode?

Workspace Mode is useful for teams and collaborators working closely together on in-progress media.

Typical participants may include:

• Producers
• Editors
• Post-production supervisors
• VFX vendors
• Color teams
• Sound teams
• Marketing teams
• Internal Reviewers
• External collaborators

How to create a Workspace Mode Project

To create a Project in Workspace Mode:

1. Go to your active Organization in ScreenKey.
2. Select Create a New Project.
3. Enter the Project details.
4. Choose Workspace Mode as the presentation mode.
5. Finish creating the Project.

After the Project is created, you can upload media, create folders, invite Reviewers or Contributors, and begin managing feedback.

Can I change Workspace Mode later?

Yes. Projects created in Workspace Mode can be changed to Theater Mode at any time.

To change the Project mode:

1. Open the Project.
2. Open the Edit Project Details modal.
3. Change the mode from Workspace Mode to Theater Mode.
4. Save your changes.

Media Approval Mode

Media Approval Mode is designed for structured approval workflows.

Choose Media Approval Mode when contributors need to upload media that must be reviewed, approved, or rejected before it can move forward.

This mode works differently from Theater Mode and Workspace Mode. Instead of standard folders, Media Approval Mode uses Galleries. Each Gallery has its own approval workflow, and media can only be uploaded into Galleries.

Media Approval Mode is best for

Use Media Approval Mode when you need to:

• Allow third-party contributors to upload media
• Review and approve submitted content
• Assign Approvers to review specific media
• Manage approval decisions in a structured workflow
• Separate approved content from content still under review
• Prepare approved media for secure sharing or distribution

Common Media Approval Mode use cases

Media Approval Mode is commonly used for:

• Photo approvals
• Artwork approvals
• Marketing asset approvals
• Contributor submissions
• Vendor-submitted media
• Campaign or promotional asset review
• Approval workflows with contractual or stakeholder requirements

Who typically uses Media Approval Mode?

Media Approval Mode is useful for teams that collect assets from contributors and need a controlled approval process before content is shared more broadly.

Typical participants include:

• Contributors, who upload media into Galleries
• Approvers, who review assigned media and make approval decisions
• Project Team Members, who manage the workflow, content, and final distribution

How to create a Media Approval Mode Project

Media Approval Mode Projects can only be created by the ScreenKey Team on request.

To create a Project in Media Approval Mode, contact your ScreenKey customer service representative and provide the details of the workflow you need to support.

Can I change Media Approval Mode later?

No. Once a Project has been created in Media Approval Mode, its mode cannot be changed.

If you are not sure whether you need Media Approval Mode, contact the ScreenKey Team before the Project is created.

Comparing the three modes

Which mode should I choose?

Choose Theater Mode if your main goal is to share a Project with Reviewers and have it look polished, branded, and easy to watch.

Choose Workspace Mode if your main goal is to collaborate with a production or post-production team, review many assets, and work through feedback.

Choose Media Approval Mode if your main goal is to collect submitted media and send it through an approval workflow before sharing or distribution.

Common examples

Summary

ScreenKey workflow modes help you create the right experience for the people using your Project.

For most secure screener sharing, choose Theater Mode.

For production or post-production collaboration, choose Workspace Mode.

For structured approval workflows where contributors upload media for review, choose Media Approval Mode.

If you are still unsure which mode is right for your Project, contact the ScreenKey Team before creating it.