Create your first Screener project: Theater Mode

Theater Mode is designed for secure screener review and distribution. It is best used when you want to share film or television content with external reviewers, buyers, distributors, executives, awards voters, compliance reviewers, or other stakeholders in a polished viewing experience.

In Theater Mode, reviewers see a streaming-service-style interface where folders appear as categories, making it easy to browse and view content across supported devices. For enterprise clients, Theater Mode can also support custom branding, minimizing the ScreenKey interface and placing greater emphasis on your organization’s own brand.

Use Theater Mode when you need to securely share screeners, protect media with access controls and watermarking, track viewing activity, and provide reviewers with a simple, professional viewing experience.

Before You Create the Project

Before creating your Theater Mode Project, consider the following:

• What should the Project be called?
• What security settings are required?
• Should Reviewers be allowed to leave feedback?
• Should feedback be private or collaborative?
• Do you want to add Project tags?
• Should Reviewers be notified when new media is added?
• Are you ready to organize content into folders that will appear as categories to Reviewers?

Some settings can be changed later, but others must be selected when the Project is created. For example, Digital Rights Management (DRM) encryption can only be selected at the time of Project creation.

Step 1: Select New Project

From the My Projects dashboard, select the New Project button.

This opens the Create a New Project modal, where you can enter the Project details, configure settings, and choose the Project’s presentation mode.

Step 2: Add a Project Name

Enter a name for your Project.

The Project name should be clear and recognizable to your team. In many cases, this may be the name of the film, episode, series, campaign, or review package you are preparing.

Reviewers may also see the Project name when they access the content, so choose a name that makes sense for both your internal team and your intended audience.

Step 3: Choose Security Settings

Next, decide which security settings are needed for the Project.

ScreenKey Projects can support a range of security and access controls designed to help protect your media. These settings may include options such as watermarking, access restrictions, and DRM encryption.

Most security settings can be revised after the Project is created. However, some settings must be selected during project creation.

Important: DRM Encryption

Digital Rights Management (DRM) encryption must be selected when the Project is created.

If you need DRM encryption for this Project, make sure to enable it before completing project creation. DRM encryption cannot be added later.

Step 4: Choose Feedback Settings

Decide whether Reviewers should be able to provide feedback on media in the Project.

If feedback is enabled, choose the feedback style that best fits your workflow:

For most screener workflows, Private feedback is usually the best option. This allows Reviewers to provide comments without making their feedback visible to other Reviewers.

Step 5: Add Project Tags

Add any Project tags you want associated with the Project.

Project tags are Organization-wide and are used for sorting and filtering Projects at the Organization level. Tags can help your team organize Projects by title, campaign, region, department, client, review type, or any other category that is useful to your workflow.

You can select existing tags or create new ones while setting up the Project.

Step 6: Choose Reviewer Notification Settings

Choose whether Reviewers should be notified when new media is added to the Project.

These notification settings apply to claimed Reviewers, meaning Reviewers who have accepted their invitations. When enabled, Reviewers can be notified when new content becomes available.

This is useful when you expect to add media over time and want Reviewers to know when there is something new to watch.

Step 7: Select Theater Mode

In the presentation mode section, select Theater Mode.

Theater Mode creates a polished, streaming-service-style viewing experience for Reviewers. In this mode, folders are displayed as categories, helping Reviewers browse and watch content easily.

Select Theater Mode when your primary goal is to share screeners securely with external or internal Reviewers in a clean, viewer-friendly interface.

Step 8: Create the Project

Once you have entered the Project name, selected your security settings, configured feedback and notifications, added tags, and selected Theater Mode, finish creating the Project.

After the Project is created, you can begin customizing the Project and adding media.

Step 9: Edit Project Details

After the Project has been created, select Edit Project to update additional Project details.

From the Edit Project area, you can edit details that Reviewers may see when they access the Project, including:

• Poster image
• Banner image
• Project description or details
• Other editable Project information

Poster and banner images help create a polished presentation for Reviewers, especially when the Project is being used as a screener package.

Step 10: Add Media to the Project

Once your Project has been created, you can add media to the Project’s Assets area.

There are several ways to add media:

• Drag and drop media into the Assets area
• Right-click in the Assets area and choose the upload option
• Select the + New menu in the top-right of the Assets area

After media is uploaded, you can organize it inside the Project.

Step 11: Add Folders to Organize Content

You can also create folders in the Assets area to organize your media.

Folders can be created using the same general methods:

• Drag and drop content into the Assets area
• Right-click in the Assets area
• Select the + New menu in the top-right of the Assets area

In Theater Mode, folders are important because they display as categories to Reviewers. For example, you might create folders for:

• Feature Film
• Episodes
• Trailers
• Bonus Materials
• Awards Screeners
• Sales Materials
• Compliance Review

Organizing your media into clear folders helps Reviewers find the content they need more easily.

Step 12: Share the Project with Reviewers

When your Project is ready, open the Sharing tab to share it with Reviewers.

From the Sharing tab, you can invite Reviewers and configure their access. Depending on your settings, Reviewers may be able to view media, provide feedback, download files, or access the Project for a specific viewing window.

Before sharing, review your Project to make sure:

• Media has been uploaded
• Folders are organized clearly
• Poster and banner images are set
• Security settings are correct
• Feedback settings are correct
• Reviewer notifications are configured
• The Project is ready for external viewing

Summary

Creating a Theater Mode Project allows you to securely share screeners in a polished, reviewer-friendly experience.

To create your first Theater Mode Project:

1. Select New Project.
2. Add a Project name.
3. Choose the required security settings.
4. Enable DRM encryption during creation if needed.
5. Choose feedback settings.
6. Add or create Project tags.
7. Configure Reviewer notification settings.
8. Select Theater Mode.
9. Create the Project.
10. Edit Project details, including poster and banner images.
11. Add media and folders.
12. Share the Project from the Sharing tab.

Theater Mode is ideal for secure screener distribution, especially when you want to present content in a polished, streaming-style experience for Reviewers.