I built an app where people comment on movies scene by scene
Hey r/SideProject,
I shared Cinebla here a while ago when it was still at a much earlier stage, so I wanted to come back with a more meaningful update.
Cinebla is the app I’ve been building for movie and TV fans, where comments are synced to the exact moment of a film or episode. Instead of leaving one generic review after watching something, people can react scene by scene, read what others said at that exact moment, and turn a movie or episode into something closer to an asynchronous watch party.
The biggest change over the last few months is that I’m no longer building it in a vacuum. I’ve managed to grow a small but active group of users who regularly comment on movies and TV shows inside the app, and that has been a huge milestone for me because this product only really makes sense when there is real conversation happening around the content.
One of the coolest things that has happened is that Nacho Vigalondo is now on Cinebla. He’s a director who has directed actors like Anne Hathaway and Elijah Wood, and he used the app to comment through an entire episode of his latest series. He explained scenes, shared behind-the-scenes stories, and added production context as the episode progressed. That was one of the first moments when the app really felt like it was becoming what I had imagined from the beginning.
Over the last few months I’ve also added:
- Full support for TV series: you can now comment on your favorite shows episode by episode.
- Synced audio commentary: verified users can now add audio commentary synced to each scene of a movie.
- Achievements for movies and TV series (beta).
- Public collaborative lists.
- Affinity clubs and spoiler-free mode: you can now choose what you like about each movie and see comments from users with similar tastes, which helps avoid the haters around your favorite movie or show. You can also mark the “No spoilers” club for people who want to discover the story as it unfolds.
- New live events: you can now create live sessions to comment on a movie or series with other users in real time.
- A new “Around the World in 80 Movies” challenge: complete a global route by commenting on movies in order and track your progress from your profile.
I’m sharing a short video showing how it works, and I’d love feedback on the concept, the onboarding, and whether this feels like something you could actually imagine using while watching a movie or a show.
Thanks for reading.
Web: https://cinebla.com/web/
Android: https://cinebla.uptodown.com/android
Apple beta: https://testflight.apple.com/join/MZHUWSvH