The iPhone Movie: Apple of my Eye: http://bit.ly/axHThG (by @baekdal ).The new iPhone 4 is spectacular for many reasons, one of them being the camera. My favorite video camera is the Flip Mino HD, which I like a lot. But with the iPhone 4, you can do everything the Flip can, and much, much more.
The best example of that is "Apple of My Eye," a sort video created by Michael Koerbel. It is shot, edited and published entirely with the iPhone 4.
And here is how it was done.
There is no expensive equipment. All they used was an iPhone 4, a couple of cheap steady cam rigs (e.g. I own this one - price $14 - or build something yourself). Just a great idea, a great location, and to repeat the best quote I heard for a while...
"How did you edit it?" ... "I used my fingers"
(photos via Michael Koerbel Flickr stream, videos via YouTube/Vimeo - shot at Allied Model Trains)
This short movie is amazing for many different reasons. The most important one is that it illustrates how easy it is to be great. The entry level for being remarkable has never been lower.
Now you can record, edit, and publish beautiful HD quality video directly from the phone you got in your pocket.
You don't need a million dollars; you don't need expensive computers with Final Cut Pro. You don't need special training, or a big enterprise to cover your back.
You still need planning, you still need the great idea - and you definitely still need time and motivation. But even with that, this video took only a total of 48 hours to make.
Obviously, it would have been easier to transfer the video files to you MacBook, and edit it on your 24" Cinema Display, in iMovie. That was certainly what I would have done.
But consider the possibilities here. Being able to edit and publish videos like these, also means that you don't need to have an office. This is cheap, high-quality, *virtual* movie production.
...also consider that this video has been watched more than 700,000 times in just little over a week (across several social channels).
A good way to explain this, is with the words said by the critic in Pixar's Ratatouille:
"To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook."
"But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France."
"I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more."
Earlier today I was reading Pev Research's report on "Older Adults and Social Media," and how that age group has doubled in size. It's a fascinating report.
We are now a few days past the announcement of Facebook Places, and you can read about my initial reaction in "Does Facebook Places Change Anything?"
After writing "What Matters is the Trend, not the Moment," one question immediately comes to mind; is Foursquare and Gowalla going to last?
You probably remember the chock wave that rippled trough the social media community after Forrester found that the location based market is insanely small (1% of users), and Foursquare is dominated by men (80%).
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard about the very successful social advertising campaign from Old Spice.
There are three kinds of ads in this world. The ones made by mediocre brands that carry no emotion, don't make you feel, and are as effective as looking at a concrete wall for an hour.
The great thing about traditional media are that everything is campaign or event based. You put in a good amount of work, launch it, and relax. It is a very gratifying way to work. Social is not like that. It never ends. You have to be "on" all the time. There is no such thing as relaxing.
A couple of weeks ago, 8-year-old Harry Winsor (son of John Winsor, CEO of the ad agency Victors & Spoils), decided to send Boeing one of his concept designs for a new plane, done in crayon. The result was a crash course in social media for the plane manufacturer.
Today, in the Wall Street Journal, there is an article call "Entrepreneurs Question Value of Social Media." In it you can read how small business is starting to question the real value of Twitter - pointing to a survey that found that 22% made a profit, 53% broke even, and 19% lost money after engaging with social media.
A lot can be said about the Google Nexus One. It's beautiful, very fast, open, works quite well, and terrible when you need customer support. It is also very annoying because of the limited coverage of T-mobile.
Subscribe