Thing 14 Videos

Vine: After watching the tutorial video on Vine, I thought that the purpose of the app was to create a kind of jump-cut, disjointed video presentation. After all, only 6 seconds doesn't allow for much content. That's sort how it plays--a series of photos or short video clips that create motion through quick scene changes. I tried it out, doing a library tour of new books. It ran through the books very quickly, because I took too many shots. But you can stop the action by tapping the screen. On the whole, it worked out well, and it forces a person to be efficient in the use of time. This is sort of a fun app to use, but I'm hoping for more versatility, so on to the next one . . .

Viddy: I liked how easy it was to set up an account and explore features of Viddy. I also liked the sharing feature and its flexibility to find videos by others in a variety of ways. I especially liked the search feature and had fun finding videos in my own geographical area. Now for the bad part. I didn't--and I mean really didn't--like how Viddy crashed every time I tried to use it, either to take video directly or to refer to clips. I tried it several times, and each time I tried to produce a video, Viddy sent me back to my menu of apps. I reviewed the tutorial video just to make sure that I wasn't doing anything wrong--nothing that I could tell. (P.S.--Viddy did work when I returned to it several hours later. Patience may be the catch word for some of these apps. After using it, I thought that it was sort of a watered down version of Magisto.) So far, I need to find a video editing app that is reliable and flexible. On to Magisto . . .

Magisto: This app actually let me get to the stage of making a movie. So that's a big plus for it. As I'm waiting for the movie to render, here is a list of things that I hope Magisto will be able to do for me: allow text between clips, allow transitions, allow a change of music, and allow text pages after the video clips. I'm in the middle of making a short story using Magisto, and it will not work unless these additional options are available. I'll get back to you just as soon as the movie is ready . . . While I was waiting, I noticed that Magisto also lets you create a movie on a laptop, so it's not limited to a portable device. I was also disappointed to see that Magisto didn't allow enough editing options to create the kind of video I wanted. It was fun to use, but too limited in its range of options. Thumbs not quite up, somewhat sideways. Compared to Socialcam, however, I'd say that Magisto is the better app: It creates some very interesting effects with its stylized editing and music--which should appeal to students.

Here is a sample of a book promotion video using Magisto:



Here is another one with a slightly different flavor, also using Magisto: