The Photo is now a Video
Recreating the photograph for online media
On January 24th, 2013, Twitter introduced Vine, “a mobile service that lets you capture and share short looping videos”. I was exited about it. Not the way that fanboys are exited about a new iPhone, but in a more academically endearing manner.
When Vine launched, I was exited about it in an academically endearing manner.
You see, I’m from India, and I had been generally downcast with the state of the traditional “newspaper” news. I had gotten myself used to Google News and Twitter for those purposes. I had recently moved to Singapore (in December 2012) and I had found “The Straits Times” quite interesting and well… readable.
On the days leading up to Vine’s launch, I had spent my free time thinking about Harry Potter, more specifically about the newspapers in the wizarding world. The Daily Prophet had cool moving photos. A lot like Vines. I was also thinking about how something like this could be employed in the real world, practically.
We had photos and we had videos. In the (extremely) digital age of the 21st Century, in 2013, the world was in need for a video format tuned and created specifically for online news and social media.
We needed a video format tuned and created specifically for online digital news and social media
On January 24th, 2013, Twitter introduced Vine, “a mobile service that lets you capture and share short looping videos”. My excitation was short lived. As I delved deeper into the details, I felt a shadow of despondence creeping over me. My despondence was mostly due to the fact that Vine was a social platform and not a new form of digital media with its own set of open APIs. So, I went on to ignore Vine completely.
It wasn’t until a few weeks later, till I read some coverage of Tribeca Films’s Vine competition, did I really see some good use for Vine. Vine was great, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.
Where Vine could have banked upon Twitter’s enormous userbase and let users create a Vine the same way they add a photo, they decided to let Vine be a platform in parallel to Twitter’s own. In doing so, they have isolated a number of people who are hesitant to try out new apps, and others who look at Vine as a platform aimed at the creative crowd.
Vine could have been a world-changing, media format, but it chose to be just an innovative social platform.
Facebook announced Instagram Video a few days ago. It was Instagram’s response to Vine’s popularity. I tried Instagram Video soon after. And I realized that Instagram Video failed at most places where Vine failed. And even more.
Vine’s 6 seconds are appropriate. A maximum of 15 seems overwhelming. Vine’s option to mute audio is very important especially on the desktop where I could see more than a few Vines playing at the same time. And Vines loop (this can be a big +1 for the creative crowd).
Instagram Video does have some nice things too. It auto stabilizes your video. And it also lets you choose Covers. And it also let you delete the last video segment
In the end, both have succeeded in delivering entertaining social experiences for the average consumer. And in recreating the GIF for 2013. I personally would probably use and recommend Vine.
In the end, both have succeeded in delivering entertaining social experiences for the average consumer.
Vine has created a new form of video and it could do the same for the photograph.
But, what I want is an open video format which has a time limit, which has optional audio, which may or may not loop and can have non-square aspect ratios. A video format which I could use independent of platform, service or software. (Like an mp3, mp4 or a GIF)
What I want is a successor to the photograph. One which can be used where photographs were previously used. In story telling, in news sites, in PDFs etc
Vine can become the perfect solution if it just 1) Allowed other aspect ratios, 2) Allowed you to create Vines from existing videos and 3) Had a desktop version for creating Vines and 4) downloadable, offline Vines to be embedded in other media like ebooks or PDFs etc
Vine has created a new form of video and with the right steps in the right direction it can create a viable, practical successor to the photograph. (You know.. for certain cases)
One day in the future, I want to be able to shoot a video on a DSLR, trim it down to a Vine on a Mac, share it with someone by mail who can then embed the Vine on a PDF.
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