Startups: Mobile direction to home movies
Taryn Plumb, Special to the Journal
W. Marc Bernsau
It all started in the tub.
As Eli Schleifer was giving his infant daughter a bath one night, he shot a video on his phone of her giggling and splashing. When he was done, he had some nice footage, he recalled — but he realized that he didn’t have the tools, talent, or, most importantly, the time, to turn the sweet moment into a bona fide movie that would hold his interest (or that of his family and friends).
And so was born the concept for directr, a Cambridge-based startup that aims to do for video what point-and-shoot cameras did for photos.
Founded in April 2012 — and officially launched to the public in mid-December — the company’s free mobile app allows users to create short videos with multiple scenes, transitions, music and titles with just a few taps on their phones.
“It’s the idea of democratizing filmmaking,” said Max Goldman, CEO of the 12-employee company. “Our goal is to help people make beautiful, short movies.”
Consider the countless hours of video footage taking up digital space, or sitting relegated in the ether of the cloud. And the home movies that do get shared, noted co-founders Goldman and Schleifer (who is CTO), can often be directionless, repetitive and drawn out — a series of scenes with no apparent beginning or end.
“This is a problem that’s existed since the days of Super 8,” Goldman said. “It’s always been difficult to make a movie out of footage.”
For now, the app is available to those using an iPhone or iPod Touch. The app provides about 60 storyboards that people can follow shot-by-shot, or use as a loose guideline — anything from holiday celebrations, to cocktail outings, to baking, to odes to their pets. Then, when they’re done “directing,” the app takes care of the editing, soundtrack, and titles.
“It really is a “no-brainer” format, yet (it) allows each video to be unique, personal and meaningful,” said user Stephanie Spell, director of community outreach for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Naples, Fla., in an email interview.
And, while it’s an “innovative” way to “spark each individual’s creativity” and also capture and share both special moments and the everyday slice-of-life, it can also serve as a useful tool for public safety, she said. She’s now working with developers at directr to create an account with unique features for the sheriff’s office to provide safety messages to the community.
Small businesses and public and private agencies are an untapped market for directr, and also one the company didn’t initially expect, Goldman said.
Although the company declined to disclose user numbers, Goldman did say that he was “really excited” with its growth.
And, while the app is now free, directr sees ample opportunity for profitability, Goldman said — through such services as cloud storage, small business customization and branded storyboards for content marketing. It also plans to continue adding storyboards regularly, through partnerships with professional filmmakers and musicians, and another goal is to roll out the app for all smartphones and devices.
The company received $1.1 million in seed funding in June from NextView Ventures, Boston Seed Capital and Advancit Capital, along with individual investors, including Alexis Ohanian and Garry Tan.
Ultimately, Goldman and Schleifer see it as a unique time for video, with the recent convergence of HD cameras, broadband, cloud services, apps and increasingly more intuitive phones.
Also, “it’s amazing for people to be able to tell a story instantly,” Schleifer said. “That process of democratization is super powerful.”
Original story link here.
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