There's an App for that: Live Video Direction across up to 4 cameras

[Darren Addy]

This may have limited application in chasing right now, but this is pretty stinking amazing technology for $9.99.

The ability to direct a live video shoot across multiple cameras in real time has historically been a luxury reserved for professionally equipped directors. However, once again, app-based technology has turned a well-established norm on its head. Offering the same capability to anyone in possession of a smartphone or tablet, we recently came across CollabraCam.
To use the app, between two and four iPhones, iPod Touches or iPads can be connected via wifi. The director of the shoot will then be able to view all the cameras’ streams on his or her device, and select which footage should be visible on the main video stream at any one given time. Cameras can also be put on standby in order to prepare them for the next shot, and the director can silently issue instructions such as pan and track movements to camera operators via a display on their screen. All the footage recorded by the camera operators is transferred to the director’s device automatically as the shoot is taking place, removing the need for lengthy memory card exchanges and footage downloads after a shoot has concluded, as well as freeing up space on the operators’ devices. A video demonstrates a prototype of the app in greater detail, and a sample video produced by the final version of the app can be seen here. Produced by US-based Apptopus, Inc, CollabraCam is currently available from the App Store at USD 9.99.

Demo videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/CollabraCam#p/u

Website: http://collabracam.com/

It appears to me that with this app, it would now be technically possible to do what the Discovery Channel is doing for in-vehicle personality shots, cutting between them in real time. You could turn two iPod Touch units into the windshield cameras aimed at the driver and front passenger, with another one aimed out the windshield (or in a roof-mounted dome?) and your "director" in the back seat running CollabraCam on his iPad.

Downside, it looks like export is only at a max. of 640x480 so it is only going to be good for YouTube type stuff, but maybe you could use the movie in post to do a picture-within-a-picture using your HD video as the full screen and the in-vehicle stuff in one corner.

Seems to me that this app may be only the first in a whole 'nuther direction for consumer video production.

 

[Matt Tottle]

very cool concept. I don't have any i-products, but here's hoping a Droid/Tab app is on the way!

 

[Jason Foster]

It will be interesting to see...especially to see what the amateur do with this for their YT videos. However, I'll stick with the pro side equipment, as it certainly won't match the abilities or quality. Many things really have to be done in post and everything needs to be planned out first (scripted).