Last year I wrote about an app that was being developed here in the Pervasive Media Studio, Bristol which allows you to record video from multiple phones or tablets at the same time.
A few months down the line, and the Nth Screen is now public, on the app store and looking for people to get creative with it. This launch video gives you an idea of how the app works, as well as possible applications:
Not only can you record from multiple devices, you can upload the video to the Nth Screen site and create visually intriguing mosaics of the content:
Having worked on the apps’ development alongside Mandy Rose, I have seen the amazing response from workshops we ran with both kids and adults who really embraced the creative challenge and produced some beautiful examples.
As this is a completely new way of thinking about film – multiplying narratives by the nth degree – some of the best pieces came out of play and experimentation and this is something app creator Tim Kindberg is inviting you to do too:
Calling all filmmakers, viners, youtubers, snapchatters, instagrammers…!
Nth Screen is holding its first ever film competition: the Nthscars. We are seeking delightful / moving / beautiful / funny / dramatic 10-second video mosaics made by you using the Nth Screen app and uploaded to nthscreen.tv. They could be documentaries, fiction, concept pieces, abstract visual montages, or … whatever you think will excite or move our judges.
Nth Screen is in its infancy (the app is in beta). Dynamic multiscreen is a new medium and we are looking to you to surprise us and to push the boundaries of what can be achieved through synchronised video mosaics. Have a look at the examples on the Nth Screen home page. Can you do better?
Our judges will award a prize for the top mosaic, with a ‘special mention’ category for any runners-up.
Even if you can’t enter, download the app and have a play. I think there is huge potential to really turn traditional narrative on its head and create something unique and different.