Editing 4 Everyone

By Lawrence Jordan

You could taste the level of excitement Monday at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center as Apple’s founder and uber CEO Steve Jobs kicked off the computer giant’s 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference. It was here that he unveiled the company’s latest “must-have” consumer electronics device, iPhone 4, along with iOS 4, the updated/renamed operating software it runs on. With this announcement Apple is once again poised to revolutionize the cellular market, not to mention how all of us communicate, work and live.

The redesigned and re-engineered device, notoriously leaked on tech website Gizmodo back in April, has been highly anticipated for months, and although news of it’s release didn’t include some much hoped for features – i.e. additional service providers (Verizon) and 4G capabilities — Jobs and Co. managed to load it with enough improvements and refinements that when all was said and done, the crowd of Apple faithful was left doing Snoopy’s “happy dance”.

The newest iPhone, which ships on June 24th, sports a sleek, reworked design that’s less rounded and, if you can imagine, more minimalistic feeling than previous iterations of the product. iOS4, is compatible with older iPhone 3G and 3GS models (however only the latter and iPhone 4 support all features) and packs over 100 new features including multitasking, the ability to group apps into folders, better mail, wireless keyboard support, 5x digital zoom and much more.

However, what’s likely to cause the biggest stir among video enthusiasts and a new generation of content creators is the addition of HD video recording (720p @ 30 fps or frames per second), and a new version of iMovie, Apple’s flagship, entry level desktop editing application. iMovie for iPhone is a $4.99 download from the iTunes App Store that enables users to edit and refine their newly captured video clips, directly on their iPhone.

Monitoring reactions online and in the “twittersphere”, I found it ironic that many who would have never had the chance to edit, were it not for the release of Final Cut Pro, more than 10 years ago, were jadedly poo-pooing the new shooting/editing combo and it’s possibilities. Posts like; “it’s not something anyone would use for professional work”, or “Ugh, I dread the thought of the first iPhone movie”, were running rampant. Not for professional work? OK, I’ll give them that, but lets put things in perspective.

Although you might not see those occupying “professional” editing suites, honing their sequences on the new iPhone, you can rest assured that a new generation of filmmakers most certainly will be. Frankly, if I was Apple the NEXT generation is all I would care about. These are the kids who will get a taste of what it’s like to shoot a narrative, cut it, try to make sense of it, and then broadcast it to the world for all to experience.

Many of us remember getting together with friends and sneaking our parents Super-8 (or VHS) cameras to make our little films. Today, young creative’s with a desire to tell a story have the ability to do it cheaper, faster and with stunning quality. Then they can then disseminate their vision, (no matter how crude or raw it may be) with the click of a button to the rest of the planet.

iMovie for iPhone 4 is like a pair of water-wings for a new generation of media creators. For writers, directors, editors; anyone with some genuine talent and drive, it provides the fundamental tools to teach, tell stories and entertain and is a stepping-stone to the next level of the filmmaking crafts. And as has happened so often in the past, don’t be surprised to see iPhone generated clips being cut into “professional” productions.

Love them or hate them, it’s an exciting time once again for media creators courtesy of everyone’s favorite computer company.

My advice… Hold on to your hats!