Videomixer By Matthew Palmer VideoMixer is a free online tool for
making music videos. The product is advanced for the web, being a
self-contained Flash program, but cannot compete with real video editing
tools like Apple iMovie or Adobe Premiere. But VideoMixer doesn't
try to be that. Rather, it is a fun tool to play around with the idea
of users making their own content any way they please. Basically,
VideoMixer presents the user with about 15 music tracks to choose
from. He also selects the still photos, video clips, and sound effects
to include out of libraries specific to that song. Users can also
upload their own media. Editing is done is real-time: it starts "recording"
and the user clicks on the visuals or sound effects in order, and
can add dissolves. The end result can be saved for later viewing or
re-editing, sent to friends, or put on display to other users of the
site. The tool is attractive to novice video editors because it is
so easy to use (which is good because there is little explanation
given). This could mean that more people will try this quick and dirty
way to make music videos, and may get hooked on creating content.
The tradeoff of making the VideoMixer simple to use, though, it that
it is limited. After a few editing sessions, I had done nearly all
there is to do with the tool. Also, the video clips and still images
users can select is different for every song. These two limitations
mean that most of the videos I watched on the site were rather similar
for each song. The method for public exhibition is just as important
as the editor. While some people are satisfied to make their own media
and not show it off, many want to exhibit their work to other people.
Many user-created content sites, like VideoMixer's, display libraries
of videos, and highlight the best ones. This creates a community of
artists, so they can look at each other's works and build off of them.
VideoMixer should build off of this fledgling community, and allow
the artists not only to share their work but also to communicate with
each other. The fragmentation of the web, with so many places to upload
content, means that most people will never find the smaller sites
like VideoMixer. More popular sites translates into a larger artist
community, and more opportunities to learn from other people and have
your work reach a large audience.