Vine Killer: Video for Instagram

by Ray Roman in , , , ,


The rumor was true! Yesterday Instagram released the new update where you can now post short videos. The difference between Instagram Video and Vine is you can post 15 second videos on Instagram compared to the 6 second limitation on Vine. You can choose between 13 custom filters on Instagram, and add a cover frame that people will see when scrolling down their feed. Also, there’s pretty much a “takes” feature that I suggested previously maybe it’s something Vine should incorporate. Personally I kind of like the limitations on Vine, I think it forces people to be more creative. However, I like the options Instagram brings to the table. I think it's exactly what Vine could have been. The only thing I dislike about it is the 15 seconds because of the loading time on mobile devices. I think 10 seconds would be a perfect amount of time to make something creative. Then again most people on Instagram aren't posting from a creative perspective. I was excited when Vine came out because most people were posting creative video skits, and now I wonder if the same idea will crossover to Instagram videos? For the most part I doubt it will because in recent months I've noticed my Instagram friends sign up for Vine and many of them have flooded the Vine feed with boring, everyday bits of video clips. These are the same people who might post 3+ photos, or 3+ photos of the same situation on Instagram. You know, the kind of people you want to unfollow but don't because they're your friends. I'm going to continue to use Vine because I find it's a more creative community, but I will also use Instagram for skits I can't fit within 6 seconds on Vine. I've already noticed some friends of mine use the Instagram Video in good and bad ways. I don't mind seeing random video clips of ones life if it's recorded nicely, they can almost be like a moving photograph. It's the videos horribly mashed together with no composition that I dislike. I must remember these videos are from people who have no basic knowledge for photography or video editing, so how can I expect them to frame a shot and successfully use in-camera editing? I really do wish they tone it down a bit with the excessive posting though.


Vine App

by Ray Roman in ,


Are you on Vine? It seems to finally be catching on. Especially now that it's available for Android devices. I signed up a month after its release and have been addicted to it ever since. If you don't know what it is, it's basically "video Instagram". Back in March I wrote a blog post titled 'This is why I love Vine'. I write about what I like about only having 6 seconds, and what potential Vine could have if takes could be redone.

What I like about only having 6 seconds is that it forces the user to use the time wisely for their video. Some people will use the 6 seconds creatively to tell a short story, while others might use it to post a clip of what they’re viewing at a concert. There really are no limitations besides the time you’re given and the way you piece together your video with in-camera editing.

Here's some of my favorite Vines I've made so far. Follow me on Vine @RaymondRoman 

Citrucel, It Works!

Have you ever had one of those days..?

Are you gonna vacuum or what?


My first video camera? Circa 2002.

by Ray Roman in , ,


I came across this picture recently and I believe it's of me recording on my first video camera. After searching online to try to figure out what camera it is, it looks like the Sony Handycam CCD-TRV68 model. However, something about the Sony Handycam CCD-TRV43 model looks familiar to me too. Either way, I think this is the oldest picture I have of me video taping after I gained interest in video taping. I'm sure I probably have a video of me in the reflection of a mirror that could help me figure this out. Although in the early 2000s I didn't always archive my videos because I was just a kid running out of video tape and most of the time I re-recorded over my Hi8 video tapes. Anyways, this photo is from 2002 at a birthday party. As you can see I haven't picked up my skills yet, but I did use the ladder for some extra height LOL!