Here’s another interesting product I found while trolling the iWorld isles for free t-shirts.

This is the Anthro Charging Cart ($1499). Basically, it’s a rolling, locking, charging station for a boatload of iPads.  I originally typed ‘buttload’ in that last sentence, but later remembered that HHH is a classy site.

This cart may be just the thing for an iPad-powered production office looking to store and charge an entire crew’s worth of tablets between shoot days. As iPads become more tightly integrated into our workflows (wireless video-taps, anyone?), the need to efficiently store and charge them increases.

The cart is quite versatile, and can easily store iPads, iPhones, laptops, and most other small A/C powered gizmos.  The cart uses the power cables that come with your devices, so it’s infinitely flexible (and somewhat future-proof).  There’s a surplus of power outlets inside the back of the cart (see the video below) that will take any standard A/C charger.  While that flexibility is one of the cart’s primary advantages, it may also be seen as a drawback to some. Here’s why…

Because the power cords are not hard-wired,  you need to manually plug all the devices, one at a time, when storing them.  There’s no slide-in-to-connect feature.  You need to slide it in, and then plug it in.  Not a big deal, unless you have to store and charge 300 iPads.

Anthro offers a variety of cabinets (wall mountable, rolling cards, etc.).  I like the carts best since they can be easily rolled from a production office to a crew truck.  It’s an elegant solution to a modern problem.

Want to see more? Check out this video I shot at the Anthro iWorld booth:

Hooray (sort of)! Final Draft is finally coming to the iPad (sort of)! Isn’t that great? Sort of.

UPDATE:  Final Draft Reader has been released. Here’s the link

Final Draft Reader
Developer: Final Draft, Inc.

Rated: 4+

Price: $19.99 VIEW IN APP STORE

It’s been the topic of heated discussions since we launched over two years ago. Its progress has been covered at length in multiple HHH articles (see links below).  And, it’s easily the most anticipated Screenwriting app ever to come to a mobile device.  Screenwriters around the world have been waiting for Final Draft to come to the iPad.

The good news: Final Draft has finally set a release date for their mobile app (Feb 16th).  The bad news: This is not the application we were expecting.

The app is officially called Final Draft Reader, and as you guessed, it’s meant for reading Final Draft scripts on the go.  It has no screenwriting functionality at all. Zip. I’m sure that will come as a major disappointment to many.  I admit, I was bummed when I heard the news.  But the fact is, Final Draft never said they were releasing a screenwriting app.  That was all of US!  Here’s what they actually said:

In order to integrate with future Final Draft products, we’ve redefined the development roadmap of our Final Draft Mobile app…The Final Draft Mobile app for iOS will augment the overall Final Draft user experience, providing our community a seamless creative work flow between the Final Draft desktop client, Final Draft Mobile, and future Final Draft services.

So, while the app isn’t what we were anticipating, it DOES align with what they promised. Therefore, we must judge the app based on its own merits, and not based on what we hoped it would do.  So, what does it do?  It allows users to review and annotate scripts in the Final Draft format on their iPad. Simple as that.

I’ve been using Final Draft Reader (under NDA) for a few weeks now, and I have to say, it works quite well.  It’s simple, but solid.  I’d go into all the features, but there aren’t that many.  Read. Annotate. Share.

Their own marketing department tells the story quite nicely:

Like no other mobile scriptwriting app available, the Final Draft Reader app displays Final Draft™ scripts on your iPad exactly as they appear on your desktop – perfectly paginated to industry standards. You can effortlessly import your Final Draft version 8 scripts into the Final Draft Reader app to read and annotate anywhere, anytime.

Bottom line is this.  It’s a good app, but I’m still bummed.  It’s the sort of bummed feeling one gets after hearing mountains of rumors about a 3D, brainwave reading iPad that can make coffee and fold laundry, only to watch Apple announce the iPad 2.  Yeah, it’s AWESOME… just not what we were expecting.  And… there’s always a chance Final Draft will release a screenwriting app down the line. That said, if you’ve been looking for a way to read and annotate screenplays in the Final Draft format, check out Final Draft Reader on Feb 16th.

Want the app for free? Final Draft is hosting an app giveaway!  Enter here.

What do YOU think about this?  Are you looking forward to using this app?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

If you are looking to write your screenplay on the go, check out the apps listed below.  And, look out for our coverage of Fountain, the coolest thing to happen to mobile screenwriting…ever.

HHH’s Previous Final Draft Coverage:

Final Draft for iPad looking for Beta Testers!

Notes from the Final Draft for iPad Focus Group

Final Draft for iPad is Conducting Field Studies

Final Draft for iPad is coming this Spring!

Final Draft for iPad has been Delayed until “a Later Date”

Celtx Script
Developer: Greyfirst Corp.

Rated: 4+

Price: $4.99 VIEW IN APP STORE

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Scripts Pro
Developer: Inkless Ideas LLC

Rated: 4+

Price: $5.99 VIEW IN APP STORE

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ScriptWrite
Developer: Filter Apps, LLC

Rated: 4+

Price: $3.99 VIEW IN APP STORE

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Screenplay for iPad
Developer: Black Mana Studios

Rated: 4+

Price: $8.99 VIEW IN APP STORE

Storyist
Developer: Storyist Software

Rated: 4+

Price: $9.99 VIEW IN APP STORE

Screenwriting
Developer: Web 2 Mobile Design

Rated: 4+

Price: $2.99 VIEW IN APP STORE

“Editing on an iPad? Yeah, right. iMovie? Pffft. Whatever. Let me know when Avid makes an iPad app!  Because that’s when I’ll start take mobile editing seriously.”

Ok, cynical editor guy… Avid just released an editing app!

Avid Studio ($4.99) has just hit the App Store, and it’s SWEET. But, it also suffers from a few shortcomings.  Just by looking at the app’s primary editing screen, you know Avid took their time in crafting an easy to understand, powerful, and deceptively simple interface.

In one quarter of the screen, users view thumbnails of all their media (videos, photos, music, transitions, etc.).  The description of the app says you can also access media from external devices via the iPad camera connection kit.  You can also capture video and photos from within the app.

Media is added to your edit with a simple drag and drop.  Like most editing environments, Avid Studio is based on a timeline metaphor, but unlike its predecessors, this app has gone one step further by adding what it calls a ‘storyboard’ (a strip of small square thumbnails directly under the timeline).  In the Storyboard strip, users can quickly tap and drag clips to reorder them, while keeping an eye on an overview of the entire project. While that sounds simple enough, most iPad and iPhone video editors lack this ability.  Typically, users have to zoom in and out in order to re-orient themselves.  By connecting their timeline with the storyboard strip, Avid Studio offers a BIG time savings.

The app also features custom motion titles, picture in picture effects, and 3D layered effects (using in-timeline drop-zones). Most are good-looking, although some suffer from templatitis.

Edits can be fine tuned (down to the frame) using the app’s built-in precision editing tools.  Your project can be played back at any time in the preview area or full screen, although more complex effects may require rendering (not the speediest process). The app functions equally well in portrait and landscape mode, although landscape does allow for a wider view of your timeline.

Once your satisfied with your cut, you can render and upload your video to all the usual places (Facebook, Youtube, email, etc).

All is not perfect, however. I experienced a LOT of crashing on my iPad 1 (it performs much better on an iPad 2).  So much crashing, in fact, that at some points I couldn’t even get the app to launch.  Clearly, that needs to be addressed quickly or Avid stands to upset many potential customers.  Also, I’d like to see the addition of more transitions (which is an odd request from me since I hate most transitions).  And finally, if you hadn’t already guessed, Avid Studio is still simply a consumer app.  There’s no EDL or XML export. So as of now, you can’t use Avid Studio as an offline editor.  Perhaps that will change as the iPad seeps deeper into the filmmaking community.

Considering Avid’s long history as a leader in non-liner editing, stepping in to the consumer market is a bold step. All in all, Avid Studio is a beautifully simple editor with an absurdly low price.  If you want to cut video on your iPad, this app is a great place to start (although if you’re an iPad 1 owner, you should wait for a stable update).

Avid Studio
Developer: Avid Technology Inc

Rated: 4+

Price: $4.99 VIEW IN APP STORE

I just got back from MacWorld | iWorld, and BOY, what a difference one year can make!

In 2011, Macworld wasn’t much more than 20 isles of iPhone cases.  This year, I found boatloads of terrific apps and accessories for mobile filmmakers… along with 20 isles of iPhone cases. But not all of those cases were useless. In fact, some were downright awesome.  Here’s an example:

The Rokform V3 iPhone Case features a small, clever mount that makes it extremely versatile, and suitable for sticking on the side of a road case or camera rig.

They offer a bunch of mounting options, and add-ons, including a can opener (which is handy since filmmakers have been known to enjoy a drink or two). Naturally, of all the options, I thought the coolest add-on was their tripod adaptor (works in landscape and portrait orientations).

My only complaint is that the Rokform lacks a locking mechanism (to keep the case in place).  Once an iPhone is mounted, it feels pretty solid, but a lock would make me feel a little more comfortable. There was another company showing off a VERY similar mounting system called the Quad Lock (just finished a successful Kickstarter funding campaign) that features a locking mount. Hopefully, Rokform will follow suit.

If you’ve been looking for a quick and easy way to mount your iPhone to just about everything, check out the Rokform V3.

Here’s some video I shot at the Rokform booth, and some more I swiped from their website.

Hand Held Hollywood will be joining in the fun at the 11th Annual San Francisco SuperMeet being held this Friday, Jan 27th, at the Mission Bay Conference Center.  Does that date sound familiar?  It should!  It’s taking place during this year’s MacWorld | iWorld!  So, if you’re already going to be in town for MacWorld | iWorld (or if you’re near the San Francisco area), you should defiantly come check out the SuperMeet!

The doors to the vendor area open at 3pm, and the main event starts at 7pm.  This year, they’ve got some great presentations lined up from Adobe, Matrox, Canon, DigitalFilm Tree, Philip Hodgetts, and more!  We’ll be in the vendor area (with our friends from Doddle), talking about mobile filmmaking awesomeness.

The main event usually runs a few hours, and there’s an INSANE raffle at the end (thousands to dollars worth of prizes). If you’ve never been to a SuperMeet before, make sure to visit their site.  They’ve got a full agenda, and advance ticket sales.

See you there!

This blog has been around for just over 5 and a half years now and especially in the last 12 months it has required more and more time and effort just to stay on top of everything that’s happening in the mobile music world. It now takes up almost, if not all my spare time, and this isn’t really a sustainable position.

Palm Sounds has been a vocal supporter of Hand Held Hollywood since we came on the scene back in 2009. For that, I want to send out a great big bag of thanks to Ashley, and wish him luck on his future endeavors.

The new AOTG app features sortable news feeds as well as audio & video clips of panel discussions and interviews made with editors from around the world. In addition, users can find upcoming events and locally registered editors on the included map.

The app is free (ad supported), and is well worth the download. So, go get it!

AOTG
Developer: Gordon Burkell

Rated: 4+

Price: free VIEW IN APP STORE

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The winner will be announced on January 26th from Macworld Expo in San Francisco.

The case also features kickstands for tabletop viewing in both portrait and landscape orientations.  There’s also a key-ring hole in the case that’s useful for attaching the case to other things.  The DiffCase website suggests using a carabiner to attach it your handbag or backpack, but I see this as a useful option for connecting a safety line to your tripod (or monopod) — just in case the case comes loose.

The DiffCase is now available for pre-order at a discounted price of $30.

I thought we’d kick off 2012 with a new app that truly demonstrates the power of the iPhone — which is ultimately a tiny computer with a camera.

V.I.K.T.O.R. is an impressive little app that will automatically edit video you’ve previously shot and stored in your iPhone’s camera roll.  The app can pick the clips randomly, or you can take control and pick the clips yourself.  The app uses themes to construct your footage into fun montages complete with cute soundtracks, tight editing, and visual punch.  Users can control the duration, custom titles, and color effects.  After the edit is complete, the app can share the moves via YouTube, Facebook, and email.

V.I.K.T.O.R. can not currently use tracks from your personal music library, but that makes sense since the app’s automatic edits are perfectly timed to the supplied music.

The app is free, and includes one theme (possibly two if it still includes the ‘Christmas Card’ theme). Additional themes can be purchased separately, and range in price from $0.99 to $1.99.  Purchasing themes can be a little confusing.  You actually have access to ALL the themes right from the start.  You can create and preview your movies using any of the themes. But if you want to render, save and share a movie longer than 20 seconds, you’ll need to purchase the theme you’ve selected.  So, you can preview any theme at any length… but you’ll have to pay to keep the longer results.  It’s odd at first, but it’s a smart way of letting you try before you buy.

I’ll admit I was not terribly interested in this app when I first read about it.  Typically, applications that offer to do things “automatically” usually means “sucktasticly.”  But, after launching the app, and seeing the instant results, I have to say I’m impressed and will likely keep this app on my iPhone.  Let me be clear…no filmmaker in their right mind would use this app for professional purposes.  But, for quickly whipping up entertaining montages for family and friends, V.I.K.T.O.R. is definitely an app worth grabbing.

Here’s the developer’s tutorial:

Apps mentioned in this post:

V.I.K.T.O.R.
Developer: New Photographers Burning Factory Ltd

Rated: 4+

Price: free VIEW IN APP STORE

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