There are constantly new innovations in the art of editing. In today’s fast-paced industry, it is essential to have the latest in editing news available on one website, which is exactly the service that Art of the Guillotine provides.
“AOTG aggregates, organizes and disseminates information for film editors,” says AOTG founder Gordon Burkell. To make things even more convenient, the site will soon launch an app that allows editors to access this information on the go.
MovieMaker spoke with Burkell to learn more about this new editing app and the features it offers.
Samantha Husik (MM): When and why did you make the decision for AOTG to create an app?
Gordon Burkell (GB): We’ve actually had a previous app (version 1.0), which we put together when Art of the Guillotine first formed. When we started with the original app, it was a simple RSS reader and we quickly outgrew it. The new app integrates with our database, giving the editors greater access to editing information. The original app was only for the Apple iPod, but the new app is coming out for the iPhone and iPad with Android and BlackBerry capabilities being released later this year.
MM: What sort of benefits does the mobile app technology afford editors that did not exist previously? Can you talk about a few of the app’s key features—and what makes them essential to editors?
GB: There currently isn’t an app that allows editors to get their news, blogs, videos, etc. through their mobile devices. With this app they can now access our database, including our Association Video Series that has videos from the ACE, CCE and ASE, our popular podcast, “The Cutting Room,” as well as our industry editing news feed. This is merely version 2.0; we hope to add many features in later versions, but this will allow editors to access the key information that is popular on our site. We’re so thankful to our Guillotine community and excited to give them a vehicle to share videos and articles on the fly when out with colleagues and friends or in the editing suite.
MM: Are there any features that are exclusive to the app, and not available on the AoTG Website?
GB: At the moment it has mainly the key features of the site. However, we are spending many nights and weekends (we work as editors during the day) working to continually upgrade and expand features. Many savvy users will begin to notice some design features that will allow expansion into areas that editors might find useful but we’re keeping that under lock and key for now.
MM: How do you see the app continuing to evolve in the future?
GB: Again, I can’t give away too much but one key feature that will be released in version 2.5 is integration with our database’s personal news feed system that allows the editors to choose their own news. This system is quite popular on the site and we’re working to make it accessible through mobile devices.
Also, we encourage feedback from our community and want to know what they feel is missing or needs to be improved. When you use an app day-to-day, you start to see the gaps and we want to make sure that we address them as they are discovered. Many updates will follow, I’m sure.
MM: How can someone download it? Is there a cost?
GB: They can download from the iTunes store for free! Our site’s philosophy is that information should be easily accessible and affordable! MM
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