Andrew Jarecki, the Emmy Award winner behind HBO’s The Jinx, has released a new app that allows everyone to create and edit their own iPhone documentaries.
The free iOS app KnowMe allows users to shoot and edit videos on the go using both the iPhone’s front- and rear-facing cameras. Additionally, you can import your existing iPhone images and videos to use in your new clip — alongside images and music from the Web — during the editing process.
KnowMe’s unique audio features allow you to add voiceovers to existing clips, meaning you can narrate your visual story. Music can also be used to add a soundtrack to your narrative.
For those worried about the daunting editing process, KnowMe overcomes that by allowing you to simply hold down video and image thumbnails in order to rearrange them on your documentary’s timeline.
Jarecki claims he was inspired to make the app during the course of his research on The Jinx. The acclaimed HBO documentary about accused murderer Robert Durst saw Jarecki interview around 100 people who all “wanted to tell their story.”
KnowMe has already found some famous Hollywood users and patrons. Director J.J. Abrams, who has previously professed his love for the iPhone-shot Sundance hit Tangerine, is backing the app. Meanwhile, Mike Myers, Greg Kinnear, and Sean Hayes have all reportedly created clips using the app, which has been in beta mode for the past year.
For inspiration, Jarecki has listed the type of clips you could create using KnowMe, aside from documentaries. Possible uses for the app include enhancing job applications, listing apartment shares on Airbnb, or even auditioning for a rock band, the filmmaker told the New York Post.
There is also a social element to KnowMe that lets you follow other users and share your clips to your favorite social network.
