An innovative video-sharing platform that lets people take ‘groupies’ rather than selfies on their phones has been developed by Bristol tech entrepreneur Tim Kindberg.
The Nth Screen has been in development for two years and has already received prototype funding.
Tim, who is based in the Pervasive Media studio at Bristol’s Watershed media centre, is already working on a pilot with BBC iWonder, and has been showcasing Nth Screen at an Innovate UK event in London.
Tim said: “The next big thing we’ll be doing with our camera phones is making groupies, not taking selfies.
“It’s about making films about us, ourselves and we – not me, myself and I. 
“Imagine everyone holding up their mobiles at a concert, a wedding, a protest or even just down the pub. What’s revolutionary about the new Nth Screen app is that the moment someone presses ‘record’ on one mobile, they all record together.”
They can then upload their individual videos to make a mosaic of them all playing synchronously in a web page.
“Everyone’s viewpoint is captured simultaneously for sharing. It’s the ‘human kaleidoscope’, a new creative way to celebrate and witness our lives together,” said Tim.
Another Nth Screen feature takes advantage of cloud technology to allow users to organise themselves on Facebook or Twitter to film at the same time, wherever they are.
Tim calls this Swarm Vision: the ability to connect and sync with one another, to see what we all see through all of our eyes.
“Nth Screen isn’t just an app, it’s a new medium,” he said.
“The BBC is keen to find out what Nth Screen could mean for engagement and participation in education and learning. It started out as an app for playing videos in sync across mobiles – imagine a flock of birds tweeting out of your mobiles and flying from phone to phone. Then we ran a workshop where we discovered the delight of filming together as well. People came to see what we were up to that was causing so much laughter. Whether you’re watching or recording, it’s an app for togetherness and involvement – not staring at your own screen.”
Funding for Nth Screen has come from REACT, a four-year programme launched in 2012 funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. REACT is a collaboration between the UWE Bristol, Watershed and the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter.
