Facebook Riff is a new video collaboration app that allows you to ‘start’ a themed video with the attempt to set off a chain reaction by having your friends attach their own clips to it. This should make the original video larger and potentially more fun to watch. The latest venture is part of the social networking behemoth’s repeated swings at the growing video-clip and picture sharing market which is significantly occupied by Vine and its very own Instagram.
According to Facebook, Riff is a collective video making tool that engages users and their community of friends in the ‘production’ process. Released by the Creative Labs branch of this social media giant, the app has some similarities to Snapchat’s Our Stories. But the former is user-dependent, while Snapchat’s similar feature is executed by it own editors.
The steps to create a video on Riff are quite simple. After installing the app and logging in with your Facebook ID, you have to first click on the New video option which prompts you to give a title to your theme. Once this step is completed, your camera is flicked on and a 3-second countdown is initiated before recording starts. You can then shoot a clip of up to 20 seconds on your phone. The final video can be previewed,but not edited as the app makers felt that this would render it more appealing and real. If you are happy with the end result, you can post it on Facebook and wait for your friends to watch it.
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Once the content is uploaded, the true purpose of Riff kicks in. Your friends who see your post on Facebook or on the app can then record their own clips which might be in sync with your video theme and add or ‘tack’ it to the one you originally posted. They can also share the new clip on Riff and on Facebook. If they do so then, you will notified by the app. This cycle can be repeated by any number of people, thus allowing the initial 20-second clip to grow longer and hopefully with added entertainment value. Riff includes the option to skip uninteresting clips while watching a collaborated video.
It also gives the original creator privileges to delete objectionable clips within the Riff video. Viewers can report offensive pieces and the app’s editors will monitor and remove unwanted videos. Creative Labs which developed this application has also released products such as Paper, Slingshot, Facebook Groups and Mentions. The free application is available to both iOS and Android users.