AnyClip: It's a Winner
I went to the NY Tech Meetup last night and got to see a demo of AnyClip for the first time. I’ve been psyched about this project since I first heard about it (send me an invite!) and what I saw exceeded my expectations.
AnyClip is a tool that is useful. Hallelujah. We need more useful products being developed. It answers a question that I frequently ask: “Where can I find that clip from that movie?” People love movies - it’s a multi-billion dollar industry and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Not only does AnyClip provide instant gratification in finding a scene you’ve been aching to see again, but it rekindles an interest in a movie. Both of these points are important. You log on to AnyClip with a mission, and you leave with passion.
AnyClip is data heavy. It crowdsources and uses algorithms to find the most relevant clip(s) for your search query. Last night, Nate typed in “flux capacitor” and the first result was the infamous Back to the Future scene. This morning I typed in “flux capacitor” on YouTube to see if it would generate the same results. The first two results were videos of people’s replications of flux capacitors (they failed - and I don’t care), and the third result was titled “Hot Girl wants Flux Capacitor.” It’s obvious that AnyClip is a powerful tool for 1) finding desired clips through keyword search queries and 2) finding relevant clips through general interest search queries (e.g. typing in Times Square will yield multiple movie clips shot in Times Square or containing content/dialogue around Times Square).
So who gives a shit about this product aside from movie geeks? You don’t have to be a movie geek to like movies. At least once a week I find myself thinking about a particular scene. I’d go rewatch it if it wasn’t such a painstaking and time-consuming process. AnyClip provides immediate gratification. It’s like that song that’s stuck in your head and the only way to let it out is to figure out what it is and then listen to it. Same thing goes for movie clips.
The only issue with AnyClip is that it’s an absolute legal disaster. The only way I see this project being able to sustain itself is if it goes the Spotify route. It’s going to need the consent and support of major movie studios. Ultimately, I think it should be the studios who back the project, just like the record labels backed Spotify. Like I mentioned before, AnyClip is a service that rekindles the flame between a consumer and a movie - this is a win for studios. I think there’s a viable business model in there somewhere, whether it’s a premium service or it capitalizes on affiliate revenue sharing with major brands/sellers like Netflix and Amazon. Either way, I’m excited to see this project grow some legs. I think it’s poised to go far.
