VideoBro / Shared Tapes
One tape, every angle of the day.
Like passing one camcorder around all day, except nobody hands it over. Film as it happens, or add clips you already shot.
One day, as many angles as there are phones
A Shared Tape works a bit like a shared video album. You start a tape before the trip, the party or the season, and everyone you invite adds clips from their own phone. The difference is where it ends up: every clip lands in the order it was recorded, whoever shot it and whenever they added it, and Develop turns the lot into one finished film that everyone on the tape gets.
Still choosing between a shared tape, a shared album and an editor? See which collaborative video app fits your group.
Getting the crew in
One link, sent however you already talk to these people.
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Collab, then Invite
Tap Collab, then Invite, and send the link through Messages, Mail or anything else. Anyone on the tape with an account can invite, not just the owner.
Send the link however you like, or let someone scan the code. -
They open it and they're in
No account required to contribute to a tape. Whoever taps the link can film, add clips and watch the finished film. They need the app on an iPhone; the link takes them there if it isn't installed.
A free account is only needed to Develop, invite, share or download, or to start a tape of their own.
Every clip carries the face of whoever shot it. The finished film doesn't.
People on a tape, including you
The same number on every plan.
Days an invite link lasts
Anyone on the tape with an account can send a fresh one.
Two ways onto the same tape
REC, on every phone
Tap REC and film with your iPhone camera as usual. Every horizontal clip lands on the tape by itself.
Add Clips, whenever you get to it
Tap + and pick any horizontal video on your phone. It lands at the moment it was filmed, not at the end. You can also pick from an iCloud Shared Album you're in, placed by the date saved with each one.
One timeline, no matter whose phone
Clips are ordered by when they were recorded, never by when they arrived. There's no drag-to-reorder: the tape tells the day the way it went.
Being on somebody else's tape
A shared tape has one owner, the person who started it. Most of it is a group effort; a few things are the owner's alone.
- Only the owner can remove someone. Their clips come off the tape, but any film developed while they were on it stays theirs.
- Anyone else can leave, keeping their clips on the tape or taking them off it.
- Anyone with an account can Develop. Everyone on the tape gets the film in their own Tape Cabinet.
- Anyone with an account can use Continue Editing, for 30 days after a develop. The film leaves everyone's Cabinet until it's developed again.
- The owner's 2 GB carries the whole tape. Joining someone else's tape costs you nothing.
After it's developed
The film lands in the Tape Cabinet of everyone who was on the tape, ready to watch and, with an account, to shelve or share by link. More on Develop, the Tape Cabinet and what a shared tape uses of the owner's 2 GB.
The one behind the camera
Every family has someone who films everything and shows up in none of it. With a few phones on the same day, they finally end up in front of somebody else's camera.
Questions people ask first
What happens if the tape owner runs out of storage mid-trip?
Nothing on the tape is touched. New clips are blocked until the owner makes room, so it never overflows silently. Collaborators see a message that the tape's owner is out of room. The storage page walks through exactly what counts against the 2 GB.
Do the people I invite need the app, or an account?
The app, yes, because filming into a tape takes an iPhone. An account, no, not to join: opening your invite link is enough to start filming, add clips and watch the finished film. They'll need a free account of their own the day they want to Develop, invite someone else, or share a film.
Do we all have to be filming at the same time?
No. Film the same moment from three angles, film different parts of the day, or add video you already shot with Add Clips, any horizontal clip on your phone, any date. Every clip lands at the time it was recorded rather than at the end, so somebody who joins on day three can add day one and it sits on day one. The only thing a latecomer misses is a film that was already developed before they joined.
Can I invite people who don't have iPhones?
Filming into a tape takes an iPhone, since that's the only place REC and Add Clips exist. Once a film is developed, though, anyone can watch it on any phone, tablet, or computer, no app and no account needed, if someone on the tape shares the link with them.
Does filming into a shared tape work offline?
Yes. Clips save to the phone the moment they're shot and upload on their own in the background when a connection comes back, even with the app closed. Nobody has to stand around waiting for a bar to fill before they can keep filming.
Who pays for the storage on a shared tape?
Whoever started the tape. Every clip anyone adds to your tape counts against your 2 GB, and joining someone else's tape uses none of yours. The finished film sits on the owner's shelf; the rest of the crew watch it for free.