As you know, I am a passionate traveler and work online while traveling and living in various countries. So it shouldn’t be a surprise when I tell you my startup company has a lot to do with it, too! It’s entirely online and it’s for passionate travelers only 😉
Today, I’d like to do 2 things – introduce to you the Meliway Travel Movie Maker (that’s the tool!) and ask for your help. Check out the pitch video Jordan and I did for the Indiegogo campaign.
No commitment – browse all information for free
and share or contribute only when you are ready 😉
What is the Meliway Travel Movie Maker
This is an online tool for you to turn your travel memories into impressive visual stories. You can now make short movies from your travel photos. And before you ask – yes, I really mean actual short movies and not slideshows.
During the video production process, you pin point where you’ve been and draw your own route on the map. Your pictures for each location make your video unique. And you are totally involved in the video production process because you choose a music theme, an intro and an ending for your video.
And let’s not forget the maps – they are specially designed for the travel movie maker.
You can see in the Indiegogo campaign gallery trailers and sample travel movies as well as a few of the maps we have designed so far.
We are on the homestretch now.
The website and the video production system are ready. We have developed the online interface of the Travel Movie Maker on our website and the beta test is just around the corner!
We have designed 3 world maps for the Animated Album movies, Europe Road Trip and US Road Trip maps, and Cruise maps for the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
We have created 4 amazing intros and 4 completely different endings, making it possible for you to create exciting and fun travel movies, matching your taste and preferences.
What we don’t have yet is the infrastructure to execute the production of many travel movies quickly and reliably. (Apparently, a work station specifically assembled for video editing and production costs loads of money!)
So here’s where you come in – help needed with the Indiegogo campaign!
We need help to cover the initial expenses for the video production. I won’t go into great details as they can get pretty technical but to sum it up, all contributions will go toward hardware, software and licensing costs associated with providing you with a great user experience:
- purchase two workstation assembled specifically for processing video plus other necessary hardware (e.g. UPS units)
- acquire additional licenses for the video editing software and the necessary Plug-ins
- set up a dedicated hosting service
- obtain licenses for mass reproduction of royalty free songs for the use of optional background themes.
We are making small steps in this direction as we speak – but it will be so much faster, rewarding and fun with your help! 😉
And that’s why I reach out to you for support.
First thing’s first – Click to Tweet this post! And keep on reading as I am about to tell you what’s in it for you if you contribute to the campaign on Indiegogo.
Every dollar counts so you can contribute as little as $1 – then you will become a Meliway Scout and will get mentioned on the Supporters page on the Meliway’s website.
For a contribution of $10 or more, you will become a Meliway Guide and will get a free video of your choosing (cruise, road trip or animated album). You can redeem the coupon code for your free video up to 1 year after the travel movie maker becomes available. FYI: the retail price of the travel movies is $15 – $25 and we estimate the tool will be available online in May 2014.
And, of course – you get an honorable mention on the Supporters Page on the Meliway Website, right away.
For a contribution of $25 or more, you will become a Meliway Pioneer and you can take part in the 1-month private beta test of the travel movie maker. As a beta tester, you can make up to 3 travel movies during the beta test, for free! All we ask is that you send us feedback about your experience, and fill in the survey at the end of the beta testing period.
And of course, you will get an honorable mention on the Supporters Page on the Meliway’s website. And one more thing – as a Meliway insider, from now on you will be the first to know and try all new cool features we add!
And if you are super generous and would like to contribute $1500 or more, you will become a Meliway Prophet and you can see your idea for a video element come to life! We can create a new, unique Intro or Ending based on your idea – you could choose the theme and it will be named after you!
Consequently, this intro or ending would be used and liked by thousands of people! How does it sound for a pirate-theme intro: “Jack Anderson’s Jolly Action”? Or for a wedding-theme ending: “Anne Connor’s Poetry in Motion”?
Plus, of course, an honorable mention on the Supporters Page on Meliway Website.
We also invite you to share this campaign on social media
Click to Tweet the Indiegogo Campaign and help us spread the word!
And share on all other social media channels you want through the sharing widget below.
Although you don’t get anything tangible in return for your shares, I promise you – it means the world to me and I am super thankful for helping me out! 😀
Congrats Diana – Best of luck
Thanks, Oren, for the comment, for the tweet, for all of your support, always!!!
AND for the contribution on Indiegogo – you rock! 😀
This is awesome Diana. I think this has a market and you will do very well. I wish all the best with the Indiegogo campaign. Now, where do I contribute? 🙂
Thank you for your comment, Susan – and for your encouragement and support, as usual. They are so much appreciated! 😀
About contributions – you can do it in a few ways. Choose the most suitable:
– click on any of the perks images in the blog post above – they lead to the corresponding check out page – perk $1, perk $10, perk $25, perk $1500
– OR you can click the big green button below the video screen in the blog post – that one leads to the campaign on indiegogo – there you can browse more info, and the perks are situated to the right handside. On the top of the right sidebar there is also a big pink-ish button that says “Contribute” – that is the button you can start the contribution with.
Thank you so much in advance 🙂
Best of luck with your campaign, Diana. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this works. I assume our movies will be uploadable to youtube?
Hi, Doreen! Thanks for your comment and feedback, AND contribution! We are super excited and can’t wait to show you all how this works, too 😀
And yes, you assumed right. When you make a travel movie, you get from us an email with a download link – you download your video to your computer and then, you can upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, your website or any other place you see fit – it is all yours to do with it as you wish. 😉
Diana, what a great idea. Including the maps is very cool. I’ve made a few automatic movies using Adobe Elements, but didn’t like the look of them. Video tools specifically geared toward travelers is very exciting 🙂
Thanks for your feedback and support, Jeri – indeed the maps are great, aren’t they?! 😉
I am happy you like how the tool is geared toward travelers. Only a traveler would know how needed solution such tool is – so much better to share travel memories and to show pictures in a different way…
Thank you for the contribution, too – much appreciated! 😀
What a neat idea, it makes presenting travel photos so much easier and the result is so much fun. I’m sure there is a great market for this product. Best of luck! 🙂
Thanks for your encouragement and feedback, Debra – and for the contribution 😀 Much appreciated!
Funny you should mention how the tool makes presenting travel photos so much easier and the result is so much fun – that was exactly the idea we had in mind when we started looking for such tool (to present our 2 weeks road trip in Spain 2 years ago). When we didn’t find one – we made our own. We must be onto something…. Thanks again! 🙂
Wow, congrats! Really cool tool you guys have come up with. Best of luck to you with getting it accomplished 🙂
Thanks for your feedback and encouragement, Lisha – much appreciated! I am glad you find the tool cool – we also think it’s cool and we were hoping people will do, too 😉
This looks soooo cool, Diana! I wish you much success with your new company! I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this a secret for so long – WOW. I’m simply stunned.
Now, if only I was a traveler…
Maybe in the future? 😉
I think this will be a hit with everyone who travels like you do!
Thanks, Lorraine, for your feedback and support – i am so glad you think it’s cool! Imagine how much you would’ve liked it if you were a passionate traveler 😉
Keeping it a secret was a bit hard but then, i didn’t want to spoil the surprise. So, surpriiise! 😀
It looks really cool! Is it limited to only travel? Or might you expand it later?
This is a very good question, Beth – thanks for bringing it up! It shows we really are onto something with this 😉
To answer your question – we have some ideas how to expand the travel movie maker but at this stage, it is too early to say anything. or now it is and will be specifically for travel movies creation, yes 😀
Thanks for stopping by – hope you’ll help us spread the word by sharing this post or the campaign on social media!
This looks like a great product. I used to put together albums about my travels, then some slideshows. I could see myself using this. Good luck with the campaign.
Thanks for your positive feedback, Donna – i am so happy you like the idea and you see yourself using this product. Did you see the animated albums we have?
Those are trailers but soon, we plan to release some real life (real people and real photos) movies as well – to show what it’s all about. 😀
This is a great idea.I have tweeted it and plan on becoming a contributor but will wait until payday!
Thanks for your positive feedback and support, Pat! Thanks for the tweet, too and i will be on the look for your contribution – thank you so much in advance 😀
Прекрасна ми, Диана! Трудно е да опиша вълнението и емоцията около твоето личностно и професионално израстване. Не смея и да помисля колко далеч можеш да стигнеш:)
Дерзай! Пожелавам да съхраниш нестихващия си ентусиазъм и да заразяваш с успеха си така, както го можеш!
Оооо, Пепи 🙂 Надявам се редовните ми читатели да не се разсърдят, че пишем на неразбираем за тях език – но няма как да подмина коментара ти! Хиляди благодарности за милите думи и за подкрепата, както винаги ме караш да се усмихвам 😀
Diana — great idea. I wish you the best of luck. Made a small contribution and hope you meet your fundraising goal.
Thank you, Jeannette, for your comment, for your contribution and for all you support! Please also share the campaign on your social networks – it will help me reach more people and will increase the GoGo factor of the campaign – that definitely will bring me one step closer to reaching my goal 😉 Thanks again! 😀