Short Story Shorter: The Most Creative Uses Of Vine (So Far)

By: Co.Create Staff

Can you tell a story in 6 seconds? A look at the tiny creations of the individual and brand users of Vine so far suggests… maybe.

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Ernest Hemingway famously wrote a story that was 6 words long--"For sale: baby shoes, never worn"--and, as legend has it, called it his best work. Now, those prone to Instagramming and Tweeting and GIFing can see how much story they can pack into 6 seconds of video.

Twitter caused a mini sensation last week with the unveiling of its (iOS only, ugh) video-sharing app, Vine. The app allows users to create and share 6-second, looping videos. Users aren't limited to making straight-up 6-second clips, though; they can also create stop-motion and other effects by capturing and editing a string of shorter snippets.

It's easy to see why Vine grabbed the Internet's attention--it's not an earth-shattering advance, but the app represents something accessible, new, and engaging for social sharers of all stripes.

There is no doubt we'll see a lot of gratuitous, and dumb, usage of Vine, (and porn, of course--as Dailydot notes mere hours after the app was launched Vine was awash in NSFW material) in the early days. But it's also easy to see how individuals and brands will make great use of the app's short-storytelling capacity. As Hemingway's 6-word tale and other short formats attest, it's possible to do dramatic things within extreme creative constraints.

While brands have been historically tied to 30- and 60-second timelines, many have been experimenting over the years with shorter (and longer) forms. 15 second spots are typical, but several brands have produced even more abbreviated stories--Montblanc demonstrated with its "Beauty of a Second" film festival how powerful even a well-wrought one second of film can be.

Have a look at some of the early efforts from brands and individuals and one compelling new site inspired by all of the early Vine activity.

VinePeek
Perhaps the most compelling Vine-related development so far, VinePeek allows you to see this nascent art form blossoming before your eyes. Like ThisIsNow did for Instagram, Vinepeek simply allows you to see a random selection of Vines from around the world in real time. Caution: highly addictive.

Twitter corporate design specialist Ian Padgeham (@Origiful), is, unsurprisingly, killing it in the early days of Vine:

Urban Outfitters is said to be the first brand to use the app, and reminds us that Vine would be particularly effective for animal adoption use cases:

More from Urban Outfitters:

Bob Hazlett gets in early on the new trend of Vining your food, delivering a before/during/after effect that Instagram just can't match:

GE gives us a logo loop:

Red Vines gets reflexive:

The Gap offers an ad retrospective:

Virginia Beach's Cafe Moka shows us its technique:

Trident Gum chew-chew-chooses a mouth-focused approach:

The stunt wizards at Thinkmodo give us a look at what goes on in their office: