Archive for April, 2010

Could an iPhone App Win an Oscar?

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

2010 Boston International Film Festival Is the First Major Festival to Show An iPhone Application

BOSTON, Massachusetts (April 15, 2010)  - WALKING CINEMA: MURDER ON BEACON HILL is not a film, it’s an iPhone app, but its innovative, lush storytelling earned it a place in the 2010 Boston International Film Festival on April 18th. Based on the PBS film MURDER AT HARVARD, this location-based app is a real-life murder mystery told in short videos that layer over a map of present-day Beacon Hill.  ”We were just blown away at how watchable the story is in a theatrical setting.  It’s quick-paced, full of juicy details, and, to our knowledge, it’s the first location-based application to screen at a film festival,” said Festival Director Patrick Jerome.

WALKING CINEMA: MURDER ON BEACON HILL is a multimedia story of John Webster, a Harvard Professor accused of murdering and dismembering one of Boston’s richest men in 1849. GPS information enables users to conduct their own guided, interactive tour of significant crime scenes throughout Boston.  The director of WALKING CINEMA, Michael Epstein, calls it “a page-turner mystery powered by your feet.”

Three views of Murder on Beacon Hill on an iPhone

The application is currently the most and highest rated “walking tour” application in the iTunes App Store and can be previewed at www.parkmanmurder.com. “We’ve seen downloads of the application coming from over 30 countries and we believe that many are viewing it as an armchair mystery while locals and tourists here are walking with the story as hands-on history,” Epstein says.

Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and developed in partnership with Raizlabs in Brookline, MA, Epstein says that one of the goals of the project was to develop a multi-platform film that led to thoughtful engagement with history and geography.

WALKING CINEMA: MURDER ON BEACON HILL will be shown at 8:15 p.m. on Sunday April 18, 2010 at the Boston Common AMC Theater. Tickets are available through the Boston International Film Festival site http://www.bifilmfestival.com/biffschedule.html. The Boston International Film Festival runs from April 16 to April 25, 2010. The festival strives to bring together in Boston local, national and international filmmakers by promoting the world’s most artistic and creative independent and experimental films.

Use this link to find “WALKING CINEMA: MURDER ON BEACON HILL” in the iTunes Store: http://bit.ly/murder_on_beacon_hill

About Untravel Media Untravel Media, Inc., founded in 2006, is a software and media studio specializing in the production of narrative applications for mobile devices. Untravel Media works with filmmakers, museums, and civic organizations to develop transmedia stories and mobile technologies for immersive experiences of exhibits, events, and critical geographies.  For additional information please visit http://www.untravelmedia.com.

About Raizlabs Founded in 1997 by Gregory Raiz, a leader in user interface design and technology, the company is a lab for creating new and innovative designs and technology. Raizlabs provides creative solutions in design and software to companies worldwide. For additional information please visit http://www.raizlabs.com.

Two iPad Apps launched on Day 1

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

We can’t be any more excited. Today the iPad is released and we’re announcing that the release of not one but two iPad apps. They said we were crazy but we did it anyway.

Ploid - the first four player multi-touch iPad game

Ploid is the first ever four player multi-touch game for the iPad.

SketchPad HD - write, draw, type and share your inspiration

SketchPad HD allows you to sketch, type and share.