Mela promotes collaborative filmmaking via hashtag #hashtag

It’s all in the hashtag.

Mela, a brand new social video app for iPhone, uses crowdsharing via hashtag to mix user videos into unique sequences. Somewhat like Avos’ Mixbit and Vimeo-owned Cameo, you can integrate other people’s videos into your own to tell a unique, cross-cultural and universal story.

Viewers can watch clips with the same tag play one after the other as a seamless video–which the creators call a Mela.

“We created this app so that people can capture the most significant moments from their daily lives, and through that, be able to depict to vivid emotions to other users,” said Sharon Shineberg, Mela CEO. “We also want users from all over the world to become exposed to others experiencing similar moments from different angles and points of view.”

Mela takes a different approach than similar apps by linking from hashtags. This helps the content step away from the traditional narrative format for a more organic mix.

 “Users are able to look into moments, events, or even mundane activities, and see how a wide variety of users experience them from different angles, just by watching a single video stream,” Shineberg says.

Each clip captured in Mela is designed to share a discrete point in time. Just use the app’s built-in camera to record 15 seconds of fresh video (no dipping into the camera roll). During playback, tap at the part you want to showcase, and Mela creates a 2.5-second Vine-like repeating clip.

Then tag the clip with three hashtags, either from those already present in the app or create new ones.

Time, location, and user hashtags are automatically added when the clip is published. Since every clip can be tagged with up to six hashtags, each clip can be included in six different Melas.

Users can sign up to Mela only through Facebook right now, though other platforms like Twitter, or Instagram are coming. Users do not need to be connected to anyone else using Mela

Mela, which is free, is optimized for iPhone 5 and runs on iOS 7.

➤ Mela