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Yes! Even commercial sites can freely use the software without royalties or other costs, under the
MPL 1.1 open source license. Technically
the license insists that the source files (FLA, AS) be distributed along with the binary files (SWF),
but this requirement can be met by simply providing a link to
MovieMasher.com.
Changes made to the software and custom modules (controls, effects, transitions, etc.)
do not have to be released under an open source license, but most folks opt to do so anyway. The current code base
is the product of many companies and individuals who have elected to contribute their improvements back into
the project. The main benefit for them is elimination of ongoing maintenance costs - their features persist
as the whole system evolves.
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In addition to the community based resources listed on the download page,
help is also available directly from the creator of Movie Masher,
Doug Anarino.
Developer support is offered at every step in the deployment process, from interface
conceptualization through configuration and integration, as well as extension
of the core system with custom controls and modules.
Higher level consulting is also available for advice on server architecture,
business processes and budget estimates.
The same hourly rate is applied to all services, and currently the first
consultation is free.
To get started, please send an email
briefly explaining the goals of your project, providing attachments or links to
any relevant mockups, prototypes or specifications.
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Yes, but only if you're part of the Movie Masher Server private beta group
(send an email to join).
The server software is mostly written in PHP and utilizes many open source UNIX applications and libraries to
render mashes into true video formats for downloading, podcasting and even broadcasting. The dependencies are a
real pain to install though, so a preconfigured server is available through Amazon's
Elastic Compute Cloud web service. Their
network infrastructure enables multiple instances
of the server to be run, for a truly scalable solution.
The server does not currently provide content management features per se. It's simply a black box
that turns XML and raw media assets into a video file, and then transfers it to an HTTP server
or Amazon's Simple Storage Service
(which is itself scalable, and supports BitTorrent and edge delivery). Job data can be sent to the server through
a REST interface or through Amazon's Simple Queue Service (best for multi-server networks).
The server can also encode uploaded videos into lower resolution image sequences and soundtracks for optimal
performance within the editor, but still use the higher resolution assets when outputting the final video.
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At the moment, no. But the architecture has been designed with this eventuality in mind, and several content
management systems and networks are being reviewed. Send an email to let us know which tools
you're using and how video editing functionality might be provided within them.
One project that is underway is the Movie Masher Facebook application. It isn't feature complete at the moment since
their API only provides access to images, but it's functional and requires no CGI scripting. The applets and any
additional media can be placed on a scalable host like Amazon's
Simple Storage Service, while the XML data is saved to Facebook's
servers using their API - no other servers are needed.
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Maybe - send an email describing what you have in mind. Often though, those who ask about partnerships simply become clients when they realize how little cost is
involved in manifesting their idea using Movie Masher.
Those who ask about investing often have an idea of their own too, but they are looking for firmer commitments moving
forward. In these cases we might discuss partnering in a new joint venture, since Movie Masher itself is really in
the business of infrastructure support at this point.
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Much can be gleened from reading the online documentation which covers topics like Installation,
Interface Customization,
Content Management,
XML Tags,
Controls,
Effects,
Themes,
Transitions. There is also lower level, auto generated
documentation of the ActionScript code itself, available as part of the source download.
Additionally, a look through the SourceForge Movie Masher forums
might turn up an answer to your technical question - if not, just post it there. If all else fails, please
send an email and we'll get back to you just as soon as possible.
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