Skip to main content

The new app from the director of HBO’s The Jinx lets you shoot your own iPhone documentaries

knowme app andrew jarecki
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Andrew Jarecki, the Emmy Award winner behind HBO’s The Jinx, has released a new app that allows everyone to create and edit their own iPhone documentaries.

The free iOS app KnowMe allows users to shoot and edit videos on the go using both the iPhone’s front- and rear-facing cameras. Additionally, you can import your existing iPhone images and videos to use in your new clip — alongside images and music from the Web — during the editing process.

Recommended Videos

KnowMe’s unique audio features allow you to add voiceovers to existing clips, meaning you can narrate your visual story. Music can also be used to add a soundtrack to your narrative.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

For those worried about the daunting editing process, KnowMe overcomes that by allowing you to simply hold down video and image thumbnails in order to rearrange them on your documentary’s timeline.

Jarecki claims he was inspired to make the app during the course of his research on The Jinx. The acclaimed HBO documentary about accused murderer Robert Durst saw Jarecki interview around 100 people who all “wanted to tell their story.”

knowme-e1453324844994
Image used with permission by copyright holder

KnowMe has already found some famous Hollywood users and patrons. Director J.J. Abrams, who has previously professed his love for the iPhone-shot Sundance hit Tangerine, is backing the app. Meanwhile, Mike Myers, Greg Kinnear, and Sean Hayes have all reportedly created clips using the app, which has been in beta mode for the past year.

For inspiration, Jarecki has listed the type of clips you could create using KnowMe, aside from documentaries. Possible uses for the app include enhancing job applications, listing apartment shares on Airbnb, or even auditioning for a rock band, the filmmaker told the New York Post.

There is also a social element to KnowMe that lets you follow other users and share your clips to your favorite social network.

Saqib Shah
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
The iOS 18.2 update includes a special feature just for iPhone 16 Pro users
A person holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.

If you have an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max, updated to iOS 18.2, and regularly use the Voice Memos app, then your phone just got even better if you're a musician. Originally teased in September’s iPhone 16 event, Layered Recordings is now available in the Voice Memos app with the iOS 18.2 update.

What exactly are Layered Recordings? Basically, you can now add a vocal track layer on top of any existing instrumental recording without the need for headphones. In the iOS 18.2 update, users are now able to play original instrument ideas through the iPhone’s built-in speakers while simultaneously recording vocals with the studio-quality microphone on the iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max.

Read more
iOS 18.2 is rolling out now with a ton of new Apple Intelligence features
Apple Intelligence on the Apple iPhone 16 Plus.

Apple has started the public rollout of iOS 18.2 and the corresponding iPadOS update, and they bring a handful of long-awaited features in its AI kit. The release notes are pretty exhaustive, and they reveal a few features that are minor improvements to the already available Apple Intelligence bundle.

The most notable addition is ChatGPT integration with Siri, which shifts things over to the OpenAI chatbot if Apple’s assistant can’t provide an answer. ChatGPT integration is also expanding within the Writing Tools set, thanks to the compose feature that lets users create fresh content and generate images.

Read more
I’m obsessed with this app that turned my iPhone into a retro iPod
The My Classic app on an iPhone 16 showing the iPod interface.

As great as modern technology is, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. Smartphones today are capable of virtually endless tasks and are light-years better than mobile gadgets from a decade or two ago. Still, it's hard not to have some nostalgia for "retro" devices like the Palm Pilot, the first Motorola Razr, or your trusty old iPod.

While doomscrolling X the other night, I saw that Quinn Nelson of Snazzy Labs had posted a short video about an iPhone app called "My Classic - Retro Console" that promises to turn your iPhone into an iPod Classic. It's a very silly idea, but at a one-time price of $3, it was cheap enough that I decided to try it for myself. After living with my iPhone 16 transformed into an old-school iPod for about a day, I'm absolutely obsessed with it.
Using my iPhone like an iPod in 2024

Read more