Using Animoto to Tell the Story of an Historical Figure

One of the things we love here at Animoto is hearing about how people all over the world are using our video maker. We were thrilled to hear from David Barlow in Manchester, England, who created an incredible video about a local historical figure — the Rev. Henry Enfield Dowson. Here’s his video tribute:

Why a video about Rev. Dowson? It turns out that David simply stumbled upon this religious figure who was very influential in his time and as David put it, “was very hands-on in his approach to addressing negative community issues, tackling problems of alcoholism, domestic violence, and poverty.” Rev. Dowson’s wife was also a champion of social change, campaigning for the right for women to vote.

As David dug deeper into local archives, visiting with historians, and poring over newspaper articles along the way, he became even more invested in making sure that Rev. Dowson’s legacy wouldn’t be forgotten. So he created a video and shared it with the secretary of the chapel where Rev. Dowson served, as well as a few historians in Hyde, and posted it on YouTube.

Why did David choose to share Dowson’s life through video? He told us, “In the present digital age, younger generations find instant access to information on Animoto videos interesting and acceptable, as opposed to the ‘old fashioned,’ laborious process of physically locating information by visiting libraries…and then actually having to sit down and maybe even read several books!”

What a neat way to preserve the legacy of a historical figure, and to ensure that future generations will always have a way of discovering people who made a difference in their communities.

Thanks for sharing, David!

What interesting uses have you found for Animoto? Share them with us in the comments or send us a link on Facebook or Twitter.

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