Snapchat Filmmaker and Shorty Award Nominee AniAcopian

Ani Acopian (aniacopian on Snapchat) is a Snapchat filmmaker and Shorty Award Nominee one of the most innovative storytellers on Snapchat. The triple threat filmmaker, beatboxer, and former Snapchat intern documents her daily life creating mini snap stories. She also boasts a pretty impressive Snapchat reel.

How did you start Snapchatting?

About two years ago, I was on vacation with my family and I really wanted to make an MTV Cribs-style tour of our hotel. At that time, a lot of my friends were using Snapchat to post stories about their days. I figured Snapchat would be a fun medium to do the tour on, since it allowed you to upload short videos and reach an audience that would see it right away. I shot the tour with my sister and posted it to my story. I got a bunch of messages from my friends saying that they loved it. That’s when I thought that there might be something to using the platform in a different way — to make short films. When I got back to school, I started to make other stories in a similar style, and people really responded to them – I think a few people posted on my Facebook wall, and from there hype around it built — pretty soon I was asking strangers all over campus to be in my elaborate Snapchat stories, and having a blast while doing it. 

What’s your favorite Snapchat feature?

Definitely the emoji tracking feature, because it allows you not only to decorate your snap with emojis, but to actually create your own world by integrating the emojis into your videos and having them pop up in different places. It’s almost like having built in motion graphics; it’s a really powerful creative tool and I’d love to see more Snapchatters embrace it! 

https://twitter.com/aniacopian/status/743829504834043908

What keeps you snapchatting?

I get really excited about finding new ways to tell stories. With every new Snapchat feature that gets released comes a whole new host of storytelling possibilities, and I love figuring out what they are. 

If you love what you see so far, make sure to vote for AniAcopian in the Shorty Awards!

You can catch Ani on snapchat at AniAcopian

Or watch her previous Snapchat stories at AniAcopian.com

Or check out her amazing photography on Instagram at @aniacopian