Creating slides in PowerPoint is easy and something most of you have some pretty mad skills in making. So, if you feel comfortable working in PowerPoint, create your initial presentation in Powerpoint. Later, when you're ready, you can save these as .jpeg files which can be uploaded to any video program you like.
Keep in mind you want your font large and you don't want too much of it on any one slide. It will be hard for the audience to read if it's too small or too dense.
Have a video camera? Shoot! Capture! Edit! Share!
First things first! You need to a way to film your videos. The library has cameras that you can check out!
Second, you obviously need to shoot your video. While you do not need to have the directorial skills of Steven Spielberg, there are some basic video shooting skills that one needs to master. I've seen many good videos marred by bad lighting or shaky hand movements.
Third, once you've shot your video, here's where you need to capture the video into a computer. For many people, this tends to be really confusing. But this step simply really boils down to what format your video is shot in. How will you get the video from the recording device to a computer?
Fourth, once you've got that video into the computer, you need to edit the video file to trim and cut scenes, then add special effects, titles and screen transitions. You can even add in a soundtrack as well.There are a variety of programs you can use, but moviemaker and imovie are the two most popular.
Finally, once you've edited the video to your heart's content, you're almost done! You just need to share the video with others! This could mean downloading it to a file on your computer, exporting and burning to a DVD, or sharing through an embed code or weblink. Depending on the size of your completed file, it may not be possible to email. You may need to use a flash drive. Also, you need to consider what file format you save your file in. Not all formats will have easy playback on school computers.
iMovie
MovieMaker
Animoto
others....
FLIP cameras do not play nicely with our version of moviemaker. You will need to upload your video to a file folder on your computer then use ZAMZAR to convert the file to an avi format. Then you can import it into moviemaker.
Files that will work without problems, or rather should work without problems are;
Video - AVI or WMV
Music/Audio - WAV, WMA or WMV
Stills/Pictures - Bitmap
Files that often cause problems are;
Video - Mpeg, MOV, Mjpeg and divx-avi
Music/Audio - MP3
Stills/Pictures - Jpeg
Editing video is not a quick process. It can require a lot of time and planning, and it will probably require more than one sitting to complete. Be sure to leave yourself as much time as possible for the task, and don't wait until the last minute. (don't say we didn't warn you!)
Websites with examples, raw material and ideas:
| Creative Commons | Internet Video Archive | Cuts - Rifftrax |
| Recutting Room Floor | Total Recut | Political Remix |
| Trailers from Apple | Movie Database | |
| Fandango |
When you are working in multiple locations, managing files can be a challenge. You have several options available to you. Depending on the task, you may choose different options for transporting your work between home and school. It is helpful to name your files clearly to make it easy to select which file you need.
Option 1 -- email a document or file to yourself.
Option 2 -- use web based applications to create your presentation (Google Drive, Prezi, Glogster, etc.) These are available to you whenever you have access to a device and an internet connection.
Option 3 -- use a cloud based service like Dropbox to store your files.
Option 4 -- use a thumb drive (flash drive, whatever you prefer to call it!) Save your files frequently in all locations and don't lose it or leave it behind.
If you create work on a Mac, the library offers 2 Macs on a first come, first served basis. We have Microsoft Office for Mac. We do not have Keynote.
Dropbox works with both PC & Mac platforms.
Mrs. Nocita has software on her computer that can convert files into other file types to make them compatible with school technology. It is best if you can first download the original file to your docs folder rather than bring in your device. However, if you do bring in your device, be sure to bring in the necessary cords too!
Go to: http://ytconv.net/
Enter your youtube link and make sure to click the AVI circle. Save it.
Go to: Windows Movie Maker
Import video
You do not need to download a full length feature movie for a 10 sec clip. See if you can search more specifically for the scene(s) you would like to use. It is quite likely that someone else has had the same idea before and it already exists!
Please keep copyright guidelines in mind. It may sound like a great idea but with a little creativity and ingenuity on your part you may be able to create something completely original that's as good or better!
Troubleshooting
Go to: http://download.cnet.com/1770-20_4-0.html?query=avi+codec+pack&searchtype=downloads
Scroll to Windows 7 Codec Pack and download to computer
Not all devices are created equally! Each device has its particular file types that are supported, from photos to music to documents to video. Knowing what file type you have is key to determining which file type you need to use a particular program or application.
Zamzar is a free online converter. It is still the best free tool I know of for converting between file types.
http://www.zamzar.com/
All of our computers should be able to play wmv, api, or mp4 file types.
Here’s a link to the types of videos files it is compatible with. http://www.zamzar.com/conversionTypes.php#videos
Google video downloader free for ways to download video files yourself or email the link to Mrs. Nocita.
You can install a free iOS app to download videos from the internet onto your device. MyVid