Making Movie

Magic

How to Record, Edit and Share Movies You Shoot with your Digital Camera

Legal Jabber

Copyright This publication is protected by International Copyright Law legislation and all other applicable federal, state and local laws. All rights are reserved, including resale rights. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), other than for your own personal use, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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Neither Peter Thiselton-Dyer or Cindy Blankenship is associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Disclaimer

Although the author/publisher has made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in this guide, you should use this information as

you see fit. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here. Nothing in this guide is intended to replace common sense, legal,

medical or other professional advice.

Table of Contents Getting Started Shooting Great Footage Editing Your Movies Sharing your Productions

Chapter 1 – Getting Started Like photography, videography can be a fun and creative way to document events - from your best friend's championship skateboard competition to your pet's daily antics. Also like photography, videography is a great way to communicate your ideas and perception to others. The way you think about something you

see, whether it be an old man on the street or a young child learning to ride a bike, a sunrise over the lake or your friends goofing on the front steps, is unique. And just like photography you can tell stories with your movies. Stories told through photography are typically told in photo essays. If you enjoy drama and creative writing, you can take it one step further and create a movie (animated or with real people) with a storyline – fact or fiction. To do this, you would start by writing a script and possibly even creating a storyboard. This eBook is about the actual recording, editing and sharing process, but you can learn more about creating storyboards and scripts at KidsVid, a site for teachers and kids. Before we begin...If you haven't yet read your main text, Digital Photography for Kids, it's best to read it first because many of the terms and techniques here are introduced in the main eBook. You're back – great! Let's get started... With the exception of the SLR, most modern digital cameras come with a movie-mode. Unlike in your parents' day, you don't need a camcorder to capture quality video. You can get quite adequate video by using a camera that offers 30 frames per second (fps) and 640 by 480 resolution. Most digital cameras made after 2007 offer this.

Even if for now you are stuck with 15 fps and/or a lower than 640 by 480 res, you can use this camera for practice while you are learning, and you can still get some decent footage. There may be some choppiness due to the slower speed. The lower resolution? This means a smaller video. Just for example, you can see in the YouTube handbook the sizes the world's largest video sharing site prefers. Back to your camera...Most point and shoots have a button or setting on the dial where you can switch to video recording without going into the menus. The amount of recording time will depend on your camera and memory card. Movies use much more memory than still pictures, so if you really get into this, you may want to ask your parents about an extra memory card. Storage Cards If there is an extra memory card in your future, be sure it's compatible with your digital camera. Also look at the speed of the card because this refers to how fast information is written to or from the card. Generally, a faster storage card speed is better. It costs more, but is worth it in the long run. Faster storage card speeds capture the maximum frames per second (fps) for smoother motion. Also look for ample storage space. Finding Movie Mode The movie-making mode is so popular that it almost always has its own button on top of the camera or a prominent place in the top menu. This mode is depicted by a movie camera icon. If you can't easily find movie mode on your camera, take a moment and look at your camera's manual. If your camera doesn't have a movie mode, and after reading this you really want one, you can find many cameras with this mode that are not all that expensive. Of course expensive is relative, and it may mean waiting for a birthday, saving several weeks allowance, or earning some money doing odd jobs. What You Will Find in this Guide

This eBook shows you how to record smooth, focused and entertaining movies. Armed with the tips and tricks in this book, you can amaze your family and friends and maybe even the

hard-to-please critics at YouTube (if one of your parents has an account).

Along with the movie making basics, you will also learn how to create soundtrack, captions, credits, and more.

And we'll take a look at editing your movies. Through editing, you can turn

a ho hum video into one that is entertaining, one that brings emotion to your movie, just like Hollywood directors and their editors do.

When you have created a video worth sharing, you don't want to leave it

collecting dust on your computer. There are many ways to share your movies. And we'll show you some of those as well.

Lets get started learning the basics so you can start having some real fun recording, editing and watching the expression of those viewing your movie magic!

Chapter 2 - Recording Great Footage

Just as with photography, good videography involves more than pointing and shooting, even when you're using a "point-and-shoot" camera. This chapter introduces techniques that will help you to shoot great footage, but do remember it takes practice!

Settings Most cameras, by default, are set to the highest resolution. If yours isn't, you can select the resolution and frame rate prior to shooting. Your camera may have some settings that are supported in movie mode, such as white balance and aperture. These settings are explained in your main book, Digital Photography for Kids. Framing Just as with most still photography, it's best to frame your subject tightly. Even if you're used to filling the frame with still photos, you may find it's easy to forget when shooting live. Keep in mind that your movies won't be viewed full size on a wide screen after all, and you want to view them without a magnifying glass! And just as with still photography, look out for clutter when possible. Remember, clutter is anything you don't want in the picture (or in this, case movie.)

Clutter & Background Noise Movie clutter also comes in the form of noise. Avoid unwanted background noise. If you are narrating or adding soundtrack to your movie with

your editing software, you needn't be concerned with this. However, sometimes the soundtrack or part of it is created as you shoot the movie. If this is the case, be aware that your on-camera microphone will likely pick up all noises, not just the ones you want. For example, along with the cheers at the skateboard park and the sound of the wheels grinding on pavement, you may also end up with highway traffic noise. Your beach day video may pick up wind noise. While you can't control the wind and traffic, most background noises are within your control. Here's what can be done... Many digital cameras have a microphone jack. An external mic will do much a better job of picking up what you want without everything else – even if you don't have a professional boom mic like these Parisian moviemakers. What you do is get the mic as close as you can to the source of the sound you want to record. You may need to record sound and video separately, unless you have an assistant.

How to Create Annoying Video (or Not)

Create shaky videos that bounce all over the place.

Unless you want to cause motion sickness in the viewer, use something to steady your camera, such as a tripod or monopod. If you're shooting on the fly (or on the run), do your best to hold the camera rock-steady. Edit out overly jerky camera swings later.

Make it really grainy.

Avoid shooting in low light situations. Unless you have high-grade video equipment, poor lighting will make your video look grainy. Always shoot in the brightest possible environment. Natural light is best. Room lamps can also be helpful.

Zoom in and out a lot – make faces bigger and smaller, bigger and

smaller...

Some cameras have zoom available in movie mode. While the advertisement might make this sound like a really cool addition, avoid it. If it's digital rather

than optical zoom this will merely enlarge the center portion of the image, resulting in a fuzzy video. Use your feet instead of your zoom to get closer. If you have optical zoom, use it only when it's really needed.

Use the camera's special effects.

Some digital cameras offer special-effects filters like sepia and "old movie." Your movie will come out much better if you shoot in living color first, and then edit in and desired special effects with your editing software (Chapter 3).

Let it roll...and roll...

Professional moviemakers typically don't set the camera on a tripod and let it roll for 10 minutes or longer at a time. Instead, they shoot short segments. Then they edit the material to make an interesting presentation. What happens if you just hit "record" and let it go till you're out of room? You will capture a lot of video that you end up not wanting. Typically, most of the video ends up on the cut room floor, so to speak. Out of a 30-second clip we typically end up with just a few seconds of video we want to keep. By shooting a succession of short clips, you can be selective and end up with more footage worth keeping. What do you shoot? Whether you are video recording your pets or a soccer game, your movie will tell a story. So anything that helps move your story forward is fair game. For example, if you're shooting a soccer game, take some video of fans cheering on the sidelines, just the players' feet, etc. Later in editing, you can insert these shots where you want them for best effect.

So you see...even if your camera only takes a short clip at a time, that's ok. It will encourage you to get more creative!

Tips for Shooting Sports Lots of kids are interested in creating video of sports events. Shooting sports can be tricky, so here are some tips to help:

If a baseball player swings a good hit, don't try to zoom the ball but instead pan (remember, terms are found in your main text) with the runner.

Keep as much of the activity in the frame and follow it carefully and

smoothly.

Capture context and emotion with short clips to capture and edit in later, such as the coach watching with a big smile (or chewing his lip, growling, etc.), the goalie waiting, the parents cheering, a pre-game cheer, feet, a close up of a player's face...remember you're telling a story.

To ensure you don't let the camera roll too long with these short clips, hold these shots steady for about 5 - 10 seconds at a time (count one thousand one, one thousand two...).

Get creative with your angle to take the viewers where they can't go.

Let the action come to you: Don't try following the ball, especially in sports

like soccer where it's all over the place. Now that really would cause motion sickness in your viewers! Instead, focus on specific shots rather than trying to follow the play. Understanding the sport enough to be ready for predictable actions will help too. (Wikipedia has articles on every sport under the sun.)

Don't get carried away with panning. Walk down the sideline to get ahead

of the play and wait for the action to come to you. Then without panning, let the action race through the frame.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Like with photography, lighting is one of the most important factors of videography. When shooting automatic mode, just like with stills, the camera may not achieve a proper exposure for example. It may overcompensate for low light situations, etc. So if your camera allows you some manual control over your settings in movie mode, it's a good idea to use them (refer to main text, Digital Photography for Kids). As with photography, natural, soft light – the kind we find during the hour after sunrise and before sunset or on high overcast days - is best, but sometimes shooting indoors is necessary. Depending on the settings your camera supports in movie mode, some of these quick tips (for details again, check with the main book) may help you when there's no way around shooting in a low light situation:

Harsh shadows and direct light: Try bouncing a diffuse light source from ceilings, walls and floors.

Underexposed (too dark) footage: Decrease shutter speed or increase

aperture size to let in more light.

Overexposed: Decrease aperture size (raise F-stop number) to let in less light or increase shutter speed.

Lens Flare: Don't shoot into a bright source of light. If you must, a lens

hood or a stiff brimmed photographer's hat can help. So can shading with your hand, but this is difficult to do while keeping your camera super steady. Remember that pointing your lens directly at the sun can damage your camera's sensor.

See your Photography for Kids section on lighting for more tips that can apply to videography.

Chapter 3 - Editing your Movies

The physical process of editing digital video is very different from how film has been traditionally edited until recent years, but the reason for editing has always been the same. Today most film editing is edited digitally, but until just a few years ago, the editor physically cut and taped together pieces of film, using a splicer and threading the film on a machine with a viewer, such as the Moviola pictured here. The editor then as now arranged the cuts in a manner that best fit the director's plan. In the case of your digital camera's video, you will also be the director. You will make the cuts and arrange what you want to keep so that it tells the story you want to tell. And you will do this all on your computer with a mouse and keyboard instead of scissors and tape. Depending on the video, you may even edit with your camera, but remember, editing on the computer is almost always preferred. Many of the newer digital cameras have features that allow you to upload straight from your camera YouTube, your iPod, email, etc. Some even have basic editing

features where you can clip, add titles and even simple transitions like a wipe or fade. If you have a super short clip, say 30 seconds featuring your pet's latest antic, then by all means, make use of these features. Your manual will have directions for these functions. However, this section's purpose is to introduce you to editing your footage in such a way that you are creating a movie. To create your movie magic, you'll need a good software program. And as good fortune would have it, there is no shortage in this area, beginning with free movie editors for Windows and Mac users: Built into Windows XP and Vista, we have Windows Movie Maker, while Mac users can get creative with iMovie. Both of these offer basic video editing features, more than enough transitions and special effects, and support for laying down music tracks. Using Windows Movie Maker or iMovie will give you all the basics on wipes, fades and more sophisticated transitions. You'll learn how to add credits and captions, as well as how to add those all-important soundtracks. There's lots of other good, basic editing software available for purchase, trial or flat out free. Some good advanced editing programs are mentioned in the next section. You can create soundtracks for your movies, using free sound effects and music found at sites such as Partners in Rhyme and Soundsnap.com. Or you can capture sound effects with your audio function (and preferably a microphone).

Finally, here is a great resource for videography enthusiasts – The YouTube Handbook. Ever wonder how they make travel videos without the bouncing up and down caused by walking with your camera? Or how to get sound when getting close enough for audio recording means you can't get the shot?

Even if you never place one video at YouTube, the tips in these videos are well worth viewing. They've got everything from using a wheelchair dolly (a dolly is

what professionally movie makers use to smoothly move the camera around while shooting) to improving your video sound. Mash Ups If you're a frequent viewer at YouTube, you've probably noticed that some of their best videos are not created with original footage. Many of these are mash ups, a mixture of original and existing material. You may want to create mash ups using your own footage. YouTube does a have a minimum age requirement, but you might be able to interest one of your parents in uploading some of your movies. Or you can have fun sharing your mash ups on an individual basis with family and friends. If you're creating a mash up, you'll need more advanced software. Commercial video editing programs offer options like picture-in-picture and chroma key. The latter is useful for mixing multiple images (like showing the weatherman standing in front of a moving weather map). Windows users can choose from commercial editing suites like Adobe Premiere Elements 4 and Pinnacle Studio 11 Plus; Mac applications include Apple Final Cut Express 4 and Adobe Premiere Pro CS3. If you want to use others' footage, be sure to respect copyright laws. Check with your parents on this. You can borrow from copyrighted songs and video clips, but only in ways that qualify as fair use. For example, a 10 minute clip from a TV show would be copyright infringement, but a 5 second clip of a character's single line may be considered fair use. A complete song or anything else in the public domain is fair game. Public domain means that a body of work is not copyrighted. Unless you know it's public domain, assume everything on the Internet is protected by copyright law. To find footage for your mash up, you'll need to download the videos and convert them to a format supported by your editing program. You can grab video with free software such as Zamzar. Once you have the means to capture your footage, all manners of video - news clips, TV shows, movies, etc. - at video sharing sites such as YouTube and AOL Video. If you have a Media Center PC with a TV tuner, you can record shows and then extract clips using editing software. If you're not sure if it's fair use or public domain, use your own video footage for mash ups – good fun!

Chapter 4 - Sharing your Productions If you do plan to create a mashup or any video for YouTube, you and a parent can read the upload guidelines at YouTube Handbook Notice that they allow you to choose public or

private status for your video. If you go private, you can choose who gets to see it up to 25 viewers. Public videos can be viewed by anyone. Speaking of sharing with anyone...viewers can comment on the videos, and while many are positive and helpful, some of these comments are not helpful, even downright mean and rude. Some contain bad language. These are good reasons for choosing "private status." YouTube makes it easy to share videos with friends and family when set to private status While YouTube does enforce rules not allowing certain subjects, and while there are many excellent and wholesome videos at YouTube, just like on television, you will likely run across some that are offensive or not in line with your family's standards. For this reason, some parents, perhaps yours, monitor YouTube viewing. If you or your parents are looking for well-monitored, family-friendly video sharing sites, here is one. Your parents may know of some others: Tangle: This is a Christian based video sharing and social site. "The world's largest content-safe online community." Me and My Movie: Hosted by the BBC, this site is a safe place for kids to share their movies. iPod It's easy to prepare movies for iPod viewing, but you will need Quicktime Pro (about $30). Follow their instructions for uploading. Basically you go to File>Export, and select "Movie to iPod" from the drop down menu. The ripping process will take your computer a while. Once it has finished making your production iPod-friendly, open iTunes 6 (you can download it for free) and drag the movie to the "Videos" folder in the left hand "Source" column.

Now, when you connect your iPod video, it will automatically grab the movie you just loaded into the Video folder, and you can play it. If you have trouble, here is Apple's tutorial on creating video for iPod Finally here are some resources to further help you on your way to movie making stardom: How to Make Movies hosted by the BBC-CBBC. Click on How to Make a Movie. After screen loads, click on elements in the room. For the free PDF guide, click on a book.

If you're interested in creating a stop action Lego movie, a homeschooled brother and sister team at CJA Productions & Phalene Studios has a series of Lego videos including a Tutorial on How to Make LEGO Stop-Motion Movies at YouTube.

Now all you need now is a director's chair with your name on it!