Using Windows Movie Maker*Create Clips (short excerpts) from

downloaded videos*Assemble Clips into your own Movie

With special directions for the Assignment“Make Angela Davis Movie” – Due Feb. 24, 2009

For the WS445 “Women and Computers” ClassProduced by Professor Pat

See also our Class Wiki at ws445.wetpaint.com

Table of Contents

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Slide No.

Intro to Movie Maker 3

Angela Davis Video Assignment for Feb. 24 4

Begin – Collect all Materials in One Folder 7

Save Work Often - Screenshot 8

To Import a Video 9

To Split Videos 11

Assembling your Movie 13

Dragging Clips to Storyboard, Adding Text Slides 14 & 15

Make the Actual Movie (Screenshots follow) 17

Final Words (Last Slide) 21

Intro to Windows Movie Maker• Windows Movie Maker is a free program found on almost all Windows

computers. It is often found under All Programs > Accessories > Entertainment, but you need to hunt around since it is in different places on different computers. If it is not on your personal laptop or desktop computer, you can download it from the Internet and install it. There is no portable version for USB sticks, so you must work on a computer that has Windows Movie Maker installed. (If you use a Mac, the iMovie program is very similar, but you want to import the MP4 version of the YouTube videos).

• Use Movie Maker to assemble a collection of photos & text slides, add animations (transitions & effects). For examples, see the animations at the Peace Takes Courage web site. http://www.peacetakescourage.com/page-animations.htm

• Use Movie Maker to assemble video clips, perhaps interspersed with some photos and text slides, to make your own movie. For example, see movie I made about BlogHer which includes clips (excerpts) from videos found on YouTube, some photos/slides from PowerPoint, etc. at http://blip.tv/file/765252/

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Angela Davis Video Assign for Feb. 24• Make a short movie using Windows Movie Maker. Your movie will consist of a few short

Clips (excerpts) from videos about Angela Davis that you watched on the Web. You will probably want to add some text slides and perhaps some photos (find on Web).

• Download Angela Davis videos from YouTube and convert them to WMV format. See the illustrated guide in a PowerPoint slide show from our class Wiki at Wetpaint OR at Slideshare.net. A text only version can be found on the Videos-Working With page (in the Computer & Web Skills section of this Wiki).

• Working with Windows Movie Maker 1. Import your downloaded videos into Movie Maker.2. Cut out a few small segments from the videos to use in your own movie.3. Drag the clips to the Storyboard – use at least 2 small clips.4. Add some text slides – at least a Title slide at beginning, perhaps a slide introducing each

video clip.5. Optional - add some photos, effects or transitions.6. Render (compile) your finished Storyboard into a WMV movie that the class can watch.

(Bring to class on your USB stick OR upload to YouTube)

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Movie Maker Workspace – showing Tasks Panel

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Movie Maker Workspace – After Videos Imported

Each Video you import becomes a separate Collection. Microsoft gives each collection the same name as the video file – you can change the name.

Displayed here are some Clips (excerpts) I made from the Angela Davis Interview Part 1 from Al Jazeera. I renamed the clips to indicate what they are about.

Click the Collections Icon to get this View

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Begin by Collecting all Materials in 1 Folder1. Collect all your downloaded videos & any photos you plan to use in one

folder where you will also save your work and create your final video. Can use the Video folder on your USB stick or hard drive.

• WHY? When you save your work as you go along, Microsoft actually just saves directions on how to find your videos, directions about how you edited them, etc. It really simplifies things if everything in one folder. Then you can copy complete folder from USB stick to Huskynet or Hard Drive to have a backup copy.

2. Decide on a name for your project and click File > Save as Project. Type your file name and be sure it is being saved in same folder as your downloaded videos. See Screenshot on Next Slide.

3. After you have saved your project, you will begin importing your converted videos. See Slide #9.

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Save Your Work OftenMovie Maker uses SAVE in two different ways.

“Save Project” saves the videos & photos you imported, the Clips you made, plus any progress on the Storyboard. The project file ends in WSMM (e.g. AngelaDavisVideo.WSMM) and cannot be played in a Media Player.

When you have finished all your work and are ready to actually turn it into a movie, then you click “Save Movie File”. The movie files – videos you can watch in Windows Media Player – end in WMV (e.g. AngelaDavisVideo.wmv).

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To Import a Video

1. Click File >Import Video2. In the dialog box, navigate to the WMV file you want to import

(the YouTube videos you previously converted to WMV using VLC Media Player).

3. Be sure the Box at bottom of dialog box “Divide into Clips” is Unchecked (just click on it to remove the checkmark).

If you let MovieMaker divide the video into clips, you will have too many to work with – when I imported the Al Jazeera Interview Part 1 (12 minutes long) and forgot to uncheck “Divide into Clips,” MovieMaker gave me 60 different clips (split the 12 minute video into 60 different tiny segments.)

4. Click on Collections at top of Window to display a list of your Collections. Each video you import becomes a different Collection.

Repeat for each video you want to import.

See Screenshot on Next Slide

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The Import Video Dialog Box

Warning: If you leave a checkmark in the “Create clips for your video files,” Movie Maker will divide a 12 minute video into 60 small clips – impossible to work with.

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To Split Videos – Make Short Excerpts (Clips)

You only want to work with short selection(s) – called Clips - from each of the videos you imported. Click on the Collections box near top of window, then click on one of the videos to work on.

When a thumbnail of the video is displayed in the collection pane, click on it so it will play in the little player to the right of the window

• Let the video play until you come to the beginning of the small clip you want to make.

• Click the Split icon at bottom right of the player (it is the 2nd one from last).• Now 2 video clips will appear in your Collections pane. One is all the video before

you hit the Split icon and the other is all the video after you hit the Split icon. • Play the second part of the video in the player and hit the Split icon when you

come to the end of the segment you want for your little clip (or excerpt).• Now you should have 3 video clips in your Collection pane. You might want to

rename them to more meaningful names, so you know which is which. (Right click on the title under the video clip, choose Rename, and then type your new name.)

Repeat to get additional clips from the video you started with or from another one.

See Screenshot next slide

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Screenshot – After Splitting Video

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Assembling Your Movie

• After you have made the Clips (short excerpts) you will use in your move, and

• After you have added any photos you want to use to your Collection,

• Then drag each Clip or Photo to the Storyboard in the order you want them to play in your movie. See Screenshot on Next Slide.

• If you change you mind about the order of the Clips, click on one and drag it to a different position in the Storyboard.

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Dragging Clips to Storyboard

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Adding Text SlidesAfter you have dragged your clips down in the order you want them to appear, you probably want to add some text slides – at least a Title Slide at the beginning of your movie.

Click on the Tasks icon near top of window, to display the Tasks pane, where you will see a line "Add Title slides". Click this and choose one of the options.

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Finished Storyboard

This shows the Storyboard after I have added several video clips (outlined in blue) and several text slides (outlined in red).

If I decide to change the order of my video clips, I can just click on one and drag it to a new location.

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Make the Actual Movie• When you have all your video clips in proper order on the Storyboard (have added

photos if you want), have added Text Slides, added any transition effects and think your movie is finally ready, double check your work. Click on the first element in the storyboard and let it play all the way through to be sure everything is the way you want.

• Click File > Save Movie File See next slides for Screenshots• In the dialog box, click on the top choice “My Computer – Save your movie for

playback on your computer” and click Next. In the resulting window, you give a name to your Movie and specify in which folder to save it. Click Next.

• In the resulting dialog box, click "Best quality for playback on my computer" if it is not already selected. Click Next

• You will see a dialog box showing the progress of your movie being rendered. When it is finished, you can watch it in Windows Media Player to view your masterpiece.

• Remember to bring your movie to class on your USB stick OR upload to YouTube so we can all watch it.

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Final Steps – Save Movie (1)

See Slide # for the difference

between Save Project

and Save Movie

Also shows options from

File menu

After you have completed all the work on your Storyboard, and viewed you entire movie in the little player in Movie Maker to be sure it’s all correct Click File>Save Movie & Choose My Computer

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Final Steps – Save Movie (2)Select Filename & Folder to Save In

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Final Steps – Save Movie (#3 - Last )

1. Choose “Best Quality for playback on my computer.”

2. Close all open programs before you click “Next”.

3. Get a cup of coffee while your work is turned into a movie.

Final Words – Next Slide

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Final Words• Watch your movie in Windows Media Player to be sure

everything worked. If you discover problem, to correct it, open your WSMM file in Movie Maker and do some more editing. Do “Save Movie” again (use different file name for this 2nd version).

• Once you are satisfied, be sure you have 2 copies of your movie (backup, backup, backup) - at least one copy on your USB stick and/or YouTube, plus another copy on your hard drive or Huskynet files.

• You also want 2 copies of your Project file (WSMM), your imported videos & any photos you imported. That way if any problems, we can open your WSMM file in class & work together on it.

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