Writing, Acting and Directing My First Movie

Imovie was very simple to use in creating a self-portrait and group video. It was not that much of a struggle at all. A lot was learned as Imovie is one of the best video editing software. The program is set-up to enhance the beauty of videos through editing. All the icons on the App are simple to comprehend and one can use it without asking for any instructions. Everything on Imovie is self-explanatory. The program is first opened, there is a square icon on the display screen which has the words “Create new” encoded into it. Once that icon is clicked on, there are two options which are displayed: the first is to create a movie and the second is to create a trailer. With the trailer tab, the user is led to a page with different templates of trailer samples in which the user will choose from. The class of Com 336 were not give the chance to test out this program. They were only allowed to create a movie and when they had to create a trailer, they still had to create it using the “movie icon.”

            Once the user clicks on the “movie” tab, they are then made to choose a template. Imovie has different interesting themes. These themes give the user the option to choose one that would be favorable to their interest. After choosing a theme, the user is then lead to a different page which gives them the option of importing their video clips. Sometimes iMovie, does not give the “import video” option. If this is the case, the user is going to have to click on “file” at the right side of the toolbar and then click import. This will take the user to their documents where they can select videos.

            The next and possibly the last step is to drag the video to the timeline where the user can start editing their video. On the left side of the screen where the video plays, the user is given nine different options. These options allow the user to trim, split, cut, rotate and pan, and to allows edit their videos. The user is also given the option to mute the sound of the video they are creating. This allows the user to insert different sounds in the background or to even add music which is desirable to their choice. The editing tool is one of the best of them all. The user is given the option to either make their video black and white or vivid, dramatic, warm etc. These same options are given on an iPhone, but the options given on iMovie are a lot more. The user is also given the option to select audio, transition, background and titles.

            The audio was of great importance to both the group and self-portrait video. It gave different music and sounds to enhance the video. To be honest, there were no issues faced while editing this video. It was fun and understandable.

            Shooting the video was a struggle especially with the self-portrait video. It was hard to incorporate one’s life and the theme of time in the same video. But after thinking for a while, it became clear as to what materials would be used to communicate the idea of time. On my wall, I had the word “day” in one of the memory verses. That showed time, so It was added to the clips. My alarm, clock, timer on the stove and microwave was all recorded. Luckily, it was snowing that day and that was included in the clips. Snow shows the season of the year and season shows time. Also included a couple of change in the clips. It is believed that money is time. If one makes time to work, they will Definitely make lots of money. Also included a female who was eating cookies. A few moments after, the cookies were done. This showed the passage of time.

            My group decided to add all our video clips together to make for the group video. It was extremely difficult at first, but it came out beautiful. We tried to make sense of the video, almost like make it in to a story but that was a fail. After a lot of editing, the video was well put together by the group and was presented to the class.

            Videos are a better way to communicate ideas rather than to use written words. Videos are easier to understand or comprehend because they can show the true meaning of an idea whereas when it comes to words, one has to read in between the lines. Videos also appeal to the mind of an individual. The mind likes to relax. With words, the mind finds itself constantly trying to understand every single word written. But with videos the brain needs not try to understand nothing. Everything is already presented before the viewer. The deaf watches a video and even without hearing the words, they can guess the gist of what is going on. The blind watches a video and even without seeing it, the sound of the music or the words, helps them understand what is going on in the video. Thereby, taking their mind to a creative place of their own where they can envision what’s going on in the video.

            The public nature of the video made it hard to communicate the subject presented before the team. The idea of “time” is very broad. Person’s A’s idea of time is different from person’s B’s idea of time. So, to make a video using the subject of time, the group literally had to think real hard to make sure the video was not spoon-feeding viewers about its subject. In all, the video was very exciting to create. With this new knowledge gained, a lot of videos would be created now onwards by myself. The coming together of group members made for great team. This increased my communication and leadership skills and allowed each member of the team to make new friends.