Topic: Video without Video Cameras

Introduction

Some schools are well equipped with video cameras that you and your students can check out at the drop of a hat. Most, though, are not. Given that, how can you and your students make videos to express yourselves or to clarify concepts and principles? It's actually pretty easy.

In this assignment, you'll learn to gather and organize a series of still images into a sequence, and add music and text to create a short video. Using a technique named after documentary-maker Ken Burns, you'll zoom in and out, pan across and fade through your stills so that the viewer will forget that the content isn't actually moving.

Here are examples of student-created videos from prior 470 classes...

The Rose That Grew from Concrete	The Harlem Renaissance	Frog Life Cycle	The Math Experience	Grandpa Putting Salt on his Ice Cream
Windows Media Quicktime	Windows Media Quicktime	Windows Media Quicktime	Windows Media Quicktime	Windows Media Quicktime

We're showing you how to make movies like this so that you, in turn, can show your students how to do it.

Practice and Assignment

Create a video that is 1 to 3 minutes in length by putting together a sequence of still images that tell a story, illustrate an idea, express an emotion or point of view.

• Genre-wise, your video could be based on a poem, or look like an ad or public service announcement, or a music video from MTV.
• Add a sound track consisting of some combination of music, sound effects and narration that does not violate copyright law (PDF) or read this online article with more info on Copyright Issues When Using Music in Video.
• The end result should be an engaging message or experience, something that goes beyond what is possible with just the printed page.
• Instead of using pictures from the web, you can, of course, use your own digital photos. Here's a short movie about taking better pictures. You may also, if you have video clips, use them in addition to or instead of stills.

Step One: Get ready

• Select a partner to work with on the video.
• Consider an educational topic to focus on. If desired, use the storyboard Template to plan your video.
• Pick ONE strong message your movie will convey. The movie is only 2 minutes, max, so one message is enough.

Step Two: Get your images

Search and harvest 20-25 still images that will help you tell your story. Be sure to save the actual image files to your computer. See the WebQuest Graphics page for sources of copyright-friendly images and sounds. NOTE: if you're going to be zooming into or panning across an image, it has to be bigger than the resolution of your video. Otherwise you'll see lots of pixelization and other artifacts. Choose images that are at least 1000 pixels across, preferably larger.

Step Three: Decide on software

Decide if you will use iMovie 08 or older iMovie (MAC only), Windows Movie Maker or Photostory (PC), or Jumpcut (Online, so either MAC or PC). How to chose:

iMovie 08 -- iMovie is a Mac only application and comes installed as part of the iLife software package on newer Mac computers. If working in pairs, hard to send each other the working file. Easy to compress to .mov, though, and saving no longer takes up gobs of hard drive space. Easy to add titles, music, etc.

Older iMovie -- MAC only, has many quirks that make it frustrating to use, but if it's all you have then use it! File sizes get out of hand quickly, so still hard to send each other the working file if in groups. Easy but lengthy to compress to .mov. Adding titles is often confusing.

Windows Movie Maker -- PC only. More like older iMovie in performance. Relatively easy to use, free with windows XP and later. Compresses to windows media player (.wmp or .wmv) so compressed movie must be converted to .mov using Zamzar (free).

JayCut -- An online video editor. Rudimentary, so latitude given on grading the final product in terms of aesthetics. Relatively easy to upload pics. Easy to work in pairs because any partner can access it online from any type of computer. No compression needed -- it gets a URL and you just share the URL with the instructor.

Photostory -- A free PC software tool that is meant to make video slideshows. Easy to use, very few quirks. When quirks happen, can usually work around them. Compresses to windows media player (.wmp or .wmv) so compressed movie must be converted to .mov using Zamzar (free). You'll need to download it and install it. Windows XP or greater only.

Step Four: Learn the Basics... (use as needed)

For this assignment, you'll use video editing software to make a short video slideshow. Once you pick the tool you'll use, you'll need to learn to use it if you don't already know how.

Resources for learning to use these tools:

• iMovie 08: Atomic Learning Movies | iMovie 08 Quick Guide
• Photo Story 3: Download | Atomic Learning Movies | Printable Tutorial | Online Tutorial written by Matt Sherwood, an EDTEC Masters student in the COMET program
• JayCut: online Guide
• Windows Movie Maker: Tutorial

Your Atomic Learning user name is sdsu. The password has been provided by your instructor.

Step Five: Create video slideshow

Upload the images and sequence them.

Add titles/text that draws the reader in and expresses the main idea of the movie. Some video software doesn't give you all the flexibility you might want in creating title images. Consider using Powerpoint instead and then saving the slides as pictures (File menu -> Save As Pictures) then bring those images in just like all the others. These text slides would come between your other images rather than being superimposed on them, of course.

Use transitions to add interest (and sparingly).

Add music and sounds. You may create your own score in GarageBand (Mac only -- tutorials at AtomicLearning) or download a copyright free song at FreePlayMusic.com.

Step Six: Compress the video -- YOU MUST READ THIS PART! DON'T SKIP!

NOTE: JayCut users do not compress. They just get a URL and post that. But read this part anyhow so you know more about compression!

How is compressing different than saving?

When you click SAVE, the software you use to build your video creates a working file of your video. This working file can ONLY BE viewed by the EXACT SAME software. So if you save a Photostory file and email it to a friend, only folks with Photostory can view it. What's worse, is that all the image and sound files -- EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE -- has to go with the working file if you want your friend to view it. Messy.

So the software will compress the file for you. It will take every image, sound, title, text, etc. and squish it (i.e. -- compress) into a new file for you. That new file will have a new file extention, like .mov or .wmv. Any computer that has software to run a .mov (which is Quicktime) or .wmv (which is Window Media) will do so.

Your goal is to compress your working file into a .mov or .wmv. Once compressed, your instructor ONLY WANTS .mov. [convert using Zamzar (free)]. Why? Because Quicktime is multi-platform -- meaning both PC and MAC can run it. Windows Media is ONLY for PC.

What about YouTube?

You may use YouTube to house your video. Just post the URL of the video on your personal web site. This will avoid the need to convert your file to .mov. For your own information, YouTube converts the file to what is called Flash (.fla), which is also multi-platform.

Compression Tutorials

• iMovie compression tutorial-- see QuickGuide
• Window Movie Maker -- For the web | Other formats (scroll to bottom), then up to YouTube or convert to .mov
  
• Photostory -- Export project to computer

Step Seven: Submit

Upload the .mov file to your Google Site.

If you want to avoid converting the file to .mov, consider uploading your video to YouTube or SchoolTube (YouTube for students and teachers). Then post the URL of the movie to your personal web site.

If using JayCut, you will ONLY get a URL -- you skip the compression part entirely! Post the URL of the movie to your personal web site

The Evaluation...

Your video piece will be evaluated along these dimensions:

• grammar and spelling (the expectation is that there will be zero errors)
• technical aspects
• aesthetics (typographic variations are used appropriately, colors of background and text are legible and attractive)
• emotional/intellectual impact: the extent to which your piece moves us to think and feel

 

Why Have your Students Create Videos?

A recent study highlighted by Apple of Escondido Union School District supports the connection between producing video and increased student acheivment on standardize tests (Read Student Videos Spark Dramatic Increase in Student Achievement). That claim sounds outrageous until you see the power of video at work -- take a moment to browse some student produced videos:

• Escondido's Project Live (see their promo video),
• San Fernando High School,
• San Diego City Schools or
• local events like SDCOE's iVIE Awards (check the resources tab and gallery for student movies) and film competitions.

Tips for Success

1. Below are some sites that provide great tips and information regarding the use of digital video in the classroom:
   • You Be the Producer - Tips, scripts, lessons, teacher's guide
   • Digital Storytelling - A ten step tutorial to plan your story
   • The Case for Digital Storytelling in the Classroom including an online slide show describing authentic learning.
   • Center for Digital Storytelling - promotes and supports the story behind every great video
     
     
2. Discovery Education Streaming is a subscription based service that many schools or districts purchase access rights so teachers can use the video segments to enrich, expand and support content. Ask your instructor how to access your free Discovery Education Streaming account.

NOTE: Using portions of a Discovery Education Streaming video violates the copyrights for that video.

Some Rights Reserved by the SDSU Department of Educational Technology