Working with Windows MovieMaker

I’ve had very little experience working with Windows MovieMaker. The first thing I realized is how simple it is to work with. After collecting the videos I wanted to work with, I chose mine from PBS’ Wide Angle Series, it was as simple as uploading them to the Collections list. From there I am able to edit the clips to fit my needs. Editing consisted of slicing the clips into multiple clips and deleting the part you didn’t want. Patience is a requisite to the process if you want the project to look good.

Adding music to the video was also quite simple. I chose music from freeplaymusic.com that represented the mood and theme I was going for. I this case I was looking for something somber representing the devastation associated with violence. The track was uploaded to Audacity and edited for amplification and time. I was just looking for background music that wouldn’t drown out the interview of the subject.

When I got the audio file the way I wanted it I uploaded it to the audio track in MovieMaker. I adjusted the duration of the clips to match the music and the let the program do the rest.

Creating a Video using Photostory

I have to admit this was pretty fun. I can imagine the fun the students will have when they are able to create a montage of images and add narration and music to it. The only difficult part was having a collection of images that I could use. This may be a problem for students as well. I am sometimes uncomfortable with the students using images from Google images. This is there first thought when given anything to do with images. Trying to get them to more appropriate image sites is sometimes difficult.

This is certainly a place where copyright should be taught.