Windows Movie Maker Samples

Helpful Hints for Making a really good Windows Movie-Maker Project

Written by Mr. Parrish

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CLICK BELOW TO WATCH MY OWN STUDENT'S VIDEO SAMPLES

(videos are optimized for faster playback - quality is not as sharp as originals)

SAMPLE 1 (This was created by Will and Flannery, Spring Semester 2012).

SAMPLE 2 (This was created by Mira, Lauren, and Abi, Spring Semester 2014).

SAMPLE 3 (This was created by Bobby, Adam, and Will, Spring Semester 2014).

SAMPLE 4 (This was created by Emma, Cole, and Mari, Spring Semester 2014).

SAMPLE 5 (This was created by Faith and Lindsay, Fall Semester 2013).

SAMPLE 6 (Link to A Girl Like Me, by Kiri Davis (produced at Reel Works Teen Film making in NYC).

SAMPLE 7 (I made this to show some of the special effects possible on Windows Movie-Maker).

SAMPLE 8 (This is another sample created by two of my students at Middle College High; they interviewed the homeless man who stands in front of New Hope Commons). For Classroom Use Only.

SAMPLE 10 (Our Middle College High School Social Studies field trip 2009, created on Windows Movie Maker.)

SAMPLE 11 (A great film - less than two minutes long - yet very powerful in its message. This is about the current conflict in Syria. It is called Most Shocking Second a Day Video.

SAMPLE 12 Dig - From Sundance Film Festival 2014. Lots of great film-making strategies are used in the making of this powerful, but short video. One of my students did one very similar to this fall 2018.

SAMPLE 13 - Every Opportunity. A Great short video from Atlanta Speech School. This is the quality that I am looking for in your project.

SAMPLE 14 - Declaration of Independence, Updated.

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CLICK HERE to learn about YouTube Video Editor.

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CLICK HERE for Reel Works Teen Film Making site in NYC. You will find lots of great sample student videos to show to your students.

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TEACHERS: please contact me if you want more information about any of the issues below. I know Windows Movie-Maker very well. I can help you. - J. Parrish at Middle College High.

THE FOLLOWING ARE QUESTIONS THAT MY STUDENTS OFTEN ASK. I HAVE PROVIDED ANSWERS BELOW IN RED:

1. I have discovered that my video file is too large to go through email. I want to send it to my friends. What should I do?

You may upload your video to YouTube and then send the YouTube URL link to your friends. There are also free video hosting sites such as Shutterfly or Flicker. For a small yearly fee, you can upload videos at HD (High Definition). Shutterfly is currently on sale for $29.99 a year. Otherwise, you videos will be standard definition. You can also let people download the videos from the site. My sample videos above are hosted on Shutterfly.

2. Should I use only one transition, or many?

Select and use only one transition. Your project will look more professional. If you use many, your project may end up looking like a power point presentation. I like to use only the "fade" transition. This is the transition that you will see in most video documentaries.

3. How do I increase the volume of my video interview or my music?

Remember that if you right click on the video interview or the music, while you are in "timeline" mode, you can set the fade, or adjust the sound of a specific clip. A video clip looks really good when it fades in and fades back out again. Very professional.

4. Should I use a microphone when doing interviews?

If you have one, yes! If not, your camera has a built in mic. The built-in mic should work OK as long as you are standing close to the subject, and have them speak up. All the videos that I have made were done with a built-in mic. They turned out fine.

5. How long should my video project be?

Keep it short. We will look at many samples that are seven to nine minutes long. You want to make your point and then be done with it. Stick with your thesis, as you would do when writing a paper. Also, if you make a really long video, we will not have time to show it in class.

6. How long do I have to make my video?

You have the full semester.

7. Where can I find sample video projects that were created by other high school students?

www.reelworks.org

8. How do I make my video load quicker?

You should consider optimizing your photos before you import them into Windows Movie-Maker. You can optimize a photo for free at this site: http://www.imageoptimizer.net/Pages/Home.aspx

When you download this free optimizer, you can then optimize photos in bulk. In other words, if you have 20 photos, you can optimize them all at the same time with one step.

I have used this site and have had no problems with it. When you optimize a photo, you reduce the photo's pixel size. You will usually not be able to see the difference in quality of photo. But, you will notice a big difference in speed of loading. If your videos are optimized, you can send the video through email. Remember that when you finish your video, you can also save it to windows Movie Maker format as a compressed file instead of a "best quality" file. This will also help to make your video load quicker.

9. How do I add special effects to each photo and video clip?

Look at your Windows Movie-Maker program. Read it carefully. Click on "effects." Don't forget to scroll down. There are many effects that are hidden at the bottom.

10. I have found a clip from You Tube that I would like to add to my video project. How do I do this?

  • First, get permission from the owner of the video.

  • Second, you will need to be sure you have Real Player on your computer. It is a free download if you don't. If Real Player is on your computer, you will see a "download this video" tab at the top of your videos on You Tube. Download the video to your video file.

  • Open Real Player icon. Go to Real Player library. Set it to find all videos stored on your computer.

  • Right click on the video in Real Player library.

  • Hit "convert." Select a .wmv file format to convert it to. I use HTC Evo. Hit "start."

  • Once the video is converted to .wmv file format, drag it out of Real Player to your video folder.

  • Then, simply "import" your new .wmv video into You Tube. Be sure to ask permission from who ever owns the video.

11. I only want to use a small portion of my video from You Tube or from my video file collection. How do I clip it, or shorten it?

  • I like to do this inside of Real Player.

  • Go to Real Player library. Open it. Find your video. Write down the exact stop and start time where you want to clip your video.

  • Right click on the video while it is in Real Player library.

  • Click on "trim."

  • Drag to the start and stop times that you wish to use.

  • Hit "save trim."

  • The system will create a trimmed copy of this video within Real Player.

Remember that you can also trim a video clip from your camera inside of Windows Movie Maker. Just drag the little red line to where you want to trim.

12. I want to make my video on Apple Movie Making software. How do I convert it so that it can be viewed on a Windows computer?

Convert the finished project into Quick Time. You can then show it on any computer, as long as that computer has Quick Time installed. It is a free download.

13. I only want to use the sound from a You Tube video. How do I get it?

After you get permission from the owner, bring the video into Real Player using all the steps in number 9 above. But, instead of converting to a .wmv file, convert to an mp3, audio only, file format. Simple.

14. How do I put cell phone video into Windows Movie-Maker?

First, remember that most cameras are already set up to record video in a format that can be used in Windows. If so, simply bring the video from your camera or camera phone either by connecting the wire from your device to your computer, or by sending the video to your email account. Then, import it into Windows Movie-Maker.

If your phone is not making videos in a Windows friendly format (.wmv), I recommend PRISM Video Converter to convert your video file to a .wmv format. PRISM is easy to use. And, it is a free download for non-commercial use. You can also do lots of other interesting stuff to your video while doing the conversion. Go to this link:

http://www.nchsoftware.com/prism/index.html

There are many other free video converters on the internet. Google it.

15.Where can I get sound effects for my video project?

Remember that Windows Movie-Maker accepts MP3 sound files. I like the following site that has many free for non-commercial use mp3 sound effects. http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/

16. How do I add narration and music to my video project both at the same time?

First, be aware that when you make a video for your project, your video recorder will capture your voice and your image. When you bring it in to your project, the sound will appear below the video in timeline mode. Unfortunately, however, it is not possible in Windows Movie-Maker version 6 to combine narration with music when doing a narration of slides or a silent video. But, there is a way to get around this. Follow these simple and quick steps:

First

  • Open a new Movie Maker Project

  • Add your Videos to the timeline/storyboard.

  • Add the audio recordings, narration, in the timeline.

  • Make adjustments to video and sound track.

  • Export the Video file to your computer's video folder.

Second

  • Open a new Windows Movie-maker project or one that is in works.

  • Import the Exported Video file.

  • Add the music to the timeline.

  • Adjust the volume control on the left side of the timeline.

  • Export the final version of your video.