"How to" Guideline series is coordinated by Helen Mongan-Rallis of the Education Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions to improve these guidelines please me at e-mail hrallis@d.umn.edu.

Making Movies with Movie Maker (Windows Only)

Guidelines written by Helen Mongan-Rallis from notes taken during workshop by Lyle Shannon. Last revised: July 19, 2003

Equipment needed

• Windows computer with Windows XP.
• Movie Maker (can download free from Microsoft web site if it did not come with your computer. See Movie Maker 2 download. You may also want to download the Creativity Pack to add extra sounds and effects to your movies).
• Digital camera to take digital photos if you want to you still photos in your movie.
• Digital video camera if you want to film and include video footage in your movie.
• Firewire to connect to video camera.
• Digital video tape (size will depend on the type of camera that you have).

Capturing video

1. Connect camera to computer and turn on both.
2. As soon as you do this, a box opens on the computer screen asking you what you want to do --> click on icon that says "capture video with Windows Movie Maker."
3. A dialog box opens and asks you to name your video --> identify where you want to save it.
4. Video Settings: it defaults to "best quality" but it really isn't --> Click on "other settings". From the drop down make your selection. The highest possible quality is DV-AVI. A box will show you how much space your video will take up per minute (under DV-AVI it will be 178MB per minute) --> click next.
5. Capture method: choose to capture just part of the video --> next.
6. Capture video:
   • use the camera controls to play through the tape and locate the part that you want to capture (note: if you are importing a continuous video segment, deselect the check box " "create clips when wizard finishes" as this will create a series of clips that you don't want if you just have one continuous footage. If you bring in a variety of clips, then this "create clips" may be desirable).
   • Once you have located what you want to capture, rewind a few seconds worth (so you capture extra footage) --> click on "start capture" --> when you are done, click on "stop capture." It will take a few seconds for the footage to be captured.
   • The clip that you have captured is placed on the clipboard.
   • To capture another clip, from menu on the side, choose "capture video." For the sake of comparison, choose "high quality video " this time (this is a more compressed version than DV-AVI).
   • Click on the "Collections" box in the toolbar and it will show a list of the video collections that you have imported --> to edit any of these clips, drag them from the collections list (or from the clipboard) and drop them onto the timeline.

Editing

Trimming excess footage

1. If you are in storyboard on bottom part of screen, click to show timeline.
2. To trim a video segment: click on segment --> at end of clip, move cursor until you get a red arrow. Click and drag it to the left (or right if you are at the beginning of the segment) to trim the clip.

Splitting clip

If you want to be more careful about trimming excess footage (so you cut out extra footage at an exact point) you can use the split clip option:

1. On the clip board, select the clip that you want to split (before you bring it into the timeline or storyboard).
2. In the picture preview window, locate the point at which you want to split the clip.
3. Click on the split clip button (just below the preview window).
4. Once you have "cut off" extra footage from your video (using this split clip methods), drag the clip from the clipboard and drop it onto the timeline or storyboard below for further editing.

Add titles

1. If you are in storyboard view, switch to timeline view .
2. From Move Tasks list above, from under "edit movie" list, choose "Titles."
3. A wizard asks you what you want to do ---> make your selection. e.g. Text on clip: Type the text into the box provided. Then you can change the color of the text, font, size, transparency.
4. Choose title animation: make your selection from the list.
5. To change the length of time that the title is displayed, click on the title in the "Title overlay" line in the timeline (it appears below the video, transition, audio and music lines).

Video effects

1. If you are in timeline view, switch to storyboard view (so you see the different clips).
2. To apply video effects, drag the desired effect on top of the click to which you wish to apply it --> to preview it, play it in the play screen (top right).
3. To delete effects, right click on the star (that appears on top of the clip) and select delete effect.
4. Once you like the effect you have chosen, then you just have to move on to your next editing step (no need to do anything to apply the effect).

Transitions between clips

1. If you are in timeline view, switch to storyboard view (so you see the different clips).
2. As above, drag the desired transition and drop it onto the square that is between the 2 clips.

Compressing video

The most optimum compression to use is the "high quality" --> with this version you can save approximately 40 minutes of video (including titles, transitions, etc) which will fit on a CD.

Saving movie

1. Once you have completed you movie you need to save it. From Move Tasks list above, under "Finish movie"
2. Select save to my computer --> this asks you to give it a tile, chose where you want to save it. Enter your selection then click next
3. Movie setting: Next to other settings, from drop down menu make your selection (suggest you choose "high quality video" --> click next.
4. Once you click next the program will render you movie. The time that it takes will depend on the length of your video. For example: If you have a 10 minute video, it will take 10 minutes to render plus some extra time to render the titles, transitions.

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