using windows movie maker – a simple...

Using Windows Movie Maker – a simple guide

This basic editing software allows you to assemble shots in your desired sequence order, add an extra sound track and titles. The guide gives basic information, but remember, this is your film, and experimenting and making choices about how you juxtapose shot with shot and shot with sound is what makes your film unique, so be creative!

There are 3 separate components in PC based editing:

• the original video rushes, which will be ‘captured’ onto PC as Windows Media files (your raw materials)

• the Windows Movie Maker Project which saves the decisions of how you have edited your rushes as a .MSWMM file (think of a recipe, rather than the cake itself)

• your final film – a Windows Media file (your cake)

File management

The captured video clips are likely to be large files. Files are automatically saved in ‘My Videos’ unless you specify otherwise. If you use your own PC, then you shouldn’t have a problem.

If you use the Bartolome House or Open Access area PCs to edit your presentation, we strongly suggest that you save your raw materials (which may include sound files of music or voiceover narration as well as captured videoclips) onto a CD-Rom which you can then use in any machine. This is particularly important if you plan to spend more than one session editing. Do this as soon as you have captured your videoclips from tape. Note that the Moviemaker project will need the same file-path to access the clips at each session, so you can’t access the clips from the C drive at one session, then from a memory stick the next. Your Windows Moviemaker Project could be saved on your U-drive or on a memory stick as it is likely to change several times, and your final film should be saved to a CD-Rom and delivered to Jonathan Doak by the agreed date.

Getting started

Open Windows Movie Maker (programs>accessories>entertainment on Managed Access areas or use search on your PC, then right click and add a shortcut to save further messing about).

• Go to file>new project.

• Immediately give your project a name and ‘save project as’. Decide where you are going to save your project – memory stick, U-drive etc.

• Note: while working, save your work frequently.

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Using Window Movie Maker – a simple guide

Capturing your material

• Switch the camera to playback mode and rewind the tape. Connect your camera to the PC using a Firewire. The PC should recognise the camera.

• In WMM (Windows Movie Maker) go to file>capture video and follow the prompts.

Fig.1 the capture window

• If you select the default ‘best quality’ you movie’s display size will be 320x240 pixels. If you want a larger image, go to ‘other settings’ and select high quality video (PAL) 720 x 576, but be aware that this will increase your file’s size.

• While you are capturing your rushes, it would be worth noting down or ‘logging’ your shots: describe what happens in the shot, what size it is, whether it is a good or bad take.

• You can capture shots individually and label each one for very accurate logging, or you can capture the whole tape in one go, which is quicker. Note that Windows Movie Maker breaks your filmed material into a series of clips, unless you un-tick the box that says ‘create clips when wizard finishes’.

• To import previously captured videoclips, or sound files, click file > import into collections.

• Save these captured clips onto a CD-Rom if you are using a Bartolome House machine. This is especially important if you don’t finish the editing at one sitting, and return to finish off at a different PC. You will also need to make sure you edit from the videoclips on the CD-Rom. Go into the Collections window, select all the clips (Control A on the keyboard) and delete (See fig. 1a). Next, re-import the collection from your CD-Rom.




Video-clips in the collection window

Fig. 1a selecting all the clips in the collection window

Editing

• You are now ready to start editing.

• Make sure you can see the timeline (not the storyboard) displayed

a sound clip a video clip videoclips dragged onto the timeline play here

timeline view

fig. 2 the timeline view

• Drag your clips onto the timeline, in the order you want them.




To get rid of unwanted parts of the clip, press the play button, then when you get to the point where you want to cut, press ‘split the clip’. For more accuracy, use the ‘next frame’ and ‘previous frame’ buttons to step your way slowly through the clip. Move the cursor to the part you want to remove and press ‘delete’ on the keyboard. (See below).

highlighted ‘play’ ‘next’ and ‘previous’ ‘split the clip’ button section button frame buttons

Fig. 3 removing part of a clip

• To remove a clip you no longer want, go to that section, by moving your cursor on the timeline, click to highlight the section, then press ‘delete’ on the keyboard.

• You can change the order of shots on the timeline by simply clicking and dragging them.

• There is also a ‘trim’ option which allows you to remove the beginning or the end of a clip. Move your cursor to the clip you want to trim, click the cursor, and a tag will tell you to drag the cursor. Watch the shot on the player. When you stop dragging, WMM will automatically cut out the section and close up the gap.

• Note: if you change your mind about something you have done, go to edit and select un-do. WMM will unpick up to 10 of your previous actions.

• Save your work frequently. There is nothing more irritating than losing half a day’s work because of one bit of finger trouble!




Sound editing

• If you can’t see the sound-track from your videoclip, select ‘+’ next to video (see below).

Video +

Fig. 4 to see the audio associated with your video clip and the transition timeline

• If you have a music track, drag it on to the audio track, and slide it back and forth until it is at the right place (see Fig. 5 below).

• If you have more than one sound running, you will need to adjust the relative sound levels. Highlight the sound track you want to change, Right-click (or go to clip > audio) and select ‘volume’ and slide the fader up or down (see Fig. 5 below).




Fig.5 adding a sound clip and adjusting the volume

• You can also fade in and fade out sound for a more seamless effect, using the fade in and fade out options.

• If you want to record a voiceover track, you will need a microphone. You can use WMM’s ‘narrate timeline’, found in the tools menu. Turn down the loudspeaker on the PC while you record the voiceover. You will need to do this in a quiet place.

• Alternatively, you can record your voiceover separately, and import as an audio file.

• Note: the voice track shares the music track, so you cannot have both at once.

• You can detach the sound from your video file (to add different pictures to it) by dragging it onto the Audio/Music track.

Transitions and Effects

• You may want use a visual transition to get from one shot to another.

• Put the cursor at the point between 2 shots.

• Go to ‘collections’ and select transitions.

• Note that there will be some overlap of the shots, so make sure you put in extra time at the end of the outgoing shot and start of the incoming shot, especially if someone is speaking.




Fig 6 adding transitions

• There are also video effects available, also in ‘collections’.

• Highlight the shot or sequence you want to apply the effect to and try it out.

• Luckily, when good taste prevails, you can get rid of the above by going to the transition/effect on the timeline and clicking on edit> undo transition, or effect!

Titles

• You can add a title to your film, and end credits.

• Go to tools>titles and credits and follow the prompts.

Fig. 7 adding a title

• Titles can animate on and off if you select ‘change the title animation’.




Reviewing your film

It’s easy to get bogged down in the detail of editing. It’s worth viewing the entire film through at regular intervals, to see if it is working as a whole. Even better, get a friend to view it and (constructively) comment. Once you get to the end of editing, it’s worth having a final review and noting the little details that need tidying up, before saving for the last time.

Outputting your film

When you have finished your film, you need to output it. Up to now, you have only saved the editing decisions. This is the time where the elements you have selected from your videoclips, are turned into a film in their own right.

Click file > save movie file and follow the prompts. Save onto a CD-ROM or a memory stick or your U-drive (Udrive>Managed XP>My docs>my videos) if you have space – but make sure it’s not left on a public PC!

Open your saved film and play it back to check everything is as you want it to be. Well done!



using windows movie maker – a simple...

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