Animoto.com retrieves photos from picasa.com and flickr.com

Just tried out the "Retrieve From Another Site" option now in Animoto.com. Here is a video I created from photos retrieved from one of my online Picasa albums. There is one trick to this. Edit and place the photos in an album that you want for the video before you start creating in animoto. This way the pictures can be added as a group.

Tips on Using the Mini Camcorder Flip or Kodak Zi6

I've spent the last two weekends documenting a Lighting and Grip Crew Workshop held for a Chattanooga State Technical Community College Film and Production course. I am taking the Production Assistant (PA) Internship which is an accompanying course with instructor Dave Porfiri. As a PA, Dave gave me the opportunity to assist him on the set and video the workshop.

My goals were three fold. One, I was able to use the school's Flip camcorder and share it with other students on site to introduce them to the camcorder available for student check-out. Two, by passing the camera around to students I could see how easy it was to use and I could evaluate how well this camocorder would stand up in the real world. Third, I was able to video the Lighting and Grip Workshop to provide review material for the final exam in the course and to show case our CSTCC students and instructor.

I confess, I had a fabulous time. I learned alot about the students in the course and picked up tips on filming I could only get with hands on experience. I also learned a lot about the film industry and the equipment used to create a film. The big plus for this post-I learned how to use the Flip camcorder to make good videos. Here are my tips to shooting video with the Flip...

Tips:

1. Find an area out of the wind to record or try to block the wind from blowing on the microphone located on the front of the camcorder. I filmed on a windy day and the voices were picked up well but the wind blowing against the mic was too.




2. Two AA lithium batteries will last 2 hours, the same length of time you will fill up 4GB on a SD memory card.




3. Duracel batteries last about an hour have dozens if you plan to video all day.




4. Have extra memory cards too. Nothing less than a 4GB. I'm not sure the Kodak Zi6 takes larger memory cards but I'm going to try it.




5. Don't try to over edit on the spot. When the record button is first press the video is a shakey for 3 to 5 seconds. Give yourself an extra few minutes on the end of the clip. You can always fine tune the edit then.




6. Don't try to add music from a location unless the location is about the music going on there.




7. Add music in the editing. Most video editing applications let you add your own music selection.




8. Your images will be shakier if you try to hold the camera alone. Brace yourself or the camcorder against a solid services to minimize shaking. Better yet-bring a tripod and use it if you know your subject is sitting or standing in a contained space.

Mini Camcorder Update on Flip

In an earlier post I mentioned that I was trying out the Kodak Zi6 as a replacement for my Flip mini camcorder that was dropped and doesn't work anymore. Before my Flip crashed I loved using it. I still like using the Flip and last summer I encouraged our library to purchase one for student use. This week was the first time students could check it out. A young lady used it to interview a man from Zimbabwe. The video interview will go in a group PowerPoint presentation. The Flip is still number one with me in ease of use. When she checked it out, I went over the basic controls and told her to ask for me when she came back with her video.

When the young lady came back, I walked her through the steps of using the USB adaptor to plug the Flip into the computer's USB port. Basically, you plug it in and the software for editing and saving your video pops up on the screen. An easy application for uploading, editing and saving your video appears. Once we loaded her video we watched it together then saved it to her flash drive.

As we viewed the video I pointed out the positive film techniques she used to make the video. She did a good job. Lighting came through soft white curtains for back light, overhead lights were on for fill light, and a desk lamp, slightly in front of the man lit the face in 3/4 light (This is the most flattering light for men.)

The Flip recorded the video and the sound well. The draw back from the Flip's sound recording is the background noise. Background noise gets picked up at the same level as the sound your trying to record. So... in her video we have the sound of a train traveling in the background for a few minutes and a baby crying softly from another room. I point this out so others will be sure to check for and listen for any background noise that might be picked up while filming. When you can, try to turn off these background noises (fans, televisions, radio). Be sure to close the doors and windows to the room too to block out lawnmowers, passing trains and passing conversations.

Over all, it was still an informative video interview. The video uploaded quickly and it was easy to save first to the computer then the student's flash drive. To put it in her PowerPoint, she just needs to open a slide, click insert media and there it is. Just a reminder for everyone, the video file must be saved in a folder with the PowerPoint. This keeps the files together so that you don't accidentally leave the video file on another computer. It won't show in your PowerPoint if it isn't there.

Web 2.0 and Beyond-Book Review

Web 2.0 and Beyond: Understanding the New Online Business Models, Trends and Technologies is a book written by Tom Funk. It is newly released and very current on the topic of mobile and computer web 2.0 tools and their merging technologies.

In the book Tom begins by explaining that Web 2.0 tools are not just changing the Internet but society itself. We have a whole new generation of technology users that have embraced and expanded on combining mobile and computer applications.

We now have a global society sharing their platforms and ideals on every subject, using their voices and taking on a new democratic power. The power of their voices are projected 24/7 and they speak out on everything from products to politics. They are changing the way business and especially marketing is being done.

In the book Tom address these issues and demonstrates what makes a successful web 2.0 company. He also covers cyber crimes and methods to protect your online business.

Make Comic Books with Comic Life @ Plasq.com

I've used Comic Life with students for a few years and had lots of fun with it. You can create your comic books and save them as HTML to post to your blogs. Here is an example I did this morning. The standard Comic Life is $30 a year for a subscription. Here is a link to the website, http://plasq.com/comiclife-win

There is also a new application by the same company called Comic Life Magiq with more super graphics and PhotoShop abilities. It is only available for Mac at the moment but hopefully they will have a PC version in the near future. You can get more information about the new application and view a video demo for the Magiq version at http://plasq.com/comic-life-magiq. The price for the Comic Life Magiq version is $44.95 a year for a household.