So this is one of the assignments that I, myself, created! I had fun with it. I hope there are no other assignments like it, I browsed through most of the video assignments to make sure. But for my assignment you have to find a media clip with at least two people creating dialogue and you have to mute one of the voices and use your own voice to create one of the voices in the dialogue. Now you cannot simply repeat the dialogue, because that is no fun. This class is Digital Storytelling, so you have to create a new story when you replace part of the dialogue with your own.
In my example I took a segment from the Godfather, one of the most recognizable segments of dialogue, and muted one of the voices and replaced it with my own to create a new story about how my cat fluffy is sick and needs to go to the vet. I did the assignment by downloading the original Youtube segment of the Godfather onto MPEG Streamclip and then saving it. I then uploaded the saved version onto Windows Live Movie Maker. I split the scenes where the dialogue that I wanted to mute took place and then i mute the dialogue. I then went onto Audacity and recorded the segments that I wanted to voice over with. I uploaded the different sound segments onto Windows Movie Maker into the areas that I wanted my voice, and viola I was done! We now have the Godfather helping me save Fluffy! …such a generic name for a cat I know.
One of our assignment was to watch a four part series on the notion that everything is a remix. Which after watching I agree, especially with the idea of the basic elements of creativity: Copy-Transform-Combine. We make adjustments to old ideas or inventions to create new ones. I don’t think I have ever seen a movie that would be considered “uniquely original.” I mean everything is a spin-off of a genre, book, documentary, or something else. But this is how we get great movies! I have probably seen like six different versions of Cinderella, but each has something different to offer, and each one I have enjoyed.
In terms of how our entertainment is just a remix of something old, I say oh well. That is how things are transformed! Most people like a certain genre of lets say music. Well if my favorite genre of music is country for example, there is certain elements presented in all of country music that are similar, each could be a combination of other country songs, and that would be why I like country music.
After watching these videos I felt a little embarrassed about how I am one of those people who can justify using others’ work to create something of my own, but I get very upset when others use my work. How hypocritical! And after he gave all the examples of how different inventions and pieces of work were transformed off one another to give us the music and technology and movies we like today, there should be limited restriction on the sharing ideas. I guess this goes back to the Creative Commons movement. If everyone shares their ideas and are not so selfish with them, wonderful things can be created.
For my last few stars worth of video assignments I chose to do an assignment called “Watching TV With The Stereo On.” I was trying to think of a movie clip to do for this assignment and since one of my other video assignments was from a Disney Movie, I started thinking about different Disney movies. I thought about some of the classic Disney movies and thought of Cinderella. I went on Youtube and looked at the different scenes that were available. I came across the scene where the little animals were making the dress for Cinderella and then tried to think of some music that could go with it. I decided upon the song “Taking Care of Business” by BTO. These little animals are really getting “down to business” to make that dress for Cinderella. As a side note, if you have not figured it out yet I am a Disney fanatic. Anyways this seemed like a good fit and the music really does correlate with the video clip, especially when the song says “….and the girls who try to look pretty…” or “…quit your slaving job and get your pay…” It does sort of match what Cinderella is doing.
Once again I used MPEG Streamclip to upload the clip from Youtube and then edit it down to size. I then uploaded my edited video clip onto Windows Live Movie Maker and muted the sound from the clip. I had the song by BTO on my itunes, so I uploaded my itunes song onto mp3cut.net. I had to do this because I cannot upload songs from itunes directly to the Movie Maker. Once the song was uploaded to the mp3cut site I was able to download it to Audacity to cut out some parts. After that I uploaded it to Movie Maker and faded the song in and out of my video. Last but not least I added a title and a credit scene and my video was complete!
Here are some screen shots of my computer while I was editing the video clip.
More video assignments! This time it is a silent movie! When I was looking at this last week I was stuck on which film clip I should use for my silent movie. The last comment on the assignment page said “Get creative and choose a movie that would look most unlikely to be done from this era.” With that in mind I tried thinking of movies that were produced more recently. I started thinking of some of my favorite movies, and one of my all time favorites is “Parent Trap“, the modern one with Lindsay Lohan. I have good memories of watching it numerous times throughout childhood with my mom, and even now we watch it and can quote every line. It must have a wonderful storyline in order for there to be two versions of it. Anyways, I started looking on Youtube for different clips from the movie. I happened upon one of the prank scenes from the movie, but unfortunately it had French subtitles running throughout it. I was able to find a longer version of the clip that I wanted and I edited it down to just the prank scene using MPEG Streamclip. I thought this scene would give people laughs, and you can understand what is going on in it without the audio, perfect for the silent film!
After I trimmed the video down to the size I wanted I was able to upload it to Windows Live Movie Maker. I tried some of the different effects that were available to make the movie look older, but none were really that satisfying to me. I then tried using “The Artistifier” by uploading my edited version of “The Parent Trap” to Youtube, but that did not work. So I browsed on the internet for awhile trying to find programs that could help me “age” my movie. Then I happened upon something wonderful called “AVS Video Editor.” I downloaded it onto my computer and started editing,it even had something called “Old Movie Effect.” Within a half hour I had the perfect silent film, it looked professional! Unfortunately, when I tried to upload it onto Youtube, it said I had to buy it or else there would be a “AVS Video Editor” watermark across my whole film. I was so MAD!
But all is well that ends well. I ended up changing the color contrast on my clip in Windows Movie Maker to black and white, I then uploaded it to Youtube where I was able to put an “Old Fashioned” effect on it under enhancements. I then re-uploaded this newer version of my clip back onto Windows Movie Maker and finished editing. I muted the sounds from the real clip and added in different “silent movie” music clips from Freesound.org by Sam Fox. This was time consuming because I had to find the perfect spot to fade in and out the different music clips and sometimes I would have to repeat music clips because the scene I wanted them for was longer then the actual music clip. Finally I inserted in my title scene, visual dialogue scenes, and credit scene. Viola I was done!
Below are some pictures I took of my computer screen as I was completing my project.
One of the video assignments for this week was to do a play by play commentary on well….anything. In the description of the assignment were the words “funny video” and I thought of a music video. Now this may seem like an unlikely parallel thought to most, but not to me. Let me explain, my best friend and I have been creating our own personal music videos since we were 15. They are quite funny, but we made a solemn oath to each other that we would never publish them for people to see. So I looked through a few of our hilarious videos, reminisced and laughed, but as I was laughing I thought of another funny video I had shot and as a bonus had neither me nor my best friend in it! It was a “dance battle” from a friend’s wedding a couple months back. I had shot the video, but I had used one of the dancer’s, Brain, camera to record it. It was on his Facebook and as I watched it I said “this is perfect!” So I sent Brian an email asking me if he could send me the video so I could edit it, and I also got permission from the other dancer Justin.
The editing on this video took me a little bit to figure out, but finally I found a simple solution to overlay my voice into the video! I edited the video down to the clip that I wanted in MPEG Streamclip. I then uploaded the clip onto Windows Live Movie Maker. From there I was able to add in my title and credit pages. I then tried to find ways to play the video and while recording my own commentary. But I could not figure out how to do that on either MPEG Streamclip or Windows Live Move Maker, so I muted the video and played it while at the same time I recorded my commentary on Audacity. I then saved the soundclip on Audacity and uploaded it to Windows Live Movie Maker. They were able to play at the same time. I uploaded the new video with he commentary onto Youtube and I was finished!
So the actual storyline is a funny dance battle between two friends at a wedding. They were just being entertaining, trying to give the bride and groom something to remember. I decided to add funny commentary to make it fit the assignment, so the assignment was fulfilled, but with something personal and memorable.
Below are some pictures of my computer screen as I was editing the video.
Camp is now over (see the final story. If you are craving an experience like this, head over to ds106 and see how to participate. For more on the Summer of Magic Macguffin, see.....
