2 of 15

Making a Movie

A COMPLETE movie has ALL of these:

Title
Transitions
Consistent Video and Audio
Credits

These are the RESULT of:

Storyboarding
Character development
A problem or major issue
Prototyping
Gaining Feedback
Revisions
Polishing

3 of 15

Step 1: Design a Movie

STORYBOARD!

It is your planning document and ensures you cover all the requirements for a complete film.

Consider:

Telling a story (Hook, Introduction, Body, Conclusion)
Scene selection
Shot selection
Climax of the film
Editing

4 of 15

Step 2: Tell a Story

Elements of a Story!

Including all the elements of a story is a time-tested way to keep viewers engaged:

Setting
Plot
Characters
Point of View
Theme

ADDS: Location, Twists, Rabbit Tracks, etc.

5 of 15

Panning Left to Right (or Right to Left): Moving the camera lens to one side or another.

SPECIFIC SHOT OPTIONS:

Medium Shot
Medium Long Shot
Long Shot
Close Up
Medium Close Up Shot
Extreme Close Up Shot

Step 3: Scene and Shot Selection

Wide Angle Establishing Shot: An establishing shot is usually the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the action is taking place. It is usually a very wide shot or extreme wide shot.

6 of 15

Panning: Jon Favreau’s Cowboys and Aliens

Wide Establishing: Simpsons Intro

7 of 15

Point of View (POV): Fun shot that shows the perspective of one of the characters in the movie. This is what POV looks like from the movie Reservoir Dogs - see video

Step 3: Scene and Shot Selection (Continued)

Conversations/Interviews: generally you want to do a Medium Close to a Close Up shot and over the shoulder of one speaker then the other as they are speaking. The movie Heat demonstrates this perfectly - see video

Chase/Follow: Following the subject at a close range and moving from in front or behind the actor. Goodfellas provides an example of a fantastic follow - see video

8 of 15

Step 4: Editing (iMovie)

The next slides in this deck provide some tips and tricks for editing using iMovie.

Remember, a COMPLETE movie has ALL of these:

Title
Transitions
Consistent Video and Audio
Credits

9 of 15

Step A: Getting Started

iMovie Tutorials/Table of Contents: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/imovie/toc/10.3.5

10 of 15

Step B: Importing Media

Import via Cable connected to your iPad/iPhone
Import via a SD Card (requires an SD Card Reader)
Import via Airdrop
Import via Google Drive (requires upload of video to Google Drive and then subsequently downloading on the computer you plan to make your movie on)

Want to view your media without creating a new project

iMovie Tutorials/Table of Contents: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/imovie/toc/10.3.5

11 of 15

Extend the clip: Drag the edge of the clip away from its center. To extend a clip, there must be unused portions of the clip available.

Shorten the clip: Drag the edge of the clip toward its center.

Step C: Timeline and Clips

The area in iMovie where you create your movie by adding and arranging clips and making all your edits.

Each clip in the timeline is represented by a thumbnail or series of thumbnails.

iMovie Tutorials/Table of Contents: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/imovie/toc/10.3.5

12 of 15

To modify a clip:

Double-click the edge of a clip in the timeline.
Select the left or right edge of a clip in the timeline, and choose Window > Show Precision Editor.�The precision editor appears, presenting an expanded view of your outgoing and incoming clips.
If the selected edit point has a transition attached to it, the duration of the transition is indicated by diagonal lines and a transition bar with handles.

To modify a transition, do one of the following:

Shorten the duration of the transition: Drag the incoming transition handle to the right, or drag the outgoing transition handle to the left.

Lengthen the duration of the transition: Drag the incoming transition handle to the left, or drag the outgoing transition handle to the right.

To move an audio edit point, move the pointer to the blue waveform below the outgoing or incoming clip, and drag the audio edit point.

Optional: Precision Editing

iMovie Tutorials/Table of Contents: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/imovie/toc/10.3.5

13 of 15

Step D: Adding Effects - Fades, Filters, & Stabilization

iMovie includes an array of filters you can use to modify the appearance of clips and photos. For example, you can apply a sepia filter to a clip to make it look like old film footage.

Fade to: The “Fade to” effects create a transition from a normal clip appearance to a black-and-white, sepia, or dreamlike appearance.
Flash and Freeze Frame: Flash and Freeze Frame inserts a transition to white, and then fades in a freeze frame while simultaneously applying the Ken Burns effect.

Add a cool filter to enhance the video

Stabilize a shaky video

iMovie Tutorials/Table of Contents: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/imovie/toc/10.3.5

14 of 15

TIPS: Quick Keys

iMovie Tutorials/Table of Contents: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/imovie/toc/10.3.5

15 of 15

Equipment: In the Library

The Main Library maintains a tremendous amount of equipment for you to use. Some of it is very technical and some of it is easy. We can always help you make decisions and give you help with usage.

Considerations for Equipment:

What is your shoot environment?

Will you be inside, or outside? Insides you should consider lighting

What type of shots will you be taking?

If you are moving you should consider a gimbal tripod, for all other shots a tripod is necessary

What type of camera do you need?

In some cases your phone is a great tool, in other cases like action shots a video camera makes more sense.

Available Equipment

Cameras:

GoPro - 9 or 10
Sony Digital Cameras (stills and video)
Nikon DSLR (stills and video) - also various lens
OSMO Pocket and full gear

Audio:

Tripods:

Various Stable - for still frame action
Various fluid head - for action and movement
Flowing handheld - for big movement and chases
Selfie Sticks - for phones
Sticks for OSMO

Lights/Other:

LED Square Lights - with mount to tripod
Reflectors - gold and white
Portable Green Screen