Technical
Use software and other tools appropriate to the task
Artifact
Script
Project Description
This video project was developed for EDTEC561: Adv. Multimedia Web Development for Dr. Bob Hoffman. My friend and classmate Greg has a music background and as we brainstormed for ideas for a training video, he suggested, and we agreed to try and create a video that would help a beginning guitarist restring a guitar.
Outcomes
The ‘No Strings Attached’ video that I created in EDTEC 561 made use of several kinds of software and other tools appropriate to the task. Creating this video gave me the opportunity to increase my technical skills through the use of a video camera, audio equipment, and the software necessary to manage video and sound. I also had the chance to create and rework a storyboard for the video, and from that storyboard write a script for the audio portion of the video. Once we had the video and audio clips finished, I was able to connect all the pieces in a meaningful way through the use of the software iMovie ‘09 and Sound Studio. This afforded me another learning opportunity, the use of these two pieces of software.
Challenges & Opportunities
The first challenges were the storyboarding and script writing. Even though we had both had may opportunities to restring a guitar, neither of us had ever broken it down into a step-by-step process. Added to that was the challenge of having to figure out the best way to show each step in a short video. We spent a great deal of time editing the storyboard and rewriting the script to reflect what we wanted to show after realizing the constraints we would be under in our physical environment and the technology we had available to us. The next challenge was the use of the software. I found the use of Sound Companion to control audio and manage audio files to be straightforward and reliable. However, the use of Apple’s iMovie ’09 was somewhat less than pleasant. We began this project at the same time I had aqiried the iMovie software. Aside from the visual differences and location of the tools I needed, the new version proved to be somewhat unstable. We lost hours of work as the software crashed or lost track of video files. We began to save our progress in small, incremental steps to avoid this problem again. After reading Apple’s on-line forums about iMovie ’09 issues, we found that we were not alone in our misery. The time factor and the necessity to complete the project led us to use an earlier and tried and true version of iMovie. Apple has since addressed most of the problems fond in iMovie ’09. The best part of this project was that this was my first attempt at a training video and when finished, I was very pleased with the movie. It was also my first experience with You Tube, and the first movie I had ever posted to that site. I was proud of the work and excited to have something that I had a hand in creating available to the whole world to view.
Lessons Learned
What I take a wayfrom this project a keen awareness of how important planning is. The storyboard and scripts were powerful guides that kept us on course in the face of many challenges. I was amazed as I became aware of the abundance of resources for solving technical difficulties on the internet, such as forums for discussion and the use of Atomic Learning to fill in the ‘gaps’. The skills I learned and the tools I discovered while doing this project help me in my job and a Technology Coach. I have broadened my ability to recognize good solutions to training problems through the design and use of appropriate tutorials.
