I have just finished a coursera online MOOC on Powerful Tools for Teaching and Learning: Digital Storytelling. I have decided to write a series of blog posts to share my lessons learned, experience and finished story of the course. You may want to read earlier posts before going ahead with this.
1. Digital Storytelling: Introductory Post
2. My Digital Story: Topic, Script and Storyboard
3. My Digital Story: Gathering and Creating Image and Video Resources
4. Audio Narration and Background Music in Digital Storytelling
Title of Digital Story: Principles of Storyboarding.
Software or Tool?
I began my work in Microsoft PowerPoint and finished it in WeVideo. I added transitions and time delays depending on a close approximate of the narration per slide and frame. I saved the PowerPoint as a movie file (without any audios) and imported the video to WeVideo site after creating a free account. I imported my audio narration and music track and aligned them to the right sections of the video. I exported the final video in WeVideo.
Why did I use these softwares?
First, I am very comfortable with Microsoft PowerPoint and I created most of my images there. Grouping, adding effects and transitions are also a little more available in PowerPoint than in WeVideo and so I decided to create the first part of the video there. Unfortunately, I had a few challenges with maneuvering audio in PowerPoint. I couldn’t control at what particular point I wanted the narration to start or end and it is very limited to one audio per slide!
Downside of WeVideo?
Too Slow! Maybe, so many people where accessing the site at the same time and that made it very slow. It took soooo long to upload my video and also process it. Also, I don’t have as much control over the images and videos, not much effects and the likes.
Next time?
I actually edit in Adobe premier and would naturally have done this entire project there. I have enjoyed editing video using premier and you can do much with it, once you know how to use it. You can add text, image, audio, video, add effects, transitions, and you have a lot more control to produce exactly what you have in mind. I may go this way a next time…or begin in PowerPoint and finish with premier.
The Result!
Its been a wonderful experience I must say and my conclusion is that I will surely do this again and again… Due to the mix of software, my narration does not run straight like expected but I didn’t mind publishing that way. I think the main purpose of the story was still achieved and the learner is engaged throughout the story. I couldn’t add videos like I planned to (due to a few reasons), so there is a slight variation from the original plan as stated in the storyboard for this story.
Enjoy!