Jointly reported by:
Lew Yuen Teng Sr3ComA 15070
Ng Choon Hau Sr2A 16066
Tee Jia Xien Sr2B 16332
During these two week school holidays, the school has arranged a series of activities for students to participate. An activity that was organized by the school’s Computer teachers was a video making lesson called “Sounds and Shadows In Life?”. This class was held by four pairs of Computer teachers, focusing on Jr1, Jr2, Jr3 and Sr1 students during 28th and 29th of May through Zoom video platform.
At the start, the teacher introduced the lesson objectives which were to encourage self-learning in students during their free time by teaching them video making techniques. After that, they talked about the details of this lesson, which included time, date and submission. Each student who participates will receive an e-Cert and the best videos will also be posted on the school’s Facebook page. The teacher then gave topic suggestions for the videos, such as life during Movement Control Order (MCO), special talents, promotional videos and lastly stop motion videos. Then, the teacher listed out the requirements and notes on video content before explaining the video process.
Next, the teacher introduced some useful apps and software for us to edit videos.
There are two types of applications for video editing. Some are free to use and others require a fee. Of course, the premium version has more functions and a higher quality product, but you can do most of the work by using the free version. The teacher recommended the app “VUE”, which is simple to work with and has many essential tools available. It also provides loads of choices of music and background music (BGM). The next is “Quik”. Its features are not as plentiful as “VUE”, but it is more user-friendly and the templates provided for video are pretty exquisite.
The steps for video editing in different apps are probably the same. First, import the video material into the video editor app. Secondly, you can trim, split, or adjust the speed of the video. Then, you can add music effects or BGM to make the video more attractive. “Feel free to edit your video and try every editing tool available,” the teacher told students. “For example, you could make your video more lively and vivid by adding special effects like patterns.” With the filters, one can change the entire look and feel of your video. To make your content more memorable, you have to add text to your video. Finally, export your masterpiece into MP4 format.
It’s probably more complicated if you use the video editing software on the computer, as they have more selections and tools. If one were required to create a high-quality video, using a computer may be the best choice. There are various options in the video editing app for us to discover. For beginners, the teacher recommended the video editing software called “iMovie”. Although Adobe After Effect is the most favoured video editing software, it’s definitely not easy to use.
Process of video production, followed by an introduction to some video editing applications.
After that, a series of various different videos were played. Some videos gave some insightful tips into the basics of videography, while others taught students how to polish them up to standard. Others showcased some truly marvelous pieces of stop motion videography, aiming to inspire the attendees into creating works taking inspiration from the showcased masterpieces.
Stop motion showcases, never ceasing to amaze
A few comedic videos also showed students the extent of creativity and innovation found in digital media. Some Douyin videos were also played to further enrich attendees with ideas for their own videos. There was even a simple baking video made by a student from Sr3A, bringing the idea of video creation down to earth, thereby strongly encouraging students to make their own videos.
Snippets from a Sr3A student’s mango cheesecake baking video
With that, the lesson came to a close, hopefully leaving students with newfound insights for their videos.
