Movie Makin Trials and Troubles
I have been trying to use movie making software, Camtasia over iMovie because it seemed a little easier to use. My goal, aside from an accessible way to view class projects in this online format, is to create engaging short informational and instructional videos for specific purposes and perhaps for other more general uses in library references services. I've also gotten interested in the Archives at our local Monroe county Public Library and keep thinking I want to create some oral history podcasts and learn how to use Audacity or some other audio recording software.
The oral history project is not really the work of an MLIS student but is really more of an ethnographic project, since my BA was in Anthropology I'm not totally off track but I still won't get to it for awhile. I do, however, have in mind the intersection of the two. The MCPL has an extensive collection of photographs available online, my idea is to find people that have stories connected to the photos and record the stories as short podcasts and link them together in a finding aid of some sort. Meanwhile the archivist at MCPL has already been in contact with someone from Story Corp an NPR and WLRN audio/history project, so some form of new oral history collection may be done but not by me. And that is probably a good thing!
As I have been practicing recording the audio for the little films I have made, I feel it is the most difficult part. From presentation skills to recording issues like the sounds of my neighborhood, I find myself cringing at these audio recording attempts. I make a little tsk sound all the time! And even with a detailed script I ramble and get off track. Then as I sometimes record tracks for different sections separately, each track sounds very different too. One will sound like I am about to cry or maybe fall asleep, another will sound great and upbeat and still another will have an airplane taking off or a rooster crowing -- yes roosters, it's Stock Island and Key West -- argh! I would be better off scrapping it all and finding a musician friend that has a sound room I can record in...Oh why didn't I think of that before! I also just realized I have an office I could use... during the day it can be quite noisy but in the evenings it is very quiet.
So to sum up, I believe recording good audio takes practice and a quiet location. I could also use more than a little help with the video work too. As soon as things slow down (hopefully), Camtasia has many tutorials that include creating video on the software with your own images and recordings. They may even have some good advice for getting better audio recordings.