Week 7: Graphics

Due: Autobiography Video

Present your video to the class from your YouTube channel.

Consuming Media

After watching the Michael Rubin interview, read this article about how to analyze media. The example is about analyzing a photograph, but the same eight sentence format is applicable to discussing video with students.

Graphics

If you use graphics in a video, make it professional. Nothing ruins an otherwise excellent video than text in a poor layout. Look at how Deke masterfully uses graphics in his podcast.

Professional graphics and text tips:

• Check for typos.
• Avoid writing in ALL CAPS.
• Use high resolution images.
• Continue audio (music and vocals) while showing graphics.

Here are some places to find free, or inexpensive, stock photos for videos:

• Licensed Flickr photos
• Flickr Commons
• iStockPhoto
• My stock photo collection

If you intend to create custom text for use in video editing, use Photoshop. Create your graphic and/or text, and choose File > Save As > png. It easily imports into video editing software, and preserves transparent pixels.

Graphics Communicate

Instead of explaining something complex, just show it. This video is a reinterpretation of the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, and is a great great example of how to visualize data.

Elijah Meeks from Stanford has an excellent article about animation:

By animation I mean dynamic and interactive content that is abstractly represented. So, not traditional cinema and, really in my mind, not modern CGI cinema. Instead, I’m thinking of what is generally termed infographics.

Did You Know 4.0?

This video was built using Keynote.

Choose the best software for the job. If you’re creating a movie that relies heavily on text or graphics, consider using Keynote or PowerPoint to build the movie.