Video

WeVideo

Follow this link to join the UCity Group

Group Login - Click Login with existing account, then click Google and sign-in with your school account.

Follow these steps to connect to WeVideo to Google Drive

Open Google Drive
Click New
More
Connect More Apps
Search for WeVideo
Click Connect and allow any requests

You can also connect through WeVideo if you click the Google Drive icon when uploading content of finishing a movie.

This video will take you through the basics of using the app.

Video shooting tips

1. Shoot horizontal, not upright

Upright videos will appear with black bars on each side in order to fill up a standard viewing screen or use a blurry zoomed version to fill in the space. To avoid this, simply turn the phone.

2. Keep it smooth and steady (Become the Tripod)

Hold the phone with two hands and lock your elbows into your sides. This will greatly increase the stability of your shots. Check out how the white lady is doing it.

If you are filming movement, stay in this position and only turn the upper half of your body. The key is controlled movement.

3. Use classic compositions

An easy way to make your video stand out is to use the rule of thirds. Some phones allows you to activate a grid on the camera app. Now this doesn't always work in video mode, but you can flick to 'photo' while you get your shot set up. Where the lines cross in the frame are all good places to put something of interest, or if you're recording a person, position their head over one of these points.

4. Make the light work for you

When outside position yourself so that the sunlight is working for you. Make sure the subject is not a silhouette or completely washed out. Take a second to look at the screen before you record.

Inside you may have to adjust the lighting by moving lamps, removing shades, or opening and closing curtains.

5. Mix it up

You can shoot a scene several times from different angles and different zooms. The more shots you have the more options that are available when editing. The shower scene in Psycho had 78 different camera setups and 52 cuts. You do not need to go to this extreme, but you definitely don’t want to have just a single shot.

This fourteen second shot uses four different camera angles, and could have benefited from a fifth at the end.

6. Record good audio, or remove it later

Bad audio can ruin a great piece of video, and just because your smartphone can record a decent voiceover in a quiet controlled environment, it doesn't mean you can 100% rely on it when you're out and about.

If it's a perfectly still day, go for it, and if you want to video someone talking, get as close to them as you can to make sure they are heard above any noise in the environment. Wind noise will ruin a video.

7. Edit and share your videos

Don't just rely on the content to be exciting. Edit your video with effects and transitions to make it more entertaining.

Finally, publish the video because what is the point of doing all of the hard work if no on e sees it?

Water Escape.mp4

video editing tips

Always shoot with the editing in mind, take different shots, close shots, wide shots, zooms and pans, hold the camera steady, film enough footage, you can always cut out later what you don’t need.
Work organized, Storyboard first. Name your clips in your video editing software. Use the same names as you use in your storyboard. If you don’t name your clips you will end up with a heap of files and you will lose a lot of time trying to find the footage that you are looking for.
Once you have your footage loaded into your editing software, start with creating a “rough edit” put the main footage you want to use in chronological order in the time line.
Now it’s time to cut out the fat, trim the beginning and endings of each clip and cut out all the unusable shots.
Start telling your story. Where can you add close ups? What shots can you add to enhance the dramatic effect? Try out different things to see how effective they are. Watch your movie.
Don’t go crazy in cutting. Shots should last longer than 1 sec., but static shots can last between 2 and 10 seconds and still photos for about 3-5 seconds. Try to switch between shot lengths, some longer shots and then some shorter ones. don’t bore your audience with endless clips. Watch your movie.
Adding some effects don’t go crazy with flipping and twirling stuff unless it really adds something to your movie, Here and there a soft transition and some color enhancement will do for most videos. There is no golden rule. Just watch and use what is most appropriate for you.
Create a nice intro or title. Making sure you have a proper beginning and ending in your movie helps direct the viewer. Going to black at the end of a movie is the standard ending.

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