Today I shipped off question clips to two of the participants in our Newsvine Movie Experiment. I sure hope these fine people will put up with my gyrations. I have learned quite a bit about the movie making process since the start of this project and I intend to pass that information on for all to use.

First I have learned a project like this can be very complex and time consuming. I am working towards a 5 to 10 minute video movie and I have already spent more than a week and just getting started. Participants need plenty of time to respond and to prepare clips. I know I was not prepared for the preparation I had to make just to send out the questions in video format. I also am learning there are a zillion formats for making such clips and some kind of informal standard needs to be set between any group trying such a project.

So far I would recommend using .wmv files and keeping them to less than 90 seconds. They need to be less than 15 megs in my case. Only because one of my processes is restricted to that size. I probably could come up with a work around but that will have to come later.

I still have two people who have not sent me their initial clips. I don't want to bug them but I will send them email reminders sometime today. I think I need to keep things moving and interesting for all and I would appreciate suggestions on how to do that. I realize I come across pretty dry in my videos and I have been trying to think of a way to jazz them up without replacing the talking head I am using.

Editing is time consuming. I look at each clip in its entirety. In doing my question clips (videos of me asking questions of the participants) I found myself breaking a single clip into as many as 12 shorter clips and then reattaching them to take out dead space. Even then I had to reedit to reduce total size. I wanted to keep it down to one clip per exchange.

I have found that the Windows Movie Maker is doing a very good job of helping me organize my work. Having tried several different movie making programs I find that windows keeps it simple and yet provides more than enough whistles and bells to make each project better than I would otherwise be able to produce. As time goes by I may want something more sophisticated but simplicity can be so rewarding.

When this is over I want to write an article about all the people involved in a movie. So far there are only three involved in this one and there will be 5 max when finished. That is just the tip of the ice berg. Every movie needs a script writer, director, producer, editor, sound, still photo, and all kinds of other people to get the job done. In this experimental project they are all wrapped into one with the exception of the actresses and actors.

Current status is that I await initial clips from two. I have returned question clips to two. I will start the editing process for the final story board when I receive the answers. One thing I have discovered is that the screenwriter is busy all the way through. As the clips are produced and time goes by I discover new and important ways that the story board should be arranged. I also find I must constantly be checking on the timeline as things can get way out of line if you let them.

This article is meant mostly as a newsletter to the participants but all readers can be a part of this movie. Send me your comments and suggestions. Ask about things I have learned, I will try to answer. So far this is really making me smarter. I hope it will be interesting for all at the Finis. Thanks for following along.