You probably have selected “Upload from your computer.” Save your images to desktop (easier to grab and import). You are now in the first step of Animoto: Images, and you have a grid on which you can arrange and rearrange your images by dragging and dropping. If you get confused, look at the right side where you will see information on Images and tips for the section.

After your images upload, you can add text by selecting the “Add Text” option on the bottom. The way you save your work when you are in “Images” is to click the “done” button on the bottom right. That saves your work.

If you have to leave (end of class) and you want to return to your work, this is how you retrieve your work. Login. Go to “Create Video.” You will get this message in a yellow banner. Notice that you can see the images (text is there too) that you had uploaded in your last session. Click CLOSE. IF for some reason you do NOT see your images, DON’T PANIC. Click on the word Images on the left side and your images will appear.

If you want to add more text than Animoto will let you put on the two text lines, you can make a PowerPoint text slide. After your slide is done, you want to make a screenshot. You do that by using “Shift” + Apple key + 4 (not the F4, just the number 4). This screen shot will show up on your desktop as Picture 1 (if it’s the first screen shot you have taken). Now you can upload the PP text slide by dragging and dropping it, or you can go to “Add More” and add your new slide.

Don’t forget to check your rubric (you were given a copy, but it is also linked on my website, English 11, November, right under the two sample videos) for the “effects” you need to add. Very simple: just select the images you want to “spotlight,” click on that image, and then click “spotlight.” The images that have a yellow frame around them will be highlighted and play more than the not highlighted images. If you look closely, you will notice that images 3 and 4 need rotating to straighten them. Click the “rotate” button on the bottom till your picture looks normal. When you are finished with your images and text, click “DONE.” You will be taken to this screen:
Now you are ready for the second step: adding music. You can select from Animoto’s collection (they actually have some decent music) or you can add your own. Your music must be in an mp3 file format.

A good free music site is freeplaymusic or you can Google “free music” and get dozens of sites, or you can pull music from your iTunes account. Or you can create your own music in GarageBand. If you find the music you want and it is not in an mp3 format but is in an ac3, for example, you will need to convert the music file at www.zamzar.com. The process is very simple, but you need to give Zamzar a real email that you can access (your school gmail? or gaggle?) because they will send you the download link for your converted file via email. It may take a while, so be patient.

If you select your music from Animoto’s collection, you will get a screen that looks like this: One benefit of using Animoto’s music is that you have one less link to add to your list of urls. At this point you need to click “save and continue,” and you will be brought to the next screen.

You need to do several things in this third section where you finalize your video. Choose which speed you want to your video to play (1/2, normal is in the center, and 2x–don’t recommend the last one), select your video cover screen, and then click “continue.” You are now at the end, and you need to add some information. Your finished screen should something like this slide.

Now you need to click the “create video” button, and you will be taken to the “Processing, Analyzing, and Rendering” screen. At this point your video is in the Animoto cue and is slowly working its way to being a finished movie.

You will not see your video until is it mixed and done, but if you do not like the mix you got, you can do a “1-click remix.”

The LAST STEP of this assignment is to get your movie trailer to your blog with the urls + image name.

Let’s start with getting your video to your blog. To get your code, you need to “play” your video, so go to “My Videos” and “play” your video. At the bottom right of your video (which is playing), you will see a blue “Video Toolbox.” Click on the video toolbox. Then, click on “Embed,” select the smallest size (432 x 240), and copy the code.

Then, go to your blog’s dashboard, “post,” “add new,” and click the html tab. You MUST be in html or your video won’t work. After you add your code for your video, while YOU ARE STILL IN HTML, copy/paste your urls + image name. If you want to see a great sample of a finished product, please go to Alison Nadraw’s blog (Alison, please remove the : after by).

If you have questions, you can Skype me or gmail me over the weekend.

The following video was created by each team and edited by Meagan Walsh.

What If There Was No News? What’s News? from RJ Stangherlin on Vimeo.

Our first team, An Era on Air: Brandon Aversano, Chloe Frick, Olga Karounos, Erin Lobach, Dennis Peterson, Meagan Walsh
An Era on Air examines the influence of significant news events from 1920-1933, while capturing the spirit and liveliness of the period. By deconstructing the era and eliminating the presence of news, An Era on Air portrays the time period through the juxtapositon of life with and without media.

Our second team, Uncovering Cover-Ups: Nadia Daher, Laudi El-Kareh, Hayley Joseph, Kelsey Molseed, Andrew Samy
In the words of Former President Richard M. Nixon, “The American people don’t believe anything until they see it on television.” Is this the only way to Uncover Cover-Ups?

Our third team, Generation X: Peter Cialkowski, Sky McCarty, My Phan, Fatema Rajmohamed, Hannah Rucker, Courtney Weiss
Generation X explores the eighties and travels through the decade explaining military concepts like the Soviet-Afghan War, social aspects like the outbreak of AIDS, and economic disasters like the one that took place on Black Monday.

Our final team, Broadcasting Terror: Matt Eherts, Sarah Gracely, Josh Gregory, William Kennington, Brandon Lansing, Shanon Safi
Love & Hate; Pride & Shame; Peace & War, co-existing with one another in the heart of one nation. Terrorists brought the terror but the media did the broadcasting. Now imagine what would happen if there was no news.

Integrated Project
An Era on Air
Uncovering Coverups
Generation X
9-11
multimedia
Turbo Tagger

Josh Gregory
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Jared Diamond
Turbo Tagger