First Steps for Making a Video Clip.

Gus Clip 2 from Ellouise Schoettler on Vimeo.


Have you noticed - these days many folks are using a "trailer" or some other kind of video to show a pre-view or tease viewers with a "taste" of their story? 

Well I want to have that capability too. So I have rolled up my sleeves and gone to work on learning how to "clip" a bit from a video. It is not "rocket science" but it does take patience and persistence - if, like me, you start from scratch.

This video is a clip - on the way to being a full-fledged trailer - I have made as a pre-view for FINDING GUS, my new one woman show - a story of how I found Gus Keasler's story. Gus, my mother's father, died young when Mama was a toddler and his descendants lost his story. He was known t us as "your Mama's father - so ironically HE was known of - without a story.

First -  you have to have the original video to work with. That was not a problem for me  because I have a pile of story videos to draw on thanks to my television program, Stories in Time.
 
I use the simplest tools - IMOVIE on my MacBook.
It may not be the best way but its working for me.
I still have to work out - how to add an entry picture - one where my mouth is closed would be nice - - and a text introduction.

If you start with a video on a DVD then you have to "rip" it to move the video into IMOVIE.
I use Handbrake which is a free application you can download.
Create a new EVENT in IMOVIE and move the "ripped" file into it. Handbrake sends the ripped file to my desktop as an mv4 file.

Select the portion of the video you want to use as the clip, highlight it and then COPY.
Create a PROJECT.
Name it.
PASTE the "copied' section to the new Project.

Once you have created the new Project and added the selected file you can tweak your project for the final project. (i.e. delete single slides)
If at first you have problems  - - start over - from the original Event.

When you are satisfied with the Project - share it - Then "share" - - export as a movie.
This file will also appear on your Desktop - with the NAME you gave it and as an mv4 file.

I store my files on Vimeo.

I imagine you could also choose to store them on your YouTube chnnel.