iMovie Trailer Feature Review
iMovie for iPad:
Trailer Feature Review Price - $4.99 (or FREE on a new iPad) Pros - EASY and CONVENIENT Cons - Lack of ability to customize structural elements in Trailer feature. (This is not a problem at all within the full app) (View in Apple Store) |
The experiences that will soon be dubbed “history” are associated with strong emotions in the moment as they unfold. The feelings of fear, excitement, pride, anger, joy, or sadness, are felt both acutely and actively as events occur. So why must history so often prove to be boring in the context of learning? We share events from the past in such a way that we forget that it is simply a chapter in the context of one big story!
As a music educator, I want to introduce my students to the many musicians whose lives contribute to music as we know it. Why not introduce their stories with a trailer? Better yet, why not have students research the lives of their favorite greats from a given time period and make their own trailer? With iMovie, the process is far simpler than I imagined.
I produced the trailer above fairly easily through iMovie. The format was already given and set up, all I was required to do was to drag and drop videos, pictures, and text as I desired. Every trailer is given a cool production studio introduction complete with quality animation and sound, a given number of frames with specified camera effects, and a credit screen. The format was EASY!
Where I found the “trailer” option wanting was in the area of creative opportunity. The full trailer was laid out and prepared for the user, but most of the elements could not be altered. For example, a theme could be chosen for the project, including graphics and music, but cannot be customized. That means the producer is stuck with whatever music comes with the theme. While this makes for convenience and speed in creating a template, it ensures that trailers will look the same with little structural or thematic difference. I find that to be unfortunate, because with the ability for the user to make relatively small tweaks (I.e. choose different music, play audio from video clips) options for variety can open up exponentially.
With that being said, the trailer option is incredibly convenient for quick production of visually appealing trailers. Students and educators alike can very easily make use of this feature for assignments, to spice up presentations, for publicity, or simply for fun.