Skip to main content

Making Library Videos: Video Editing Software

When creating videos for a library, one must first secure video editing software.  Ideally, this should be:

  • Free; or
  • Inexpensive
  • Did I say free?  Free is better.

Two serviceable free options were Windows Movie Maker Live (WMML) and iMovie.  Microsoft used to bundle WMML in Windows Essentials (WE) 2012, a free download from Microsoft's website.  Sadly, Microsoft discontinued supporting this software on January 10, 2017, so it is no longer available.  If your library still uses Windows 7, then it's possible WE 2012 might have been included in the operating software installation, but it usually needed to be manually added in a separate download/installation.  Still, it's worth checking.

Windows Movie Maker Live was reasonably easy to use and made satisfactory videos by beginners' standards.  Here's an example of one of our videos using WMML.

MPL Book Trailer #302
Took, by Mary Downing Hahn

I also created library videos using iMovie software, which came installed free on the iMac.  Here's an example.

MPL Book Trailer #91
Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell

iMovie was more sophisticated than the original Windows Movie Maker, but WMML added improvements that made it more comparable to iMovie.  The current version is 9.0.9 and is available to download free from Apple.  iMovie is reasonably easy to use, once one becomes accustomed to its functionality (I guess that could be said about any software).  Of course, you need a Mac (or an Apple mobile device with a suitable app) to run it.

Eventually, my library will upgrade beyond Windows 7, and my copy of WMML will be lost.  Since my iMac died a few years ago (thanks to my clumsiness, it took a three-foot plunge into cyber oblivion, scrambling its innards when it hit the floor), iMovie has not been an option.  So last year I searched for an inexpensive replacement software with superior editing capabilities.  I found an ideal choice in Filmora Wondershare, which is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android platforms.  It cost only $59.99 for a lifetime license (for a single computer user), but other pricing options are available for one-year or for multi-users.  Here is an example of one of our videos created with Filmora Wondershare.

Ukulele Checkout Promo Trailer, by Mooresville Public Library

Filmora Wondershare is considerably more robust than WMML or iMovie were, although, in fairness, I haven't seen a recent version of iMovie, which has undoubtedly been improved since my iMac's demise in 2013.  Still, if you don't have a Mac, Filmora Wondershare may be an appealing alternative.  It is reasonably user-friendly and can do many nice touches.

Once you have video editing software, you can begin to assemble basic videos, particularly those that use still images and text, like many simple book trailers or program trailers.  Looking to create your own live-action videos?  You'll need a decent digital camera with video capability.  We'll cover that in a future post.  Meanwhile, here's an example of live-action from our YouTube channel.

Power Up Charging Stations Promo Trailer,
by Mooresville Public Library




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Using QR Codes to Promote Book Trailers on Book Displays

The ubiquitous book display is a  mainstay of traditional collection promotion in public libraries .  How many of these have you made over the years?  Frankly, I've lost count. Book displays increase item circulation because they attract patrons' attention and provide them with immediate gratification without their having to search for what has caught their interest.  The books are  right there ; just grab them and head for circulation to check them out.  Nothing could be easier. But what if the books are carefully wrapped-up (say, for a banned book display, which we did a couple of times), and patrons can't read the back cover descriptions?  For ordinary book displays, is there something more visually engaging that could appeal to patrons than just having to read the book jackets?  That's where book trailers could help "sell" the book. Wouldn't it be nice if patrons could watch the book trailers while they're looking a
Post a Comment
Read more

Making Library Videos: Music Soundtracks

Library videos need a musical soundtrack.  Let's try a little comparison to illustrate. Turn-off the sound on your computer, mobile device, or whatever technology you're using to read this blog post.  Then play the book trailer (below). MPL Book Trailer #177 Floor Four: A Novella of Horror,  by A. Lopez, Jr. Now, turn on your sound and replay the book trailer (the music's a bit soft at the beginning, so turn it up loud so you can hear clearly, or, better yet, use earphones). 'Nuff said. Musical soundtracks set the mood of a video, especially when there is no voice-over track. Consider a couple of examples. MPL Book Trailer #49 Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson MPL Book Trailer #46 Good-Bye, Mister Chips, by James Hilton Live-action videos benefit from music, too.  Like this one, for instance: OverDrive Promo Trailer, by Miss Rachel & Miss Michelle How do you find music for your video soundtracks?  There are w
Post a Comment
Read more

Using the MARC 856 Field for Book Trailers

Book trailers are videos used to promote particular books and encourage patrons to read them. They are comparable to movie trailers as marketing tools.  Book trailers are often posted on dedicated video channels, such as YouTube or Vimeo , or on websites, blogs, or other social media.  At Mooresville Public Library, we place our book trailers on the MPL YouTube Channel , as well as links on our website and social media. Here's an example of one of our book trailers: MPL Book Trailer #322 A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman How do patrons discover our book trailers?  A simple Google search (or YouTube search) with the book's title and "book trailer" will retrieve them, along with hundreds of other videos.  Visitors to our website may click links to our YouTube channel or other social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, blogs) that feature our videos.  But these are indirect methods of distributing this type of content.  Is there a more dir
Post a Comment
Read more