iMovie Workshop

Dec 1, 2015

$1-50

Byline

Paul Stenis, Librarian for Instructional Design, Outreach, and Training, Payson Library, Malibu, Calif.

Need advice about your vlog? Want to make a vine compilation video? Create a music video? Enhance your Youtube channel? Have a video on your iPhone but don’t know what to do with it? Payson Library, the main library for Pepperdine University, helped students learn these skills and more with a brief introductory workshop on iMovie. Attendees were asked to bring a video on their laptop or mobile device so they could learn to transform it into something amazing.

Advanced Planning

Our library hires a student worker called a media mentor who is responsible for, among other things, teaching film editing software such as iMovie and Adobe Premiere Pro. After I hired the media mentor, she and I planned to co-teach the class, but once it became clear she could handle it alone, I allowed her to take over. A week before the workshop, she prepared a list of the tasks she planned to walk the participants through in iMovie, and I provided feedback.

We arranged for a computer/projector set-up for the presentation, and booked our small Mac media lab for the occasion. The media mentor found a clip for everyone to practice with, and we pre-loaded those onto all the computers. Our goal was to teach an open-ended workshop on iMovie that would appeal to a wide range of skill levels and be very hands-on.

Marketing

The media mentor created a flier, and we stuffed them into all the faculty mailboxes a week before the event. These workshops are often poorly attended, so when six people showed up, we considered the workshop a success. Our small lab would not have accommodated many more. Pepperdine puts on a lot of campus events, and the library often competes with other departments for students' attention.

Budgeting

Other than the costs associated with printing 200 color fliers and staff time for set-up and prep, we didn't spend any money on this workshop.

Day-of-event Activity

Our IT support representative spent about 20 minutes setting up the projector and laptop while the media mentor spent that time loading a film clip onto each lab computer.

Program Execution

The media mentor demoed a few things to get everyone started in iMovie with a script that she created. (Download script under Attachments at right.) However, after beginning the workshop and seeing how the students worked with iMovie, she threw out the script and let everyone play around with the few things they had learned. Next, she walked around the room and answered questions while the participants played with the software and edited their individual movies. This approach seemed to please everyone, allowing some to try out new things and others to stick to the skills that the media mentor covered. Six participants of varying skill levels attended, and they all provided positive verbal feedback by saying we should do another workshop like it again soon.

Advice

Allow plenty of time for students to experiment with the skills that you teach them. Be willing to go off the script and work with students individually. Finally, employ a helper to work with students individually while the presenter is presenting the material.