RCMjr

Q: iMovie Picture Placement

My mother is turning 90 and I'm making a movie for her. Is it possible for me to have the movie start with one candle and quickly fill up with 89 more on different parts of the screen so that when it's finished there are 90 candles in the frame?

 

I'm using iMovie 10.0.4 and OS 10.9.4.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Chip

Posted on Aug 9, 2014 9:22 PM

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Q: iMovie Picture Placement

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  • by Andy Z 03,

    Andy Z 03 Andy Z 03 Aug 9, 2014 9:31 PM in response to RCMjr
    Level 3 (533 points)
    Apple Watch
    Aug 9, 2014 9:31 PM in response to RCMjr

    I don't believe iMovie itself has this functionality. If you're low-budget, you might try placing an image inside the Keynote app, duplicating the candle image to the number desired, animating the candles as desired in a sequence, taking a screencast of that, and importing that movie file into iMovie. If you're talking about an actual cake with candles, try mounting your camera on a tripod, and then taking a picture after the addition of each candle that you place on it. Then rapidly play those frames in iMovie.

     

    Good luck!

  • by Bengt Wärleby,Helpful

    Bengt Wärleby Bengt Wärleby Aug 9, 2014 10:08 PM in response to RCMjr
    Level 6 (19,450 points)
    Aug 9, 2014 10:08 PM in response to RCMjr

    Hi

     

    Just thinking.

     

    No iMovie can not do this.

    - Screen-saver can (at least in some Mac OS versions) do this - VIDEO-WALL - but then the problem is howto save out a screen dump(movie) from this display.

    - FinalCut can do it with reasonable amount of stamina

    - QuickTime Pro - Can do this too - BUT now You are down to a super Tedious labour and careful notations on where exactly each corner (pixel-vice) are to be on screen.

     

    Most probably there are programs - out on Internet to buy that has this function automated - but then it costs (so does FinalCut and pro to QT too)

     

    Yours Bengt W

  • by RCMjr,

    RCMjr RCMjr Aug 10, 2014 8:34 AM in response to Andy Z 03
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 10, 2014 8:34 AM in response to Andy Z 03

    Andy & Bengt,

     

    You've both given me some ideas on how to change my thinking. Let me pose one more idea for you and any suggestions on how to accomplish this would be appreciated.

     

    My new thought will be to have a cake with one candle on it. It will be lighted. Then I'll film myself putting on the other 89 and then speed it up. The next shot will be all of them lit.

     

    In an ideal, Ron Howard-type situation, I would then have a video of my mom taking a deep breath and blowing. I will also film the candles getting blown out - which I will do - but you won't see my face. It will just be the wind. Can you think of a way to do this and make it appear as if she's the one doing the work?

     

    Thanks again.

     

    Chip

  • by Karsten Schlüter,Helpful

    Karsten Schlüter Karsten Schlüter Aug 10, 2014 9:15 AM in response to RCMjr
    Level 7 (32,668 points)
    Video
    Aug 10, 2014 9:15 AM in response to RCMjr

    RCMjr wrote:

    ... Is it possible for me to have the movie start with one candle and quickly fill up with 89 more on different parts of the screen so that when it's finished there are 90 candles in the frame? ..

    sure, you just need some prepped stills, to get the basic principle read my User Tipp:

    "Movie Magic" with Stills and Dissolve

     

    .. concerning your 'candle blowing'-idea  - that is plain editing and arrangement of camera perspective aka 'blocking':

    • establishing shot: wide, Ma gets close to the table

    • close, Ma's face "Oh, what a nice cake!"

    • close cake, candles burning

    • close Ma "phphewwww!"

    • close cake (You are outside frame!), candles 'off' ..

    • wide, candles off, Ma giggling like a lil' girl ..........

     

    Movie is not only photography, but editíng! The average length of a 'clip' nowadays is about 3secs (in the action-genre, they have 'clips' of 3-5 frames!). Stop thinking 'theatrically' = all in one single take; start thinking in movies: several clips, several perspectives, ... quiet easy, no effects needed.

     

    Ok, one effect: the Kuleshov Effect ... the audience thinks, Ma blew out the candles ... 'cause they have seen her in the scene; in fact it was a hairdryer, 2 days before actual recording of Ma ... and with a different cake .. and in a diff. room ...  .

     

    yeah, Kuleshov is long forgotten (there's not even an article on the German wiki), pretty unknown .. but ALL movie-making is based upon his observations...

     

    ... ehm, oops,  got a bit off-hook, sorry. this is not film-school .. back2cake ................

  • by Andy Z 03,

    Andy Z 03 Andy Z 03 Aug 10, 2014 9:21 AM in response to RCMjr
    Level 3 (533 points)
    Apple Watch
    Aug 10, 2014 9:21 AM in response to RCMjr

    I guess I'm not quite sure exactly what you want, but I will try to give you my thoughts based on what you've told us.

     

    For the candles part, you could film yourself placing the candles and then speed this footage up. But this would create a lot of flashing and movement over the screen because of your hand. I would recommend filming you in regular time, placing the first few candles, and then, like before, taking a shot for every candle you've put down. Then rapidly play back those shots.

     

    As far as having your mom appear to blow out the candles, you could try getting a shot of her blowing in a similar environment to where the cake is, and then following that shot, show a close-up of the cake being blown out, with the same blowing direction (but really you're blowing this time). I'm not sure if this is what you wanted (maybe you don't want your mom to know or something).

     

    Andy

  • by RCMjr,

    RCMjr RCMjr Aug 10, 2014 1:43 PM in response to Karsten Schlüter
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 10, 2014 1:43 PM in response to Karsten Schlüter

    Wow, Pixelmator looks very cool. I'm afraid though, that I wouldn't get to use it as it's meant. It looks like a pretty sophisticated. But, it's only $30. That's for brining that app to my attention.

  • by RCMjr,

    RCMjr RCMjr Aug 10, 2014 2:01 PM in response to Andy Z 03
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 10, 2014 2:01 PM in response to Andy Z 03

    Andy, I get what you're saying about my hand making the scene bumpy but I don't get the lines, "like before, taking a shot for every candle you've put down. Then rapidly play back those shots." Can you help me a bit more with that?

     

    Also, I didn't mention that mom is in CA and I'm in CO, so I'm going to have to have my brother film the "blowing" part.

     

    All of what has been said here is very helpful and it's making me think about this in different ways. I'll add my "Solved" and "Helped" stuff soon. Thanks to all.

     

    Chip

  • by Andy Z 03,Solvedanswer

    Andy Z 03 Andy Z 03 Aug 10, 2014 3:07 PM in response to RCMjr
    Level 3 (533 points)
    Apple Watch
    Aug 10, 2014 3:07 PM in response to RCMjr

    Sorry about that, I can see why you were confused by that part.

     

    What I was trying to say is to film yourself placing the first few candles being placed in a video format. Then, for each candle after that, take an individual picture after you add each candle. If you flash through these shots quickly, your audience will understand that someone's placing the candles, but without the arm flashing around the screen.

     

    I may have just made that even more complicated, I'm sorry if so!

     

    To move through the individual pictures quickly, try placing each shot on a Keynote slide, setting the auto-transition time to 0.1 seconds, and taking a screen recording of it all.