digital story

The Family We Choose

“The Family Choose” is created by Michelle Taylor and is licensed by CC-NC-ND 4.0.


Synopsis: “The Family We Choose” is a story about a young woman who finds herself pregnant and alone with no family to rely on. Having lost her beloved grandparents as a child and having a strained relationship with her mother, she faces the challenges of single motherhood without a support system. When she begins dating a young man, his parents step in to fill the void, becoming loving grandparents to her daughter despite not being biologically related. 

Project Edits & Software Used: I created my video in iMovie using personal family photos and stock photo and video from Pexels. I used Adobe Photoshop Express to edit all of the photos from my personal colIection. I used Canva to create the title slide, and the end slide with a quote in addition to the credits slide. I narrated the audio for the video using a voice memo from my iPhone and uploaded it into iMovie. The audio music I used was from Freesound.

Citations
Photos: Stock photos downloaded from Pexels and edited in Canva. Personal photos uploaded and edited in Adobe Photoshop Express. Pexels photos are licensed under Creative Commons 0. Title, quote, and credit slides were created in Canva and licensed under Canva’s free content license.

Audio Music: Melancholy Keys by Nancy_Sinclair Artist: Nancy Sinclair. Licensed under Creative Commons 0.


Photos/Videos:

Title slide: Wildlife Nature Travel Youtube Video Intro on Canva. Artist: Bella Kaweski.

Air Force Base Stock Photo: Photo by Soly Moses: Edited in Adobe Photoshop Express. Artist: Soly Moses.

Woman in white clothes on a corner: Photo by Lucas Pezeta: Artist: Lucas Pezeta.

Military Basic Training Headshot: From my photograph collection. Circa 1998. Edited in Adobe Photoshop Express.

Photo of me in military uniform doing training: From my photograph collection. Circa 1998. Edited in Adobe Photoshop Express.

Closeup of blood collection: Photo by Yunus Tuğ: Edited in Adobe Photoshop Express. Artist: Yunus Tug.

Sonogram photograph: From my photograph collection. Circa 1999. Edited in Adobe Photshop Express.

Photo of CMSgt near an Air Force airplane: from the Taylor Family collection. Circa 1992. Edited in Adobe Photoshop Express.

Photo of grandparents: from the Taylor Family collection. Circa 1993. Edited in Adobe Photoshop Express. 

The second photo of grandparents in color: from the Taylor collection. Circa 2015. Edited in Adobe Photoshop Express.

Photo of myself holding my newborn daughter: from my photo collection. Circa 1999. Edited in Adobe Photoshop Express.

Photo of grandparents with myself: From my photo collection. Circa 2008. Edited in Adobe Photoshop Express. 

Video of sad husband and wife sitting apart after argument: Video by Alex Green: Artist: Alex Green. Edited in Canva.

Video of soldier talking during therapy session: Video by RDNE Stock project: Artist: RDNE Stock Project. Edited in Canva.

Group of friends dancing together while holding beer: Video by Kampus Production: Artist: Kampus Production. Edited in Canva.

People eating a meal at the restaurant: Video by Jep Gambardella: Artist: Jep Gambardella. Edited in Canva.

A woman in Awe video Video by Ketut Subiyanto: Artist: Ketut Subiyanto. Edited in Canva. 

Doctor talking a patient: Video by Tima Miroshnichenko: Artist: Tima Miroshnichenko. Edited in Canva.

Pregnant woman holding her baby bump Video by PNW Production: Artist: PNW Production. Edited in Canva.

Minimalist Black White The End Animation Video with quote: Artist: Bella Kaweski. Created and edited in Canva.

Black and white Retro Film Credits Video by Nano Design (English version). Artist NANO Design. Created and edited in Canva.

Pete and the Librarian

VisualAudio
  Black screen- white text (bottom to top). Pete walks on the sidewalk of the library. Pete enters the library, heading to the register.  Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata – 1. Movement – Piano Sonata Nr. 14, Op.27, Nr. 2  by  GregorQuendel,   CC BY- NC 4.0 DEED  
  Black screen- white text- question (bottom to top). 0.15”. (Pete is sitting at the back right of the book sales area of the library, which is a quieter space, using one of the laptop tables).  Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata – 1. Movement – Piano Sonata Nr. 14, Op.27, Nr. 2  by  GregorQuendelCC BY- NC 4.0 DEED  
Black screen- white text- question (bottom to top). Pete answers the question (based on text) right camera. 0.20”.   Black screen- white text- question (bottom to top). Pete answers the question (based on text), right camera. 0.43”  Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata – 1. Movement – Piano Sonata Nr. 14, Op.27, Nr. 2  by  GregorQuendelCC BY- NC 4.0 DEED  
Black screen- white text- question (bottom to top). Pete answers the question (based on text), left camera. 0.53”.   Black screen- white text- question (bottom to top). Pete answers the question (based on text), right camera. 1.15”.  Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata – 1. Movement – Piano Sonata Nr. 14, Op.27, Nr. 2  by  GregorQuendelCC BY- NC 4.0 DEED  
  Black screen- white text (bottom to top). Statement, 1.45”- 1.52” Remarks- thanks, copyright after “statement”, 1.53”- 2.00”.                                Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata – 1. Movement – Piano Sonata Nr. 14, Op.27, Nr. 2  by  GregorQuendelCC BY- NC 4.0 DEED                             
The End The End

Synopsis: “Pete and the Librarian” explores the transformative relationship between George, a committed librarian, and Pete, a homeless man who often visits the library. The story reveals how Pete ended up living on the streets, what he has to share with the audience, and how he becomes “the library within the library” by sharing his life experiences and offering advice. The interview also unveils the harsh reality of homelessness, illustrating how easily one can find themselves on the streets. It emphasizes that homelessness is a societal issue and highlights the fact that everyone “has a story.”
Script:
Questions are on white text (font: lucida grande), on a black screen:
“Pete was a successful
entrepreneur,
until his finance partner
passed away” (text)
“He started a business
in ’78, sold it in ’94,
Invested $1.6 million
on a Ponzi scheme
and is now on the streets” (text)
Question (text):
“What business advice
do you have for us, Pete?”
Pete: If you want to create your own business you should take a few lessons in business itself, which I didn’t really do.
Question (text):
“You had a big business,
do you consider yourself
a successful business person?”
Pete: As far as being a business person, I am a failure, really.
Question (text):
“Pete, tell me about you…how do you spend your days?”
Pete: It varies, there is a song “every day is a winding road” and it is with me, I am sure it is with everybody here, whatever is happening, it is not expected.
Question (text):
Can you share
where you stand
in the journey of life
at the moment?
Pete: You know, I am 88 years old, and in 3 months I am going to be 89, so I can’t complain- that’s another thing about advice, you know, I never thought I’d live this long so I didn’t really plan on that either, I shouldn’t complain about that… (smiling)
Pete closes his notebook.
Final Text: “Pete is one of over
16,000 people
calling the streets of
Broward County, FL,
their home.
Every one of them
has a story”.
Thanks- interview copyright, music CC.
Background: Informed by my own experiences in a library setting, this project seeks to illuminate the lives of those grappling with homelessness, mental health challenges, and poverty. The objective is to present Pete as a multidimensional character, challenging typical stereotypes and fostering understanding and compassion among viewers.
Character Development: Pete was a successful businessman who had a nice, comfortable life. Bad investments left him homeless after COVID. Pete seems to also be happy with his life overall. He is open to expressing his feelings, and as a side note is eager to brush up on his French (he takes additional lessons in the library), has a great sense of humor and some not so great friends.
Media Assets:
• Media that will be used: three cell phone (2 iphone, 1 android) cameras with tripods, and wi-fi microphones.
• Existing song (audio), library setting/ closeups of Pete in the library (visual), text based on Pete’s quotes (visual), as per the storyboard.
• NOTE: The video will be original (Interviewing Pete in the library).
Reflection:
My project employs an inductive approach, distinct from the deductive methods I could be using if I was choosing another treatment (II). In hindsight, it could potentially be easier for me to choose a general concept, translate it into a narrative and then work on specific photos and media to match this overarching concept. Instead, I am interviewing Pete, a homeless individual who frequently visits our library (see copyright consent attached previously) and have built my story around that interview. This direct engagement with a specific individual’s experiences allows me to gather nuanced, real-life insights. From Pete’s unique story, we can extrapolate broader themes and understandings about homelessness, moving from the specific to the generic. My project’s strength lies on the 4 very important questions I ask Pete, hoping that his answers will be thought-provoking for the viewers, based on his personal real-life experiences.

Resources:

“Educational Video Copyright Release Form” signed by the interviewee.

Audio credits:

Freesound:

Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata – 1. Movement – Piano Sonata Nr. 14, Op. 27, Nr. 2

by GregorQuendel CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED.

Video was made with VideoPad Video Editor

Hermann the Jealous Thespian

“Hermann The Jealous Thespian” was created by Paul Griffith and is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. It was created using OpenShot video editor using creative commons resources and homemade actors. Videos from the public domain were sourced from Wikimedia Commons and audio resources were sourced from Wikimedia Commons and CCMixter. Dialogue and narration were recorded using Audacity.

Synopsis:

My goofiest idea was my strongest idea! Hermann and Pierre are two players at a local theater troupe. Hermann has been there longer, but Pierre is a charismatic and kind new lead who commands the respect and admiration of everyone he meets. Hermann seethes and develops a tragicomic plan of sabotage… but will he have a change of heart?

Production software:

I assembled the entire project in OpenShot, which I developed an early preference for in the course while comparing it to Shotcut. The intuitive method of dragging and dropping images, audio, and video in sequence was perfect for this project which called for juxtaposition. Juxtaposed with the old videos of Shakespeare interpretations were pictures and a video of ceramic clowns as actors, taken by me on an Android phone and edited within OpenShot.

One of the greatest challenges was abandoning the attempt to import oval transparencies into the video editor, instead choosing to use rectangular pictures which were only partially saturated in mono to match the background videos. One of the background videos had green, purple, red, etc. film instead of being entirely in black and white. Like Nosferatu, sometimes different colors were used to depict different settings or times of the day. I edited the movies to be uniform in saturation, although they could not be uniform in quality.

Audacity was a good tool for audio recording. I recorded Hermann’s pieces with my webcam mic and Pierre’s pieces with a donner podcard mic which has built in reverb and equalization for variety and clarity of speakers.

Credits:

Video:

“Hermann The Jealous Thespian” was created by Paul Griffith and is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Footage of Orson Welles’s “Voodoo” Macbeth (1937) by National Film Preservation Foundation and  is licensed in the Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal.

The Taming of the Shrew (1908) by Library of Congress is licensed in the Public Domain.

The Tempest (1908) by Percy Stow  is licensed in the Public Domain.

Audio:

Audionautix-com-ccby-renaissance by Audionautix.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0 Deed

Snowflake- Like Music (Renaissance) by Snowflake (Emily Richards) is licensed by CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed.

72844 lonemonk approx-800-laughter-and-clapter-1 by Freesound.org is licensed by CC BY 3.0 Deed.

Dialogue and Narration were recorded in Audacity.

Stuttgart

Synopsis – Duck meets Duck in Paradise Found; Duck loses Duck in Paradise Lost

Video consists of a combination of existing Creative Common images, Creative Common Soundtracks, origional video, and original soundtrack

Video created in Canva

Original soundtrack created in Windows Soundrecorder

Stuttgart

Video, Sound, Images combined in Canva:

VIDEO

Stuttgart original videos recorded  on Canon VIXIA HF G70

SOUND (In order of appearance)

Sport Shotgun Sound Effect used via CC0 Public Domain

As time goes by – Herman Hupfeld used via CC0 Public Domain

Stuttgart Voiceover original sound recording using Microsoft Sound Recorder

IMAGES (In order of appearance)

Dime Box Films Logo – Adapted image Dime Box Dodge by Jason St Peter in Canva, used via CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED

Arkansas DOT Highway Map, 1942 – PDF – used via CC0 Public Domain

https://ardot-gis-imagery.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/PLAN/GIS/MAPS/STATE_TOURIST_MAPS/1942.pdf

https://ardot-gis-imagery.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/PLAN/GIS/MAPS/STATE_TOURIST_MAPS/1942.pdf

Welcome to Stuttgart, Arkansas used via https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

Golden Pond Ducks used via CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED

Rice Fields used via CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED

An Artbringing

“An Artbringing” was created by Heather Page and is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. The video was edited using Adobe Premiere Pro and iMovie, exported as an MP4 file at 1080p and uploaded onto YouTube. Video clips are sourced from Pexels and Videvo, as well as Music audios in the video are sourced by freesound and voice narration I recorded myself on my iPhone 11.  

Synopsis

This story is told from the point of view of a woman’s painting supplies attempting to reconnect their relationship with one another. The woman’s life is centered around both school and work and doesn’t feel like she has the capacity anymore to make art. The painting supplies, missing their mutual friendship, takes matters into their own hands to remind their owner all the positive experiences they’ve had together.

Resources:

Painting and Art Tools on a Desk by Pavel Danilyuk licensed under the Pexels License

Tools used for Painting and Art by Pavel Danilyuk licensed under the Pexels License

Stressed Woman Trying to Relax on a Couch by Tima Miroshnichenko licensed under the Pexels License 

A Container Full of Paintbrushes by Ivan Samkov under the Pexels License

Close-Up View of Person Holding Paint Brushes by Monstera Production

Close-Up View of Person Holding Paint Brushes by Monstera Production licensed under the Pexels License

Colorful Liquid Dye Mixing Together by Engin Akyurt (blue/green) licensed under the Pexels License

Colorful Liquid Dye Mixing Together by Engin Akyurt (yellow/purple) licensed under the Pexels License

Colorful Dye Mixing Together by Engin Akyurt (blue/red) licensed under the Pexels License

A Woman’s Hand Full of Paint Stain by cottonbro studio licensed under the Pexels License

An artist painting on a wooden board by Yaroslav Shuraev licensed under the Pexels License

Abstract acrylic art by Dan Cristian Paduret licensed under the Pexels License

Sad sorrowful piano by guitarman213 under the CC0 1.0 DEED

Scheming 1095 by Setuniman under the CC0 1.0 DEED

Beloved memories by Xcreenplay under the CC0 1.0 DEED

Miracle Fantasy by SergeQuadrado under the CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED

Videography by Heather Page is licensed under CC BY 4.0 DEED

Voiceover by Heather Page is licensed under CC BY 4.0 DEED

Artwork images by Heather Page is licensed under CC BY 4.0 DEED

Life of a Starving Artist: Working to Live

By Lauren Diaz

Synopsis: A law student struggles to balance becoming a lawyer for financial stability and his passion for painting. He works hard during the day but at night he indulges in his true passion–painting. The story is told from the law student’s point of view.

Content & Creation: For the Final Project, I used a mix of videos provided on Canva and videos that I recorded myself. I also utilized Canva to edit my digital story. If an audio clip was not compatible with Canva, I utilized Audacity to convert the audio clip to MP3. The content I filmed myself includes the law student painting and studying, the law student’s paintings, as well as the law student walking in front of University of Miami Law School. The content I pulled from Canva includes the videos of the alarm clock, the man tying his school, traffic, Florida law books, the professor lecturing, the student taking an exam, and the boy going to bed. The content pulled from Canva was either free on Canva or included in Canva Pro.

Credits

Media Credits:

Digital alarm clock, man waking up at 7am by Robin Beckham from Getty Images SignatureRobin Beckham) via Canva.com

Business getting ready for a meeting, Groom getting ready for a wedding by pintogame from Getty Images Signature (© pintogame) via Canva.com

#freeway #dusk #LosAngeles #city #traffic by Saul from Pexels via Canva.com

Education school test concept: Hands student holding pencil for testing exams writing answer for taking fill in admission exam multiple carbon paper computer at university classroom by smolaw11 from Getty Imagessmolaw11) via Canva.com

Cute school boy sleeping in comfortable bed at night, healthy sleep and relax by Motortion Films from Getty ImagesMotortion Films) via Canva.com     

Books of Florida Law by brittmct from Getty Images Signaturebrittmct) via Canva.com

Back view of male teacher lecturing university students, shot on R3D by monkeybusinessimages from Getty Imagesmonkeybusinessimages) via Canva.com

Walking to School by Lauren Diaz is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 DEED

Student in the Library by Lauren Diaz is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 DEED

Artist Painting by Lauren Diaz is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 DEED

We Are All Dogs in God’s Hot Car by Lauren Diaz is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 DEED

Audio Credits:

Voices by unfa (Creative Commons 0)

Traffic Jam Horn Honks by Epidemic Sound via Canva.com

Red Tea by Franz Gordon from Epidemic Sound via Canva.com

Alarm Clock Beeping by Yoyodaman234 from pixabay via Canva.com

Love Letters to the First Lady

Love Letters to the First Lady by Christopher Rubio was created with Adobe Premiere Pro, exported as 1080p H.264. It is licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED.
Synopsis

This story covers an experience of my grandmother (Marilynn) when she was in high school. A man she was smitten with had been sent out to fight in the Korean War. She wanted to take him (Mark) to her prom so she wrote Mamie Eisenhower requesting that she help get him home for the event.

Imagery Assets (Still and Moving):
Audio Assets:

Love in the Lamplight: A Rumination on the Loss That We Feel

“Love in the Lamplight: A Rumination on the Loss That We Feel” by Lauren Williams is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED. This video was created using iMovie and exported in 1080p as an .mp4 file.

Synopsis: The iconic Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, goes on a romantic dinner date with his lady love, but he can’t stop the flames of passion igniting in his wandering eyes. Mothman’s overt nostalgia for the glory, adoration, and fame of bygone days ruins the true love he’s cultivated in the present, and by the end of the night, he loses the one person who ever truly cared about him.

Assets and Software: This video was created using creative commons licensed assets (music, audio clips, still images, and short video clips) obtained from sites such as Pexels and Freesound.org, as well as original video and audio shot and recorded by me. Software used includes iMovie and Canva.

References:

Audio

Moonlight Sonata (Shifting Sun Mix) by Speck licensed under CC BY 3.0 DEED

Prelude in C (BWV 846) by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) licensed CC BY 4.0 DEED

Alarm, Air Raid Siren, Test, Devonport, Sony PCM M-10.wav by audiojacked licensed CC0 1.0 DEED

Short Mic Static.wav by 18hiltc licensed CC0 1.0 DEED

Candle lighting.wav by mfearnley licensed CC0 1.0 DEED

Moth1.wav by HYPERBLOODHELL licensed CC0 1.0 DEED

Candle double wood wick flame stereo 01.wav by roisin.gleeson licensed CC0 1.0 DEED

wine pouring 77mel 190213.flac by TRP licensed CC0 1.0 DEED

​​BottleDrinking02.wav by Abolla licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED

Numskull by Beetlemuse licensed CC0 1.0 DEED

All other audio recorded by me using a Zoom H2n Portable Recorder.

Video

Close Up Shot of Candle by Pixabay licensed by Pexels

Close Up of Candle Blowing Out by Nothing Ahead licensed by Pexels

Historic Footage of German Soldiers by Artur Szczubelek licensed by Pexels 

Silhouettes of Soldiers in Fog by Artur Szczubelek licensed by Pexels 

Fire Sparks Going up in Slow Motion by Artur Szczubelek licensed by Pexels 

A Destroyed Building after a Missile Attack in Ukraine by Alex Moisieiev licensed by Pexels 

Airplane dropping bombs during World War II by everettovrk licensed by Adobe Enhanced License

A swarm of night moths circling by the lamp. The mating dance of the butterfly by mrkotov licensed by Adobe Enhanced License

All other video recorded by me using a Panasonic 4K video camera.

Actors

Peter Schwarz as Mothman

Jensen Evans as The Waiter

Lumeria as Herself

Secrets in the Parchment

Secrets in the Parchment by Kaitlyn Darling is licensed under  CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed.

Synopsis : Elara, a young scholar, finds a mystical library with magical books that lead to fantastical realms. She embarks on a quest, battling creatures and solving riddles to uncover its secrets and ultimate magical knowledge.

Media Assets & Software : I sourced images from Creative Commons, including real-life and AI-generated work by various artists, along with music and sound effects. Using ElevenLabs and Charlotte’s voice for narration, I created the script myself. Finally, I combined everything using Canva.

Credit Images :

Credit Audio :

Odyssey

Odyssey by Kendal McDowell is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed.

Synopsis

After being left behind in a classroom, its up to this brave water bottle to find its way back to its owner. Though it faces a long journey with plenty of challenges, it is determined to not give up and to find its way back to her.

Production

This stop-motion video was created using photos I took around the FSU College of Law campus. Any additional visual assets have Creative Commons licenses. I did the voiceover myself. All other audio assets have Creative Commons licenses.

Software

I took the photos on my iPhone camera. I used Canva to create a presentation, imported my photos, and edited them. Each frame of the video is actually a presentation slide, and I adjusted the timing of each slide in Canva. After creating the video, I moved over to Clipchamp where I began adding my audio elements.

Credits

Audio:

Ambient Classroom Chatter by doom.blu, licensed under CC0 1.0 Deed

door close 1 by theplax, licensed under CC by 4.0 Deed

Happy Music (loop2) by AudioCoffee, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed

Car Crash by squareal, licensed under CC0 1.0 Deed

Beyond Recall by X3nus, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed

Cinematic Alarm Hit by Rizzard, licensed under CC0 1.0 Deed

Voiceover by Kendal McDowell, licensed under CC by 4.0 Deed

Images:

Thought Bubble by Ian Burt, licensed under CC BY 2.0 Deed

Confused by CollegeDegrees360, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed

Lincoln Town Car by Jason Lawrence, licensed under CC by 2.0 Deed

Girl Using Laptop in park by CollegeDegrees360, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed

College Student by CollegeDegrees360, licensed under CC BY0-SA 2.0 Deed

Backpack by CollegeDegrees360, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed

Plastic Water Bottle… by Larry Jacobsen, licensed under CC BY 2.0 Deed

All other images (over 200 of them) were created by me.