Summary: This is a short snippet of a book about a man cursed to be a vampire who lives on an island that he has molded and grown into a massive tourist industry. The catch? #1 he’s vegan- he does whatever it takes to uphold this, finding that he can subsist off of Coconut water instead of blood. Catch #2 Nobody knows he’s a vampire- just a rich eccentric who owns a bed and breakfast- and he wants to keep it that way!
Creator: Sarah Perkins Video Credits: Canva, Youtube for posting Visual Credits: Grok AI 2 & 3 Narration- by Sarah Perkins using the VoiceMemos App, Licensed under CC0.
“Bahman’s Journey” by Olivia Samimy is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
This is the story of my dad’s immigration to the United States and what he accomplished once he arrived here. The photos are all from my dad’s collection. I recorded the narration myself and edited the video both using iMovie. I hope you enjoy!
I wrote and recorded the narration for “When They Say Happily Ever After.” In addition to creating the narration, I shot all of the video footage myself.
Software
Audio: I used QuickTime Player to record the audio of my husband playing the part of The Lion’s Paw and of me saying my lines. I also used an AI tool called Descript to records the lines for the two additional speakers in the digital story. I edited all of my audio using Audacity.
Video: I edited my movie using iMovie. I used Canva to add text to several of my video clips.
Video Footage: I shot my video footage using my DSLR camera a Sony a6000.
Credits
Video and Image Credits:
“Opening of When They Say Happily Ever After” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Child Takes The Lion’s Paw Off the Shelf” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Child Looking at The Lion’s Paw” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Child Reading The Lion’s Paw” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Reading The Lion’s Paw Under the Covers” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Hugging The Lion’s Paw” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Back to the Library” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“The Lion’s Paw Put Back on Shelf” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Passed Over” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Ignored” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Broken” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Forgotten” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Packed Away” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Box Opened and Found” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Packaged” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Unboxing” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Taping The Lion’s Paw” by Caitlin Woodington(Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Wrapping up The Lion’s Paw” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Another One” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Is This What they Mean When They Say Happily Ever After” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
“Passing on The Lion’s Paw” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Audio Credits:
“Recording of When They Say Happily Ever After” by Caitlin Woodington (Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
I filmed all the videos myself on my iPhone 13. I used OpenShot as my video editor, Audacity as my audio editor, Canva for my credits and creating the social media app called “Looksmaxxing.” My audio was sourced from ccMixter and my images are from Pexels.
“The Forgotten Melody” by Jaleen Bedminster licensed under CC-NC-ND 4.0.
Synopsis: The Forgotten Melody is a story of a retired pianist, Iris, who recently lost her husband due to natural causes. Iris finds herself quietly sifting through old belongings, reflecting on love, loss, and the memories attached to music. As she rediscovers fragments of her past, the piano keys no longer carry the same sound, they seem to echo with the ghost of melodies shared with her late husband. Through a series of emotional visuals and subtle voiceovers, we see her journey of remembrance, nostalgia, and the quiet ache of moving on.
Project Edit/Software Used: I created my digital story using Canva Pro, where I put together the visual sequence, title card, and closing credits. The audio was edited and leveled in Adobe Audition, where I combined my voiceover clips into a single cohesive track. The voiceovers were recorded using my personal iPhone and brought an intimate, emotional tone to the narrative.
Citations: My images and videos in this project were sourced from Pexels, allowing me to visually tell the story with cinematic stills and subtle moment. The background music was pulled from Freesound to add more weight and ambiance to the scenes.
“This feels very familiar” by Jaleen Bedminster licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
“We used to dance to tunes just like this” By Jaleen Bedminster licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
“It feels like when we first met. It was when I was so lost in the music, the keys under my fingers like a language only we could understand” By Jaleen Bedminster licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
Giggles by Jaleen Bedminster licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
“You’re not really gone, are you? You’re in every melody and every memory, thank you” – Jaleen Bedminster licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
“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.
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).
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”
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”.
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.
“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.
“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.
