Though it’s rare, my insomnia sometimes proves to be a help instead of a hindrance. Of the two times that come to mind right now, one happened a long time ago and one happened this week.
One morning sixteen years ago, I was still awake at 4 a.m., sitting in my recliner, wondering how I was going to face another day with no sleep when I heard the refrigerator running, and running, and running. The motor wouldn’t shut off, which told me the thermostat was bad. So the next day I changed it and fixed the problem. No more frozen Cokes.
This past Sunday night, I was wound up and not the least bit sleepy. Around 1 a.m. Monday morning I decided to make a video as an experiment. I’d never made a video before and had no idea how to make one or how to post it anywhere.
A couple of weeks ago, I came across a link in an e-mail to a site whose owner teaches readers how to make videos. So I thought I’d give it a try. His name is Hani Mourra and you can read more about him here: http://www.easyonlinevideotips.com/how-to-make-professional-online-video-using-photo-slideshow-software-animoto/.
It was so simple. I followed his instructions step by step using Animoto software and created my first video. The only problem I encountered was needing some photos to make the video, but what photos do I have that would be interesting and that people would want to see? Then I remembered a group of photos I’d put together for one of Shauna’s (my daughter) formal Army ROTC gatherings a month before she graduated and was commissioned a second lieutenant.
After I uploaded them I had the option of selecting music to accompany the photos. Animoto offers a selection of songs to use, or you can use your own music if you want. It took maybe twenty minutes to make the video, partly because it was my first time doing so, but the majority of that time I spent trying to decide on just the right song to use. I listened to several songs that didn’t work. But when I hit upon the one song that did work, I knew it.
For the time being, I’m using Animoto’s free service, so the video’s length is limited to thirty seconds. But it turned out great. At least my wife and I think so.
Shauna Through the Years
Hani has a series of seven videos he offers to people who register for his newsletter. It was through those videos that I learned how to create one (different from Shauna’s video) about this blog you’re reading. It’s posted on Youtube here. The best part is that I now know how to produce other videos for the blog. So you can expect to see more in the future.
Sometimes insomnia can be a plus and not a negative, but it’s not often.
Mike
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Mike,
I’m so glad to help you get your first video online and to inspire you to get more videos up. I’m really excited to see some of your videos on your blog!
It would be great to embed the Animoto video directly on your blog (just an idea) so people can watch it directly from here. You can do this very easily:
1. Log into Animoto
2. Watch your video in Animoto
3. On the bottom right of the video, click the “Video Toolbox” button
4. Choose the “Embed” option
5. Choose the “Copy Code” button
6. Go back to your Wordpress site and edit this post.
7. Paste the code directly where you want the video to be placed (Ctrl + V on your keyboard)
Cheers,
Hani
Hani, thanks for the tip and the instructions.
Mike
My pleasure, glad to help. Looking forward to seeing more online videos on your site.
Cheers,
Hani