Hello Pandas!

Here you can read about how you can make your very own Panda-Movie! It may seem a bit tricky at first, but just follow the steps and you’ll soon see that its not hard at all.

Step 1 – Decide what sort of movie you would like to create?
* A moving film (e.g. of something that happens on your monitor)
* A slide show with music
If you’re in need of inspiration, check out Panfu’s YouTube channel here. There you can see videos other Pandas have made!

Step 2 – What do you need to make a movie?
Think about what you will need in order to make a movie. If you’re prepared before you start, the movie will be much better and far more fun to watch! If you want, you can write a little story (a screenplay) and go through the steps and see what you need for each part. You may need pictures or videos that you have taken in Panfu, text, Panda pictures, screen shots or a good song playing in the background. Learn how to make screenshots here.

Step 3 – Making Your Movie
When you are finished with the preparations, it’s time to make your movie!

Computer software for making movies:
To record what happens on the screen you need to download a special program, for example HyperCam (you can download a 30 day trial period, but always ask your parents for permission first.

PC
If you have a PC, it is easy to use the program ‘Windows Movie Maker’ to combine images (or screenshots) or recorded footage to a video. To find ‘Movie Maker’, click on the ‘START’ menu in the lower left corner of the screen and then type ‘Movie Maker’ into the search box.

When you open Windows Movie Maker your screen will look like this: 

Begin a new project and simply follow steps A,B,C and D!

A: Begin a new project and import the images, sounds or videos as you want by clicking on any of the import options on the left.

B: Drag the files to the “Storyboard / Timeline” (bottom boxes) by clicking on them and holding the left mouse button as you drag them down.

C: Sort the files in the order you want them in your movie by dragging them across the timeline. You can make a file longer or shorter (e.g. audio files) by dragging them into the bottom right corner.

You can see how your movie looks like right now in the box to the right at any time while you create your movie. Just click the Play button.

D: Add effects by clicking on the “Edit Video”.

Some buttoms may seem confusing Here’s what they mean:
View collections: Displays all imported files
View video effects: Shows various effects for images and film clips. Add effects by dragging them to the files.
View video transitions: Shows the various transitions from one image to another.
Create headers and text: You can add titles and text (of course;)) For example, after texts.

If you do not have time to finish your movie at once (it may take quitesome time …),you can save the movie by clicking on “File” and then “Save Project As”. It is good to save the movie once in a while to be sure you don’t lose it! When you are finished with your movie, save it by clicking on “File” and then “Save Movie File”. It may take a while before the movie is saved, so be patient

Then you’re done!!

Mac
If you have a Mac, it is easy to use iMovie to combine photos (or screenshots) or recorded footage to a video. For a video from apple explaining the steps click here.
(It’s easy to use iMovie so you may just prefer to play around on your own;))

Step 4 – Showing your film
Once you’ve made a Panda-Movie you’ll want to show it to as many people as possible! So it’s good to upload it to a YouTube channel. Then you can tell us about your video in a comment on Panfu’s Youtube channel or on our Panfu blog, and we will look at it

We look forward to seeing all of your funny, cool, romantic, exciting and simply super-duper Panda movies!

Good luck and have fun!

The Panfu Team