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I still bear the wounds from my teenage days as an aspiring filmmaker. Back then, circa 1970, we edited film with magnifying glass, razor, and tape. It was dangerous work, splicing together strips of film no wider than a postage stamp. Many a time, I nicked my right index finger with the razor while squinting through a magnifying glass to tape together snippets of film.
Today, teenage filmmakers have it easy. No razor blades and tape for them. Computers, software, and digital cameras are the new tools of filmmaking. One of the best of them is made by Apple, and, get this, it's free.
I'm talking about iMovie, Apple's new video-editing software. It comes installed on most new Macs. You can also download it without charge from Apple's Web site. Officially, iMovie is supposed to work only with the iMac DV and iMac DV Special Edition. But don't believe it. The Internet brims with reports of folks successfully using iMovie with all kinds of Macs. The only two certain requirements are that your Mac needs at least OS 8.6 and a FireWire port. What's FireWire? I'll explain later on. First let's take a look at why iMovie is so cool.
AMATEUR HOUR.
iMovie represents Apple at its best. This software is not only intuitively easy to use but it's fun, too. Even a finger-nicked boob like me can edit a home movie on a Mac with this software. With iMovie, you can cut and shuffle scenes, and add special effects and even sound.
But iMovie isn't for professional video editors. The software won't let you pan across a still image, put one video clip within another, or separate the sound from a scene. Indeed, the manipulation of sound is iMovie's weakest feature. But for amateurs, this software is a good deal.
Now, about that FireWire port you need to use iMovie. FireWire is Apple's name for a fast new standard for transferring video files, which are massive things that choke every digital pipeline except a broadband connection such as a cable modem. Just ask anyone who has tried to download a video clip from the Internet.
SPLIT-SCREEN.
Luckily, FireWire ports are becoming increasingly common. You'll find them on camcorders, video editors, and of course, every new Mac. Look for the three-legged circle that marks any FireWire port. Are you out of luck if your Mac doesn't have a FireWire port? Not necessarily. Some older models will let you add a FireWire port card, sold by third-party vendors such as Orange Micro.
iMovie works only with digital video. That means if you want to edit a grainy Super 8 movie from your childhood, you'll have to digitize it first. But for those who just filmed, say, their daughter's birthday party with a digital camera equipped with a FireWire port, using iMovie is a breeze.
For starters, you just connect camcorder and Mac via their FireWire ports. Push a button, and the video zips into the Mac. It's just as easy to ship your edited video back into the camcorder. When you launch iMovie, you'll see a big screen divided into three panels. The biggest one, on the left, displays the video imported from your camcorder. Below that is a horizontal strip that plays your video frame by frame. It's here that you do the actual editing.
TUTORIALS, TOO.
To the right of the main display is an area of little boxes called the shelf. It's really a virtual library where each box holds a video clip. You add clips by dragging and dropping them there from the bottom strip. Floating above the divided screen is something that looks like a high-tech remote control. It contains buttons that let you add special effects such as a title, transitions, music, sound effects, and narration.
Sound confusing? Not to worry. iMovie is easy to figure out once you see it in action. Plus, Apple has included several tutorials on its Web site. So come on all you aging, razor-nicked filmmakers. Join me in the digital age of moviemaking.
Haddad, Atlanta-based correspondent for Business Week, is a long-time Apple Computer buff. Follow his column every week, only on BW Online
EDITED BY THANE PETERSON
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