Starting a New Media Project

New media projects can feel overwhelming and confusing. By thinking about your project as a process, we can break it down into 3 distinct sections.

Planning Your Project

Create a folder / place for all of your project content
- Make sure this folder is backed up to TCU Box, OneDrive, or the cloud
- Make sure everything is clearly named AND dated
  - Ex: TitleImage_Snyder_111021
- Make sure that this folder has ALL of your content in it
Brainstorm content
- Questions to ask yourself:
  - What is your topic / content?
  - What sources do you need?
  - What images / music / videos would be useful?
Plan content (Drafting)Drafting: Depending on what you are making, your drafting can look like a storyboard, script, or even an outline. You want to make sure you have full outline of all parts of your project.
- What is a storyboard?
  - Script & audio plans
  - Rough shot plans (what images you want to show on the screen)
  - Any text you want on the screen
- Resources:
  - Storyboard Template
  - How to Create a Storyboard

Creating Your Project

Create content
- Equipment
  - Depending on your environment, you could need any of the following:
    1. Camera / Phone
    2. Microphone
    3. Tripod
  - Don’t overcomplicate your process, you would be surprised what you could do in a quiet space with an iPhone and a couple of textbooks. Use your environment and what you have on hand. Don’t be afraid to get creative.
- Make your own images. This can include taking your own photos or graphics.
  - Making your own images gives you creative control
  - You can modify the graphics to fit your message
- Canva is a great free resource for creating images or videos
  - Start with templates
    - These are great places to start building your design, but make sure you are editing the templates to fit your message!
  - Get creative with your graphics:
    - What type of images do you need?
    - What do you want your images to say or do?
    - How does your image work with the other parts of your project?
Gather additional content (images, audio, video). Make sure you are keeping track of where you are getting all of your additional sources from. You want to do this from the start, so you don’t have to try and back track. This content could also be images, audio, or video that you use to create your own images. Additionally, make sure you use images that are available via creative commons or under fair use and you properly cite them.

Finalizing and Submitting Project

Edit & Finalize Project
- Video Projects
  - iMovie (Mac)
    - Already on mac products
  - Movie Maker (PC)
  - Adobe Creative Cloud Express
  - Exporting:
    - In iMovie: File -> Share -> File
      - File is being saved automatically; however, you need to go through these steps in order to share your final project.
      - The final file is unable to be edited and you will need to make changes in the project file.
    - Things to keep in mindFile size: Your files will be pretty large so you need enough space on your computer for them. Additionally, this will impact how you turn in materials, so make sure you plan time.Time: Exporting can take a while. Make sure you plan ahead of time.
- Other Projects:
  - Make sure you know how to download your files and what file type you will need
  - You want to leave yourself extra time for this step. Often, you run into issues at the end of the project.
- Things to keep in mind for all projects:
  - Google is a good resource for figuring out technical issues (try googling what you want to do if you get stuck. Ex: add titles in iMovie)
  - Click around and try out different things. Remember that there is always an undo button!
  - It can be very difficult to move projects between machines, so try to start on the computer you are planning on using.

Resources

Check out the resources below for helpful tips, programs, and more! These are divided up by media, but feel free to mix and match across these resources. For example, Canva is a great tool for making gifs, short videos, and graphic design content like social media posts and infographics!

Need additional help? Schedule a consultation with a CDEx team member or drop by open hours (M&W 2-4pm) and talk with the Assistant Director. Any additional questions can be sent to cdex@tcu.edu.

CDEx Resources:

Consultations – Click on the link to sign up for a one on one meeting with one of the CDEx team members about your project!
Video Resources – This page contains extra resources specifically for video projects.
Image Resources – Check here for resources for your image-based projects.
Audio Resources – From podcasts to adding sound to a video project, this link will guide you to resources for finding royalty free sounds and more!

Design Resources:

Image Resources:

Audio Resources:

Video Resources:

Schedule Consultation