iMovie, Apple’s entry level video editing tool, is still gaining fans. Tish Williams, senior writer for The Street says iMovie offers a good “beginner’s course” for all up-and-coming moviemakers.
“You’re going to need an Apple computer, which start at $799 — anyone can take simple home-movie clips and turn them into snappy, finished products with music and effects,” she writes.
Williams says that iMovie is so easy to master that you won’t need a manual. And it offers professional-looking effects; especially impressive considering that Apple gives the software away with all new Macs.
“If you’re dreaming of munching seared tuna with Hollywood’s A-list, iMovie is your starting point,” she concludes.
Meanwhile, in an Apple education article middle school teacher Maria Blasko talks about how iMovie is helping motivate at-risk students, mostly in low-income and underserved communities.
“When I was first introduced to iMovie, and saw how kid-friendly it was, I immediately saw its potential for use in the classroom,” Blasko said. “Then when I realized how really easy it is to download raw footage to your computer and start editing … well, it was just amazing! iMovie is something I’ll be using forever.”
Blasko received her introduction to iMovie from the former principal of the middle school where she taught last year. The two collaborated closely on the creation of Blasko’s first iMovie, which summarized the projects students would need to complete during the semester, and the books they’d be required to read. After posting the iMovie on an iTools for Education HomePage, Blasko says it was easy to share the coming semester’s curriculum with parents as well as students. And as soon as she played the finished iMovie for her students, they eagerly agreed to produce a project of their own.
Blasko tells Apple that the list of benefits that students derive from making iMovies is “extensive.” It’s truly cross-curriculum because it “touches on all of the things that kids are good at,” she said.