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In dreams, time appears slow, especially if you’re running from a threat. Colours can take on a psychedelic hue and sounds, like your breathing, can become incorporated into the dream. We can mimic all of these dream properties using a combination of iMovie tricks and techniques! We’ll show you how to re-time a clip to slow it down and add dream-like transitions from one scene to the next. You’ll discover how to blur the edges of the frame, which is a common film language convention for any dream sequence. We’ll also show you how to change hue to create surreal colours and modify sound effects to create a dream-like soundscape.
1: Add source clips
Create a new Widescreen project with no theme, and use File>Import>Movies to add the shots from the Dream source clips folder to a new event.
2: Slow things down
Drag shot one to the Project window. Click on the clip and press ‘I’ to open the Inspector. In the Clip Inspector, set the Speed to 50%.
3: Blur edges
Go to Video Effect and, in the Choose Video Effect window, click on the Romantic thumbnail. This gives the edges of the frame a dream-like blur.
4: Psychedelic colours
Go to the Video Inspector and drag the White Point down and left to add a surreal purple hue. Pop the Saturation up to 140%.
5: Surreal sounds
Go back to the Clip Inspector and click the Audio Effect option. Choose the Echo option to create an eerie ambient sound effect then hit Done.
6: Copy and paste
Click on the clip and choose Edit>Copy. Add the other four clips. Click on each clip and choose Edit>Paste Adjustments>All.
7: Walking backwards
Click on the last clip and press ‘I’ to open the Inspector. In the Clip Inspector, click on the Reverse box to make people walk backwards.
8: Bit of a blur
Place a Cross Blur transition after the first clip. Use the Inspector to change Duration to 2:00. Tick Applies to all transitions and then click on Done.
9: Surreal sounds
Go to the Music and Sound Effects browser and choose the Foley folder. Add the Scuba Breathing sound to your project.
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This tutorial is the seventh in our Learn iMovie Week series; for more articles just like this, visit the Learn iMovie Week tag. At the end of the week, we’ll be giving away a prize to one lucky person who gets in touch with a question or problem related to iMovie on Mac or iOS. To get involved, simply tweet your question, plus the hashtag #LearniMovieWeek, to @iCreateMagazine or post on our Facebook wall.
