Picture Power II is a challenging and powerful sound-and-image editing programme on CD-ROM which enables students to create on-screen storyboards complete with voice and music soundtracks.
The stimulus for the storyboards comes from a series of five image banks, from which students can choose sequences of full colour pictures to build a narrative structure. The themed images include The Bill, Mainline Station, Pursued, Christmas Shopping and The Family. Using a familiar point, drag and drop technique, students can change the order of pictures, crop them to size and alter their duration on screen. Once student is satisfied with the storyline then - using the same technique - music and sound effects can be added to create and alter atmosphere. To complete the story, a range of transition effects can be added, together with captions and credits. The whole storyboard can then be played back as a slide show. As a bonus, completed work can be printed out for record purposes or off-screen discussion.
It took me less than ten minutes to read the instructions on the cover of the CD-ROM and then master the range of editing techniques. An equally short demonstration enabled my group of Year 6 pupils to be quickly engaged in producing their own storyboard. However, this belies the sophistication of the programme, because after mastering the pre-installed sequences, the students can install their own images, music and voiceovers. Up to 64 images can be imported from a scanner, digital camera or clip-art disc and manipulated to create an original sequence.
So Picture Power can be used to develop the literacy skills of narrative sequencing of both image and text and the way music and sound affects mood and atmosphere. It would be particularly motivational for less able students. More able students will understand that the same images, music and text can create entirely different messages and feelings depending on how they are edited. This can lead to discussions about bias and tone.
This programme should be an essential purchase for language, Media Studies and ICT teachers at both upper primary and secondary levels. Despite the tyranny of text-based SATs, I will ensure that Picture Power will form an important part of my media literacy work in future.
*To use your own image and sound files you need Picture Power II, which requires at least a Power Macintosh with System 7.5.3 or a Pentium 90Mhz with Windows 95, plus at least 16Mb RAM and a monitor which will display thousands of colours.
The original Picture Power will run on less powerful computers (eg Mac LCII with System 7.0.1 or 33MHZ 486 PC with Windows 3.1 and a Soundblaster card), so long as they have at least 4Mb RAM, a 2x CD-ROM drive and a 256-colour monitor.
© 2001 Rob James