A: These videos are Windows Media Video (WMV) files. You need Windows Media Player 9 Series to view them. Don't have it? Download it here (for Windows XP) or here (for Windows 98 Second Edition, Me, and 2000). You may also need to download the right codec. Get it here.

 

A: Well, first off, you need video editing software. Windows Movie Maker 2 is an excellent free program to start with. It's easy to use, and it's fast. You can get it here. Once you've got this, all you need is your imagination (along with the right files). For every fanflick, there is video and audio. You can get the video files by ripping a DVD or downloading them from the Internet. I got my PoA files from a downloading program. I bought this program, so I can use these files legally. However you get your videos, DO NOT steal them from someone's fanflicks. People can spend hours upon hours getting the right clips and finding them legally, and then some people will easily steal their clips without asking. If you've seen some footage in my videos that you don't have access to, email me and ask permission. I will most likely say yes and send you the video clip(s). To get the audio, you need to find a song that would suit the characters, shippings, etc. You get the best results when you're listening to a song, and it reminds you of Harry Potter. Of course, sometimes you just want to make a video, and you don't have any particular song in mind. Your first thought would be to look through other fanflicks and steal those ideas. WRONG! That isn't a good idea. Search through Google for things like the category you want. If you search for "H/Hr fansite," a bunch of websites pop up, and sometime they'll have song suggestions for fanfics or fanflicks. This is 100% okay to do. Once you have a song in mind, you have to find it. The best, legal way to do this is to already own the CD the song is on and rip it from the CD. However, most songs you want to use aren't on the same CD, and it would cost a ton of money to buy all the CDs you would want. This is what Audio searches are for. Altavista Audio Search and Metacrawler are two examples. Search for your song and download it. Sometimes it is extremely hard to find songs, and you have to ask around for them. After you have all your media files, you have to upload them into the program. Once everything is uploaded, your video is just a few click and drags away. YOU WISH! Actually, now is the hard part. You have to go through the song in your head, find the lyrics, and think of all the clips that would go with each line of lyrics. Then you have to time everything out. It sounds like a very painful process, but once it's done, and you're watching your video, it's worth it.

 

A: You can either upload it to a webserver and make your own website, or you can email it to us!

 

A: Ripping a file from a DVD is basically copying it from the DVD and converting it to a usable video format. There are so many programs around the web, but the trick is to find a good one that costs nothing. The program I use is not available for download anymore, and I have been looking for a new program, so I'll give you a link to a free DVD ripping website. http://www.amigodvdripper.com/download.html.

 

A: Again, there are many programs out there that would do this job wonderfully. It is a fairly simple task. In fact, it could be done with even Windows Media Player. Another helpful program can be found here.

Q: Is it illegal to save a movie?

A: No, it is not illegal to save a movie to your computer, but if you upload the movie to your own website, please ask me first and give me credit for the video(s) on your website. However, there is no harm in simply saving the moivies to your own computer.