Xtranormal

							                                                     Xtranormal:
                                              Creating Movies with Text

1. Sign up for an account at www.xtranormal.com
        a. Click on the “Create an account” link




       b. Create a username, put in an e-mail address and complete the captcha




       c. You will come to a success screen. DO NOT GO TO YOUR E-MAIL! Simply click on “Continue to Movie Maker”
          You can activate your account towards the end of the period




2. Select what scenario you’d like, and choose how many characters will speak.
3. Make your movie
       a. Orient yourself to the movie maker

                              Type your text here




Drag actions from
the list on the left
into your text on
the right



                                                                                                  You will only see
                                                                                                  your work after
Change the setting,                                                                               choosing “Preview”
background music,                                                                                 below. Save your
actors and their                                                                                  project periodically
voices here                                                                                       as you create. Only
                                                                                                  “Publish” when
                                                                                                  you’re finished.



          b. Type your text into the character boxes. To add new lines of dialog, click the “+” button at the bottom right
             corner of each grey box.
             TIP: For accents, type into a Word document or Google, then copy and paste into the script area.
             TIP: At times, you may need to spell phonetically.

          c. Change the voice of your character by selecting their avatar in the “Design the Scene” area. At the bottom of
             the screen, you will be able to select a speaker from your language.




          d. Add Actions by dragging them directly into your text.


                                                                TIP: These are computer-generated
                                                                voices. They don’t know when or how
                                                                long to pause. Be sure to include plenty
                                                                of pauses in order to make the dialog
                                                                sound natural. Choose the longer of the
                                                                two pauses for best result.
                                                Teacher Notes:

1. Consider beginning your Xtranormal activity in Word before introducing students to the site
       This keeps student focus on the dialog before introducing them to the animation tools
       Typing in Word allows students to use diacritical marks

2. There is one inappropriate gesture for the phrase “Up Yours”. You may want to address this with your
students prior to creating their movies.