Not every story has great visuals. Sometimes, you'll need to use everything, including the kitchen sink, to make a story more interesting for the viewer. The piece below on a new collection of drawings from the Columbus Museum is a prime example. It's an important story, but obviously doesn't involve car chases and gun battles. So here are a few ideas and things learned:
....Use a variety of camera moves when shooting a static subject. You can pan the camera from side-to-side, as well as tilt it up and down.
....Use your zoom lens to zoom in and out during the shot. Shoot several takes with this technique, adjusting the speed at which you zoom to see which works best.
....Combine the above techniques for more fun and the possible bonus of making your viewer a little dizzy in the process. When doing this, it helps to work backwards for planning purposes. Compose with the closing shot in the viewfinder and zoom out while panning. When you fully zoom out, that's where you'll want to begin.
....Get still photographs and use them in the program. It's easy in iMovie. They can remain stationary or can have the "Ken Burns effect" applied.
....Read the owners manual THOROUGHLY. I put Kristen Zohn, the subject, in the middle of the frame because I didn't realize I could manually focus my Elura camcorder. Next time, I'll use the rule of thirds to compose a nice shot with the subject off center.
....Play with all the transitions you have available. Some will work and some won't. I could probably be accused of going a little overboard, but who cares. You'll learn more by experimenting and failing than timidly never using all the bells and whistles your editing software and camera make available.