One part to this week’s workshop is to figure out what is a video essay. This term is quite new to me, so I will explore the nature of a video essay in this blog.
An example found by Jake is screened during the workshop for further explanations of a video essay. The voiceover remains consistent throughout the video without showing the speaker. The visual presentation is all about shots of movies, behind the scenes and CG decomposition. So this is a really simple way of making a video essay.
Jake found this: “Why CG Sucks (Except It Doesn’t)”
Anna in our group found this and posted on our facebook group page:
This one is a bit more interesting than the previous one. With hand-drawn scenes, and singled-out photos, the imaging works with the voiceover perfectly. At the beginning of this short video, the six separate shots which will be used later in the video are presented in the same frame which resembles the effect of an introduction in an actual written essay. It is something our group can learn from for our video.
Comparing these two examples of video essays, I prefer the latter one. For the first one, there are definitely great examples and visuals explaining why CG doesn’t suck, but it has a constantly rambling voiceover. As a teaching video or a video for knowledge, it is ok, but if it is a video essay, the voiceover maybe too quick. The information is too condensed. In the Wes Anderson short film, the structure is great as it utilises “a box of summary” with six different shots appearing in the same frame. With a short introduction of the director, it is separated into “paragraphs” with examples to identify the style of Anderson, so the essay structure is quite distinct(which is good). This video is also stylish and interesting in its presentation which interests me to continue watching this video essay.
So, what is a video essay anyway? The essence of a written essay is that it is centred around a particular question on a topic which is proven with examples and explanations in the text. Also, it has an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Therefore, a video essay has traits of all above but a bit more fun is added. In a video, it can cover all forms for art, which make it special, having more possibilities than other form—music, design or literature. In relation to the examples given above, I find a video essay is a much harder challenge than a written essay. It seems like that it does not only requires academic research, but also a gathering of different mediums in oder to combine them into a new work. In other words, a video essay is an alternative form of the representation of an academic research around one single topic. It is great for having excites both auditory and visual senses, giving us a more coherent understanding of the discussed topic.
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Another thing we decided during this workshop is our research question: How had changing technologies affected the reception of news broadcasting? With thanks to Seth’s suggestions, we are now a lot clearer about the idea of the fourth project.
