Video Essays

"Lick the Star" by Sofia Coppola is a fiction based video essay.  This short drama packed film is about a clique of high schools girls trying to take over the school.  I enjoyed this essay very much because of the cinematography.  I think that this video essay still could have worked as a paper essay, but the video aspect enhanced its quality.  All the scenes were in black and white and were visually appealing in their execution, along with being able to see the characters and what the author envisioned them looking like.  One scene in particular that was powerful in video format was the bathtub scene when Chloe attempted to kill herself after the whole school turning on her. I do not think it would have been as impactful if this essay were not in video form. Actors/actresses were hired for this short film and all the clips were original media.  The audio was all 90's rock which went perfectly with the time period and makes the viewer feel as if they are engulfed in that era while viewing the film.  For my video essay I definitely want fashion and beauty to play a role in it since that is something I am passionate about.  This video essay gave me inspiration with its fashion forward aesthetic .

"A Brief Look at Texting and the Internet in Film" by Tony Zhou takes on the genre of being a nonfiction thesis based video essay.  The idea behind the essay is film making and the evolution of on screen text messages and internet based displays.  This topic works particularly well for a video essay because while the author talks about the advancement of this technique used in film and shows, clips of the media are shown to reference his points.  It makes it easier for the reader to understand what he is talking about and experience for themselves the improvement. For instance Zhou shows clips of on screen text messages where the actor/actress is looking at their phone, reading the message. He goes on to say how this method of on screen portrayal is ineffective because the watcher becomes bored easily and struggles to read the message.  By him physically showing that the watcher gets to experience that same frustration he is talking about.  The audio for me didn't add too much, it was really just background noise to avoid silence.  The images were all clips from preexisting film, there was no original images included. I think for my video essay I want to go in this route but still give my own personal flair.  The author's creativity was not seen much through this video essay (since the bulk of it was reused clips) however his stance on the topic was very clear.

"One Step Away" by Caroline Rumley is about a dream the author had regarding trust in another person.  The genre of this essay was a poem based video essay. I am currently in a digital poetry class, so I've been learning all about what constitutes as digital poetry and this is an excellent example.  I particularly loved the audio in this essay because it was relaxing and calming and made me feel like I was in a trance.  I'm not sure if it was original audio.  The images were fuzzy and repetitive, yet all symbolized some form of trust, whether that be true in another or in yourself.  I really liked the one clip of the feet walking across a high board and jumping into the water.  It was a great representation of taking that leap of faith with someone and letting down walls.  I think the images were shot by the author with added effects over top of them, because they all had a blueish tone to them.  I enjoyed this video essay very much and know for mine that I want to incorporate original, artistic video.