what is a video essay

What is a Video Essay? The Art of the Video Analysis Essay

I n the era of the internet and Youtube, the video essay has become an increasingly popular means of expressing ideas and concepts. However, there is a bit of an enigma behind the construction of the video essay largely due to the vagueness of the term.

What defines a video analysis essay? What is a video essay supposed to be about? In this article, we’ll take a look at the foundation of these videos and the various ways writers and editors use them creatively. Let’s dive in.

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What is a video essay?

First, let’s define video essay.

There is narrative film, documentary film, short films, and then there is the video essay. What is its role within the realm of visual media? Let’s begin with the video essay definition.

VIDEO ESSAY DEFINITION

A video essay is a video that analyzes a specific topic, theme, person or thesis. Because video essays are a rather new form, they can be difficult to define, but recognizable nonetheless. To put it simply, they are essays in video form that aim to persuade, educate, or critique.

These essays have become increasingly popular within the era of Youtube and with many creatives writing video essays on topics such as politics, music, film, and pop culture.

What is a video essay used for?

To persuade an audience of a thesis
To educate on a specific subject
To analyze and/or critique

What is a video essay based on?

Establish a thesis.

Video analysis essays lack distinguished boundaries since there are countless topics a video essayist can tackle. Most essays, however, begin with a thesis.

How Christopher Nolan Elevates the Movie Montage • Video Analysis Essays

Good essays often have a point to make. This point, or thesis, should be at the heart of every video analysis essay and is what binds the video together.

Stanley Kubrick Directing Style Explained →
A Filmmaker’s Guide to Nolan’s Directing Style →
How to Write a Voice Over Montage in a Script →

interviews in video essay

Utilize interviews.

A key determinant for the structure of an essay is the source of the ideas. A common source for this are interviews from experts in the field. These interviews can be cut and rearranged to support a thesis.

Roger Deakins on "Learning to Light" • Video Analysis Essays

Utilizing first hand interviews is a great way to utilize ethos into the rhetoric of a video. However, it can be limiting since you are given a limited amount to work with. Voice over scripts, however, can give you the room to say anything.

How to create the best video essays on Youtube

Write voice over scripts.

Voice over (VO) scripts allow video essayists to write out exactly what they want to say. This is one of the most common ways to structure a video analysis essay since it gives more freedom to the writer. It is also a great technique to use when taking on large topics.

In this video, it would have been difficult to explain every type of camera lens by cutting sound bites from interviews of filmmakers. A voice over script, on the other hand, allowed us to communicate information directly when and where we wanted to.

Ultimate Guide to Camera Lenses • Video essay examples

Some of the most famous video essayists like Every Frame a Painting and Nerdwriter1 utilize voice over to capitalize on their strength in writing video analysis essays. However, if you’re more of an editor than a writer, the next type of essay will be more up your alley.

Video analysis essay without a script

Edit a supercut.

Rather than leaning on interview sound bites or voice over, the supercut video depends more on editing. You might be thinking “What is a video essay without writing?” The beauty of the video essay is that the writing can be done throughout the editing. Supercuts create arguments or themes visually through specific sequences.

Another one of the great video essay channels, Screen Junkies, put together a supercut of the last decade in cinema. The video could be called a portrait of the last decade in cinema.

2010 - 2019: A Decade In Film • Best videos on Youtube

This video is rather general as it visually establishes the theme of art during a general time period. Other essays can be much more specific.

Critical essays

Video essays are a uniquely effective means of creating an argument. This is especially true in critical essays. This type of video critiques the facets of a specific topic.

In this video, by one of the best video essay channels, Every Frame a Painting, the topic of the film score is analyzed and critiqued — specifically temp film score.

Every Frame a Painting Marvel Symphonic Universe • Essay examples

Of course, not all essays critique the work of artists. Persuasion of an opinion is only one way to use the video form. Another popular use is to educate.

The Different Types of Camera Lenses →
Write and Create Professionally Formatted Screenplays →
How to Create Unforgettable Film Moments with Music →

Video analysis essay

Visual analysis.

One of the biggest advantages that video analysis essays have over traditional, written essays is the use of visuals. The use of visuals has allowed video essayists to display the subject or work that they are analyzing. It has also allowed them to be more specific with what they are analyzing. Writing video essays entails structuring both words and visuals.

Take this video on There Will Be Blood for example. In a traditional, written essay, the writer would have had to first explain what occurs in the film then make their analysis and repeat.

This can be extremely inefficient and redundant. By analyzing the scene through a video, the points and lessons are much more clear and efficient.

There Will Be Blood • Subscribe on YouTube

Through these video analysis essays, the scene of a film becomes support for a claim rather than the topic of the essay.

Dissect an artist

Essays that focus on analysis do not always focus on a work of art. Oftentimes, they focus on the artist themself. In this type of essay, a thesis is typically made about an artist’s style or approach. The work of that artist is then used to support this thesis.

Nerdwriter1, one of the best video essays on Youtube, creates this type to analyze filmmakers, actors, photographers or in this case, iconic painters.

Caravaggio: Master Of Light • Best video essays on YouTube

In the world of film, the artist video analysis essay tends to cover auteur filmmakers. Auteur filmmakers tend to have distinct styles and repetitive techniques that many filmmakers learn from and use in their own work.

Stanley Kubrick is perhaps the most notable example. In this video, we analyze Kubrick’s best films and the techniques he uses that make so many of us drawn to his films.

Why We're Obsessed with Stanley Kubrick Movies • Video essay examples

Critical essays and analytical essays choose to focus on a piece of work or an artist. Essays that aim to educate, however, draw on various sources to teach technique and the purpose behind those techniques.

What is a video essay written about?

Historical analysis.

Another popular type of essay is historical analysis. Video analysis essays are a great medium to analyze the history of a specific topic. They are an opportunity for essayists to share their research as well as their opinion on history.

Our video on aspect ratio , for example, analyzes how aspect ratios began in cinema and how they continue to evolve. We also make and support the claim that the 2:1 aspect ratio is becoming increasingly popular among filmmakers.

Why More Directors are Switching to 18:9 • Video analysis essay

Analyzing the work of great artists inherently yields a lesson to be learned. Some essays teach more directly.

Types of Camera Movements in Film Explained →
What is Aspect Ratio? A Formula for Framing Success →
Visualize your scenes with intuitive online shotlist software →

Writing video essays about technique

Teach technique.

Educational essays designed to teach are typically more direct. They tend to be more valuable for those looking to create art rather than solely analyze it.

In this video, we explain every type of camera movement and the storytelling value of each. Educational essays must be based on research, evidence, and facts rather than opinion.

Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement • Best video essays on YouTube

As you can see, there are many reasons why the video essay has become an increasingly popular means of communicating information. Its ability to use both sound and picture makes it efficient and effective. It also draws on the language of filmmaking to express ideas through editing. But it also gives writers the creative freedom they love.

Writing video essays is a new art form that many channels have set high standards for. What is a video essay supposed to be about? That’s up to you.

Organize Post Production Workflow

The quality of an essay largely depends on the quality of the edit. If editing is not your strong suit, check out our next article. We dive into tips and techniques that will help you organize your Post-Production workflow to edit like a pro.

Up Next: Post Production →

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What Is a Video Essay? Definition & Examples Of Video Essays

A video essay consists of a series of videos that collectively, present an in-depth analysis or interpretation of a given subject or topic.

In this way, a video essay can be thought of as a condensed version of a lengthy written article.

VIDEO ESSAY

What is a video essay.

A video essay is an audio-visual presentation of your thoughts on a topic or text that usually lasts between 5 and 10 minutes long.

It can take the form of any type of media such as film, animation, or even PowerPoint presentations.

The most important thing to remember when creating a video essay is to include voiceover narration throughout the whole project so that viewers feel they are listening in on your thoughts and ideas rather than watching passively.

Video essays are typically created by content creators’ critics to make arguments about cinema, television, art history, and culture more broadly.

Ever wondered how ideas unfold in the dynamic world of video?

That’s where video essays come in.

They’re a compelling blend of documentary and personal reflection, packed into a visually engaging package.

We’ll dive deep into the art of the video essay, a form that’s taken the internet by storm.

In this article, we’ll explore how video essays have revolutionized storytelling and education.

They’re not just a person talking to a camera; they’re a meticulously crafted narrative, often weaving together film footage, voiceover, text, and music to argue and inform.

Stick with us as we unpack the nuances that make video essays a unique and powerful medium for expression and learning.

Components Of A Video Essay

As storytellers and educators, we recognize the intricate elements that comprise a video essay.

Each component is vital for communicating the essay’s message and maintaining the audience’s engagement.

Narrative Structure serves as the backbone of a video essay.

Our crafting of this structure relies on a cinematic approach where the beginning, middle, and end serve to introduce, argue, and explore our ideas.

Film Footage then breathes life into our words.

We handpick scenes from various sources, be it iconic or obscure, to visually accentuate our narrative.

The Voiceover we provide acts as a guide for our viewers.

It delivers our analysis and commentary, ensuring our perspective is heard.

Paired with this is the Text and Graphics segment, offering another layer of interpretation.

We animate bullet points, overlay subtitles, and incorporate infographics to highlight key points.

Our sound design, specifically the Music and Sound Effects , creates the video essay’s atmosphere.

It underscores the emotions we wish to evoke and punctuates the points we make.

This auditory component is as crucial as the visual, as it can completely change the viewer’s experience.

We also pay close attention to the Editing and Pacing .

This ensures our video essays are not only informative but also engaging.

The rhythm of the cuts and transitions keeps viewers invested from start to finish.

In essence, a strong video essay is a tapestry woven with:

Narrative Structure – the story’s framework,
Film Footage – visual evidence supporting our claims,
Voiceover – our distinctive voice that narrates the essay,
Text and Graphics – the clarity of our arguments through visual aids,
Music and Sound Effects – the emotive undercurrent of our piece,
Editing and Pacing – the flow that maintains engagement.

Each element works Along with the others, making our video essays not just informative, but also a cinematic experience.

Through these components, we offer a comprehensive yet compelling way of storytelling that captivates and educates our audience.

The Power Of Visual Storytelling

Visual storytelling harnesses the innate human attraction to imagery and narrative.

At its core, a video essay is a compelling form of visual storytelling that combines the rich tradition of oral narrative with the dynamic appeal of cinema.

The impact of visual storytelling in video essays can be profound.

When crafted effectively, they engage viewers on multiple sensory levels – not just audibly but visually, leading to a more immersive and memorable experience.

Imagery in visual storytelling isn’t merely decorative.

It’s a crucial carrier of thematic content, enhancing the narrative and supporting the overarching message.

By incorporating film footage and stills, video essays create a tapestry of visuals that resonate with viewers.

Film Footage – Brings concepts to life with cinematic flair,
Stills and Graphics – Emphasize key points and add depth to the narrative.

Through the deliberate choice of images and juxtaposition, video essays are able to articulate complex ideas.

They elicit emotions and evoke reactions that pure text or speech cannot match.

From documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth to educational content on platforms like TED-Ed, video essays have proven their capacity to inform and inspire.

Sound design in video essays goes beyond mere accompaniment; it’s an integral component of storytelling.

Music and sound effects set the tone, heighten tension, and can even alter the audience’s perception of the visuals.

It’s this synergy that elevates the story, giving it texture and nuance.

Music – Sets the emotional tone,
Sound Effects – Enhances the realism of the visuals.

Crafting a narrative in this medium isn’t just about what’s on screen.

It requires an understanding of how each element – from script to sound – works in concert.

This unity forms an intricate dance of auditory and visual elements that can transform a simple message into a powerful narrative experience.

The Influence Of Video Essays In Education

Video essays have become a dynamic tool in academic settings, transcending traditional teaching methods.

By blending entertainment with education, they engage students in ways that lectures and textbooks alone cannot.

How To Create A Powerful Video Essay

Creating a compelling video essay isn’t just about stitching clips together.

It requires a blend of critical thinking, storytelling, and technical skill.

Choose a Central Thesis that resonates with your intended audience.

Like any persuasive essay, your video should have a clear argument or point of view that you aim to get across.

Research Thoroughly to support your thesis with factual data and thought-provoking insights.

Whether you’re dissecting themes in The Great Gatsby or examining the cinematography of Citizen Kane , your analysis must be thorough and well-founded.

Plan Your Narrative Structure before jumping into the editing process.

Decide the flow of your argument and how each segment supports your central message.

Typically, you’d include:

An intriguing introduction – set the stage for what’s coming,
A body that elaborates your thesis – present your evidence and arguments,
Clearly separated sections – these act as paragraphs would in written essays.

Visuals Are Key in a video essay.

We opt for high-quality footage that not only illustrates but also enhances our narrative.

Think of visuals as examples that will bring your argument to life.

Audio selection Should Never Be an Afterthought.

Pair your visuals with a soundtrack that complements the mood you’re aiming to create.

Voice-overs should be clear and paced in a way that’s easy for the audience to follow.

Editing Is Where It All Comes Together.

Here, timing and rhythm are crucial to maintain viewer engagement.

We ensure our cuts are clean and purposeful, and transition effects are used judiciously.

Interactive Elements like on-screen text or graphics can add a layer of depth to your video essay.

Use such elements to highlight important points or data without disrupting the flow of your narrative.

Feedback Is Invaluable before finalizing your video essay.

We often share our drafts with a trusted group to gain insights that we might have missed.

It’s a part of refining our work to make sure it’s as impactful as it can be.

Remember, creating a video essay is about more than compiling clips and sound – it’s a form of expression that combines film criticism with visual storytelling.

It’s about crafting an experience that informs and intrigues, compelling the viewer to see a subject through a new lens.

With the right approach, we’re not just delivering information; we’re creating an immersive narrative experience.

What Is A Video Essay – Wrap Up

We’ve explored the intricate craft of video essays, shedding light on their ability to captivate and inform.

By weaving together compelling visuals and sound with a strong narrative, we can create immersive experiences that resonate with our audience.

Let’s harness these tools and share our stories, knowing that with the right approach, our video essays can truly make an impact.

Remember, it’s our unique perspective and creative vision that will set our work apart in the ever-evolving landscape of digital storytelling.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is visual storytelling in video essays.

Visual storytelling in video essays is the craft of using visual elements to narrate a story or present an argument, engaging viewers on a sensory level beyond just text or speech.

Why Is Visual Storytelling Important In Video Essays?

Visual storytelling is important because it captures attention and immerses the audience, making the content more memorable and impactful through the integration of visuals, sound, and narrative.

What Are The Key Elements Of A Powerful Video Essay?

The key elements include a central thesis, thorough research, a well-planned narrative structure, high-quality visuals, fitting audio, effective editing, interactive components, and a compelling immersive narrative experience.

How Do I Choose A Central Thesis For My Video Essay?

Choose a central thesis that is focused, debatable, and thought-provoking to anchor your video essay and give it a clear direction.

What Should I Focus On During The Research Phase?

Focus on gathering varied and credible information that supports your thesis and enriches the narrative with compelling facts and insights.

What Role Does Audio Play In Video Essays?

Audio enhances the visual experience by adding depth to the narrative, providing emotional cues, and aiding in information retention.

How Can Interactive Elements Improve My Video Essay?

Interactive elements can enhance engagement by allowing viewers to participate actively, often leading to a deeper understanding and connection with the content.

Why Is Feedback Important In Creating A Video Essay?

Feedback is crucial as it provides insights into how your video essay is perceived, allowing you to make adjustments to improve clarity, impact, and viewer experience.

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A video essay is a type of video that is used to present a single, cohesive argument or idea. They can be used to communicate a complex idea in a way that is easy to understand. They can also be used to show how a

It is indeed.

Absolutely, Greg.

Great post! I found the definition of video essays to be particularly insightful.

As someone who is new to the world of video essays, it’s helpful to understand the different forms and purposes of this medium. The examples you provided were also enlightening, particularly the one on the First Amendment.

I’m looking forward to exploring more video essays in the future!

I found this post to be incredibly informative and helpful in understanding the concept of video essays.

As a budding filmmaker, I’m intrigued by the idea of blending traditional essay structure with visual storytelling. The examples provided in the post were particularly insightful, showcasing the versatility of video essays in capturing complex ideas and emotions. I can’t wait to explore this medium further and see where it takes me!

I found this post really fascinating, especially the section on the different types of video essays. I never knew there were so many variations!

As a student, I’m definitely going to start experimenting with video essays as a way to express myself and communicate my ideas. Thanks for sharing!

Interesting read! I’m curious to explore more video essays and see how they can be used to convey complex ideas in an engaging way.

Appreciate the comment

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How to Write a Video Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide and Tips

by Joseph Kenas
January 5, 2024
Writing Tips

The video essay has become an increasingly popular way of presenting ideas and concepts in the age of the internet and YouTube. In this guide, we present a step-by-step guide on how to write a video essay and tips on how to make it.

While it is easy to write a normal essay, the structure of the video essay is a bit of a mystery, owing to the newness of the term.

However, in this article, we are going to define what is a video essay, how to write a video essay, and also How to present a video essay well in class.

What is a Video Essay?

A video essay is a video that delves into a certain subject, concept, person, or thesis. Video essays are difficult to characterize because they are a relatively new form, yet they are recognized regardless. Simply, video essays are visual compilations that try to persuade, educate, or criticize.

These days, there are many creatives making video essays on topics like politics, music, movies, and pop culture.

With these, essays have become increasingly popular in the era of video media such as Youtube, Vimeo, and others.

Video essays, like photo and traditional essays, tell a story or make a point.

The distinction is that video essays provide information through visuals.

When creating a video essay, you can incorporate video, images, text, music, and/or narration to make it dynamic and successful.

When you consider it, many music videos are actually video essays.

Since making videos for YouTube and other video sites has grown so popular, many professors are now assigning video essays instead of regular essays to their students. So the question is, how do you write a video essay script?

Steps on How to Write a Video Essay Script

Unscripted videos cost time, effort, and are unpleasant to watch. The first thing you should do before making a video writes a script, even if it’s only a few lines long. Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of writing a script. All you need is a starting point.

A video script is important for anyone who wants to film a video with more confidence and clarity. They all contain comparable forms of information, such as who is speaking, what is said, where, and other important details.

While there are no precise criteria that a video essay must follow, it appears that most renowned video essayists are adhering to some steps as the form gets more popular and acknowledged online.

1. Write a Thesis

Because a video essayist can handle a wide range of themes, video analysis essays lack defined bounds. The majority of essays, on the other hand, begin with a thesis.

A thesis is a statement, claim, theme, or concept that the rest of the essay is built around. A thesis might be broad, including a variety of art forms. Other theses can be quite detailed.

A good essay will almost always have a point to express. Every video analysis essay should have a central idea, or thesis, that ties the film together.

2. Write a Summary

Starting with a brief allows you and your team to document the answers to the most pressing project concerns. It ensures that everyone participating in the video production is on the same page.

This will avoid problems of mixing ideas or getting stuck when you are almost completing the project.

3. Choose a Proper Environment and Appropriate Tools

When it comes to writing your script, use any tool you’re familiar with, such as pen and paper. Also, find a writing atmosphere that is relaxing for you, where you can concentrate and be creative.

Consider what you don’t have to express out loud when you’re writing. Visual elements will be used to communicate a large portion of your content.

4. Use a Template

When you don’t have to reinvent the process every time you sit down, you get speed and consistency.

It’s using your cumulative knowledge of what works and doing it over and over again. Don’t start with a blank page when I sit down to create a script- try to use an already made template.

5. Be Conversational

You want scripts that use language that is specific and targeted. Always avoid buzzwords, cliches, and generalizations. You want your audience to comprehend you clearly without rolling their eyes.

6. Be Narrative

Make careful to use a strong story structure when you’re trying to explain anything clearly. Ensure your script has a beginning, middle, and end, no matter how short it is. This will provide a familiar path for the viewers of your video script.

7. Edit Your Script

Make each word work for a certain position on the page when you choose your words.

They must serve a purpose.

After you’ve completed your first draft, go over your script and review it.

Then begin editing, reordering, and trimming. Remove as much as possible.

Consider cutting it if it isn’t helping you achieve your goal.

8. Read Your Script Loudly

Before recording or going on in your process, it’s recommended to read your script aloud at least once. Even if you won’t be the one reading it, this is a good method to ensure that your message is clear. It’s a good idea to be away from people so you may practice in peace.

Words that flow well on paper don’t always flow well when spoken aloud. You might need to make some adjustments based on how tough certain phrases are to pronounce- it’s a lot easier to change it now than when recording.

9. Get Feedback

Sometimes it is very difficult to point out your mistakes in any piece of writing. Therefore, if you want a perfect video essay script, it is advisable to seek feedback from people who are not involved in the project.

Keep in mind that many will try to tear your work apart and make you feel incompetent. However, it can also be an opportunity to make your video better.

The best way to gather feedback is to assemble a group of people and read your script to them. Watch their facial reaction and jot own comments as you read. Make sure not to defend your decisions. Only listen to comments and ask questions to clarify.

After gathering feedback, decide on what points to include in your video essay. Also, you can ask someone else to read it to you so that you can listen to its follow.

A video essay can be a good mode to present all types of essays, especially compare and contrast essays as you can visually contrast the two subjects of your content.

How to make a Good Video from your Essay Script

You can make a good video from your script if you ask yourself the following questions;

What is the video’s purpose? What is the purpose of the video in the first place?
Who is this video’s intended audience?
What is the subject of our video? (The more precise you can be, the better.)
What are the most important points to remember from the video?- What should viewers take away from it?

If the context had multiple characters, present their dialogues well in the essay to bring originality. If there is a need to involve another person, feel free to incorporate them.

How to Present a Video Essay Well in Class

Write down keywords or main ideas in a notecard; do not write details- writing main ideas will help you remember your points when presenting. This helps you scan through your notecard for information.
Practice- in presentations it is easy to tell who has practiced and who hasn’t. For your video essay to grab your class and professor’s attention, practice is the key. Practice in front of your friends and family asking for feedback and try to improve.
Smile at your audience- this is one of the most important points when presenting anything in front of an audience. A smiley face draws the attention of the audience making them smile in return thus giving you confidence.
Walk to your seat with a smile- try not to be disappointed even if you are not applauded. Be confident that you have aced your video presentation.

VIDEO ESSAYS GUIDE

Introductory guide to video essays, introduction to video essays, studying and researching film through film, “if it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed” – stanley kubrick, "...why can filmmaking, film curation, and film criticism not co-exist” – lindiwe dovey.

Drawing on the inspiring work of pioneering educators and researchers engaging with this creative method, this guide aims to offer a research-led introduction for students, teachers and researchers approaching the video essay for the first time.

From 2014, with the foundation of [in]Transition, the first online, open access, peer-reviewed journal of videographic film and moving image studies, an increasing number of academic journals have been welcoming video essays. However, the written word remains the dominant language to disseminate scholarly work, with shared conventions in terms of register, structure and length. In contrast, a glimpse at the range of published video essays evidences the diversity of approaches. While this may be a great opportunity for innovation and creativity, it also presents challenges. How to make video essays? What are their pedagogical benefits, as compared to written papers? What are the technological expectations? How to design assessment briefs to ensure they are equivalent to written papers? Is such equivalence relevant? If the approaches are so varied, what are the criteria of evaluation? What are the copyright issues, if any, when reusing creative work for the purpose of making an argument, audiovisually? And, more importantly, where to start?

Video essays are scholarly videos that invite researchers and class members to explore the audiovisual and multimedia language to make an academic argument. When applied to film research and pedagogy, the video essay is thus a recursive text. That is, the object of study, film, is mediated, or rather, performed, through the film medium. This is a kind of academic piece that encourages creativity, but more importantly, action. As such, video essays have a transformative dimension. When used in the classroom, for instance, as creative assessment methods, they foster a collaborative environment where teachers and students - that is, class members - are co-producers of knowledge, informed by different positionalities. Video essays can thus contribute to a kind of education that Paulo Friere (2018[1978]: 80-81) referred to as the “problem-posing education”, as “the practice of freedom”. This contrasts with the “banking” or “digestive” education as the practice of domination, where students are mere passive recipients of the knowledge transferred from tutors. As universities seek to decolonise the curriculum, video essays seem as pertinent as ever to foster active, creative and critical modes of learning, based on thinking through making. However, the experimental potential in video essays also leads to a certain degree of uncertainty to all class members and eager researchers who would like to venture into this creative arena of knowledge production. Creative educators and researchers are collectively seeking an academic space for video essays, legitimising their production, and suggesting ways of engaging with this kind of recursive language.

As Christian Keathley notes, “the essential question faced in the production of scholarly video is not technical, but conceptual” (2012). That is, video essays, like any other scholarly work, are concerned with the contribution to knowledge. But, how to achieve this? In this guide, we first look at the existing guidelines for the production and evaluation across the different journals, finding some coherence across them. We then suggest some ways of making them, dividing the process in three phases: preproduction, production and postproduction, in alignment with the filmmaking process. These guidelines do not aim to be prescriptive by any means. Rather, they seek to assist the video-making process . Due to our emphasis on the academic value of video essays, we further offer an overview to copyright considerations to take into account for its lawful, ethical and rigorous publication . We also include several journals and dissemination spaces. Finally, we share a case study of the application of the video essay as a creative assessment method at SOAS, University of London.

How to make video essays. Dr Shane O’Sullivan, Senior Lecturer in Filmmaking at Kingston University and Curator of Archives for Education .

Finding Coherence Across Journals

How to make video essay guides, copyright considerations, dissemination.

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Visual Rhetoric

Video essay resource guide.

PAR 102 (M-Th, 9 AM- 5 PM) Fine Arts Library Media Lab (same hours as FAL) PCL Media Lab (same hours as PCL)

About video essays

What are they.

“The video essay is often described as a form of new media, but the basic principles are as old as rhetoric: the author makes an assertion, then presents evidence to back up his claim. Of course it was always possible for film critics to do this in print, and they’ve been doing it for over 100 years, following more or less the same template that one would use while writing about any art form: state your thesis or opinion, then back it with examples. In college, I was assured that in its heart, all written criticism was essentially the same – that in terms of rhetorical construction, book reviews, music reviews, dance reviews and film reviews were cut from the same cloth, but tailored to suit the specific properties of the medium being described, with greater emphasis given to form or content depending on the author’s goals and the reader’s presumed interest.”

Matt Zoller Seitz on the video essay .

what makes a good video essay?

Tony Zhou on how to structure a video essay

Kevin B. Lee on what makes a video essay “ great “

why should we use them? what are their limits?

Kevin B. Lee’s experimental/artistic pitch for video essays

Kevin B. Lee’s mainstream pitch for video essay

“Of all the many developments in the short history of film criticism and scholarship, the video essay has the greatest potential to challenge the now historically located text-based dominance of the appraisal and interpretation of film and its contextual cultures…”

Andrew McWhirter argues that t he video essay has significant academic potential in the Fall 2015 issue of Screen

“Importantly, the [new] media stylo does not replace traditional scholarship. This is a new practice beyond traditional scholarship. So how does critical media differ from traditional scholarship and what advantages does it offer? First, as you will see with the works in this issue, critical media demonstrates a shift in rhetorical mode. The traditional essay is argumentative-thesis, evidence, conclusion. Traditional scholarship aspires to exhaustion, to be the definitive, end-all-be-all, last word on a particular subject. The media stylo, by contrast, suggests possibilities-it is not the end of scholarly inquiry; it is the beginning. It explores and experiments and is designed just as much to inspire as to convince…”

Eric Fadden’s “ A Manifesto for Critical Media “

Adam Westbrook’s “ The Web-Video Problem: Why It’s Time to Rethinking Visual Storytelling from the Bottom Up “

Video essayists and venues

Matt Zoller Seitz (various venues) A writer and director by trade, Zoller Seitz is nonetheless probably best known as a prominent American cultural critic. He’s made over 1000 hours of video essays and is generally recognized as a founder of the video essay movement in high-brow periodicals. A recognized expert on Wes Anderson, Zoller Seitz is also notable because he often mixes other cinematic media (especially television) into his analysis, as in the above example, which doubles as an experiment in the absence of voiceover.

Various contributors, Press Play Co-founded by Matt Zoller Seitz and Ken Cancelosi, Press Play (published by Indiewire) is one of the oldest high-brow venues for video essays about television, cinema, and other aspects of popular culture.

Various contributors, Keyframe (A Fandor online publication) Fandor’s video essay department publishes work from many editors (what many video essayists call themselves) on and in a range of topics and styles. Check it out to get an idea of all that things a video essay can do!

Various contributors, Moving Image Source A high-brow publication for video essays.

Tony Zhou, Every Frame a Painting The master of video essays on filmic form, Tony’s arguments are clean, simple, and well-evidenced. Look to Tony as an example of aggressive and precise editing and arrangement. He’s also an excellent sound editor–pay attention to his choices and try out some of his sound-mixing techniques in your essay.

Adam Johnston, Your Movie Sucks (YMS) Although an excellent example of epideictic film rhetoric, this channel is a great example of what not to do in this assignment (write a movie review, gush about how good/bad you think a movie is, focus on motifs or narrative content instead of film form as the center of your argument). What you can learn from Adam is a lot about style. Adam’s delivery, pacing, and editing all work together to promote a mildly-disinterested-and-therefore-credible ethos through a near-monotone, which I’ll affectionately dub the “Daria” narratorial ethos.

Adam Westbrook, delve.tv Adam Westbrook is part of an emerging group of professional video essayists and delve.tv is his version of a visual podcast. Using the video essay form, Adam has developed a professional public intellectual ethos for himself through skillful overlay of explanation/interpretation and concept. Check out Westbrook’s work as a really good example of presenting and representing visual concepts crucial to an argument. He’s a master at making an argument in the form of storytelling, and he uses the video essay as a vehicle for that enterprise.

:: kogonada (various venues) If you found yourself wondering what the auteur video essay might look like, :: kogonada is it. I like to call this “expressionist” video essay style. Kogonada is the ultimate minimalist when it comes to voiceover/text over–its message impossibly and almost excessively efficient. Half of the videos in his library are simple, expertly-executed supercuts , highlighting how heavily video essays rely on the “supercut” technique to make an argument. Crafting an essay in this style really limits your audience and may not be a very good fit for the constraints of assignment (very “cutting edge,” as we talked about it in class), but you will probably draw inspiration from ::kogonada’s distinct, recognizable style, as well as an idea of what a video essay can do at the outer limits of its form.

Lewis Bond, Channel Criswell Narrating in brogue-y Northern English, Bond takes his time, releasing a very carefully-edited, high-production video essay once every couple of months. He’s a decent editor, but I feel his essays tend to run long, and I feel rushed by his narration at times. Bond also makes a useful distinction between video essays and analysis/reviews on his channel–and while most of his analysis/reviews focus on film content (what you don’t want to imitate), his video essays stay pretty focused on film technique (what you do). Hearing the same author consciously engage in two different modes of analysis might help you better understand the distinction between the two, as well.

Jack Nugent, Now You See It Nugent’s brisk, formal analysis is both insightful and accessible–a good example of what it takes to secure a significant following in the highly-competitive Youtube marketplace. [That’s my way of slyly calling him commercial.] Nugent is especially good at pairing his narration with his images. Concentrate and reflect upon his simple pairings as you watch–how does Nugent help you process both sets of information at the pacing he sets?

Evan Puschak, The Nerdwriter Nerdwriter is a great example the diversity of topics a video essay can be used to craft an argument about. Every week, Puschak publishes an episode on science, art, and culture. Look at all the different things Puschak considers visual rhetoric and think about how he’s using the video essay form to make honed, precisely-executed arguments about popular culture.

Dennis Hartwig and John P. Hess, FilmmakerIQ Hartwig and Hess use video essays to explain filmmaking technique to aspiring filmmakers. I’ve included the channel here as another example of what not to do in your argument, although perhaps some of the technical explanations that Hartwig and Hess have produced might help you as secondary sources. Your target audience (someone familiar on basic film theory trying to better understand film form) is likely to find the highly technical, prescriptive arguments on FilmIQ boring or alienating. Don’t focus on technical production in your essay (how the film accomplishes a particular visual technique using a camera); rather, focus on how the audience interprets the end result in the film itself; in other words, focus on choices the audience can notice and interpret–how is the audience interpreting the product of production? How often is the audience thinking about/noticing production in that process?

Kevin B. Lee (various venues) A good example of the older, high-brow generation of video essayists, Kevin’s collection of work hosted on his Vimeo channel offers slow, deliberate, lecture-inspired readings of film techniques and form. Note the distinct stylistic difference between Kevin’s pacing and someone like Zhou or Lewis. How does delivery affect reception?

Software Guides

How to access Lynda tutorials (these will change your life)

Handbrake and MakeMKV (file converters)

Adobe Premiere (video editing)

Camtasia (screen capture)

File management

Use your free UTBox account to upload and manage your files. Make sure you’ve got some sort of system for tracking and assembling everything into your video editing software. UTBox has a 2 terabyte limit (much higher than Google Drive) and is an excellent file management resource for all sorts of academic work.

Adobe Premiere saves versions with links to your video files, so it’s imperative that you keep your video files folder in the same place on every machine you open it up on. That’s why I keep all my video files in a big folder on box that I drop on the desktop of any machine I’m working on before I open my premiere files. The Adobe Premiere project walkthrough has more details on this.

Where to find video and how to capture it

About fair use . Make sure your composition complies with the Fair Use doctrine and familiarize yourself with the four criteria.

The best place to capture images is always from a high-resolution DVD or video file . The first place you should go to get the film is the library– see instructions for searching here .

To import the video and audio from your DVD or video file into your video editing software (like Premiere), you will first need to use a software to convert it to an .mkv. See instructions on how to do that here .

Camtasia tutorials . Camtasia is a program that allows you to capture anything that’s going on on your screen . This is a critical tool for this assignment as you decide what kind of interface you want to present to your reader in your video essay. Camtasia also allows you to capture any high-quality video playing on your desktop without licensing restrictions.

You can also use Clip Converter to capture images and sound from pre-existing YouTube videos , and it may be a little faster and easier than Camtasia. I suggest converting things into .mkv before putting them into your video editor, regardless of where you get the material from.

Film theory and criticism

/r/truefilm’s reading and viewing guide

Introduction to video-essays

Post author By Mariia Makutonina
Post date November 24, 2021

While we wait for the Videography course to become again available at Middlebury, I invite you to discover the world of video essays on your own terms through these five artists.

Video essay is a piece of video content that, much like a written essay, advances an argument. The only difference is that a video essay takes advantage of the structure and language of film to deliver its point.

Kogonada Discover masterfully constructed video essays from the writer-director Kogonada who reveals through visual arguments the power of cinematography in your favourite. His works are STRIKINGLY beautiful and give you an amazing insight into the history of film and its artistic power to create emotional response in viewers worldwide. You can start your exploration with this piece on Italian Neo-realism: http://kogonada.com/portfolio/what-is-neorealism
Shanespeare If you are looking for more casual, relaxed and chattier video-essay experience, you should definitely check out Shanespeare channel on YouTube. Shaniya explores a variety of cultural, societal and media subjects using popular films we consume to ask critical questions about our collective values. And it’s great fun, too! She manages to combine highly academic rhetoric with casual Gen-z language and jokes, making you feel like you are listening to a friend’s banter about pop culture’s latest trends. I recommend this piece on How Hollywood Demonizes Feminity .
Nerdwriter We all sooner or later discover this channel on Youtube and inevitably fall in love with Evan Pushak’s beautiful voice, slick visuals and highly engaging philosophical reflections on a myriad of humanity subjects. Whether you want to look at the film you love from a new, unexpected perspective, learn about history, architecture, painting or like me, discover the poetry of Emily Dickinson and E.E. Cummings, you absolutely must check out this page if you haven’t already done so before. You can start with this piece Time, Tarkovsky And Pandemic .
What’s So Great About That? Grace Lee is the queen of engaging with dense, very specific media subjects with seeming ease and relaxed attitude that you cannot stop watching whatever video you happen to click on and can find yourself down the rabbit hole of layers of complex theoretical arguments Lee proposes. Be careful with this self-reflexive, funny and piercingly smart video-essayist, because the next time you will be preparing readings for your film theory class, inevitably this question will pop into your head: “Did Grace reference this paper in one her essays?” She probably did, and let’s keep this gem between us. You can start with her piece on Video essay .
Lessons from the Screenplay Finally, if like me, you have missed an opportunity to take a screenwriting course and find yourself in ss1/2 trying to make a short film, this is one of the helpful resources on your crash-course journey of becoming a better storyteller. Check out this piece on the structure of When Harry Met Sally . Bonus essay: Jessica McGoff on Mulholland Drive: http://www.thecine-files.com/on-mulholland-drive/

Feel free to talk to me about taking a video essay class – my media tutor hours: Sunday 4 pm-7pm and 8pm-12 am:)

Video essays and digital storytelling

How to use this guide

What is a video/multimedia essay?

Digital storytelling
1. Planning and storyboarding
2. Gathering images/video/audio
3. Video editing
4. Creating credits

This guide will take you step-by-step through the process of creating a video essay or digital story. The guide is laid out in the order you might approach your given assignment. Tips, recommendations, and links to various tools are provided along the way.

You can work through each step by using the left navigation, or you can jump into the topic of your choosing.

What is a video essay?

Video essays use audiovisual materials to present research or explore topics. Like written essays, they may contain an introduction, argument, supporting evidence, and conclusion.

Introduction

Writing an essay, multi-media or otherwise, is about telling a story. Stories have a structure, and the academic structure for an essay is different than the structure for a novel or biography. Nonetheless, some of the same basic story structures apply.

Stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and there has to be some kind of coherence or flow to their telling. In the case of telling a digital story, this linear structure can be stretched a little because of the options that multimedia affords. And, because the story is told "on camera", there is some work to be done prior to its telling. A video essay parallels what you would do in a written essay in regards to determining:

what story you want to tell;
how that story will be structured (what gets included);
what order it goes in to build your argument or thesis; and
because it is academic, how and where you need to support your story elements with reference to the academic literature (citations).

--Introduction courtesy of Dr. Robin Cox, Associate Professor, Royal Roads University

Next: Digital storytelling >>
Last Updated: Aug 18, 2023 1:01 PM
URL: https://libguides.royalroads.ca/videoessayhowto

How to do a Video Essay: What is a Video Essay?

Introducing the Video Essay: Assignment of Now!

What is a Video Essay?

The term Video Essay is hard to define as it is still evolving from a long cinematic history. From the screen studies perspective, it is a video that analyses specific topics or themes relating to film and television and is relevant as it comments on film in its own language. On a basic level it could be defined as the video equivalent of the written essay.

This guide refers to the video essay from the context of the academic audiovisual essay as a multimodal form that combines written, audio and visual modes to communicate an idea. As a structure, the video essay is thesis-driven, and uses images with text so that the audience can read and interpret the idea or argument in a multimodal way.

In educational settings, the term video essay is used broadly for teacher/student-learner generated video and as a vehicle to transmediate between written-text to digital forms. Through the video essay form, students are able to achieve learning outcomes in a new way as a multimodal experience while engaging with the subject, task or assessment through expression and creation of self-knowledge.

PHOTO: TWITTER/@GIZMODO. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/tech/death-of-the-vcr-5-things-to-remember-about-the-iconic-technology

About Video Essays
What is a Video Essay? Creators Grapple with a Definition
The Video Essay As Art: 11 Ways to Make a Video Essay
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A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies
Modes Of Multimodality
Video Essay Journals
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Last Updated: Aug 28, 2023 2:57 PM
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The Video Essay

So you want to make a video essay...

The video essay: how-to, featured video essays.

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Academic Journals

in[Transition] : The first open access, peer-reviewed journal on videographic criticism
AUDIOVISUALCY: Videographic Film and Moving Image Studies : An online forum for video essays or works of audovisual screen studies that have an analytical, critical, reflexive or scholarly purpose; fully attribute all sources used; are made according to Fair Use principles; are non-commercial in nature.

Video Essay Channels

Every Frame a Painting
Indietrix Film Reviews
100 Years of Cinema
Channel Criswell
Lindsay Ellis

Library Guides

Tufts University Library: Multimedia Production
Edith Cowan University Library: The Video Essay
Pace University Library: Film Criticism

What is a video essay ?

Christian Keathley, a Professor of Film & Media Culture at Middlebury College & co-founder of in[Transition], defines video essays as

“short critical essays on a given film or filmmaker, typically read in voice-over by the author and supplemented with carefully chosen and organized film clips”

Video essays have found incresased popularity in recent years on digital content sharing platforms like YouTube & Vimeo. Despite their scholarly-focused and argument-driven nature, video essays have since been associated with (and mistaken for) other popular forms of commentary (e.g. movie commentaries, reaction videos, online fan-edits, etc.) shared on the same platforms. The two do have similarities in their accessibility and utilize the same set of creative tools and texhniques. However, the video essay in its academic form does follow certain conventions (a written critical component from the author, scholarly research, and peer review), as opposed to popular commentaries.

Video essays as a medium are an important audivisual form of scholarship, particularly in terms of expression, creation, and accessibility. Traditional essays may not always lend themselves to the fullest expression of film and how we interpret/analyze visual images. As students of film and media studies, it is important to both understand the medium from a critical point of view, as well as from a creative point of view.

Planning & Preparation
Gathering Materials & Filming
Editing & Sharing
Understanding File Formats

So you've been assigned a video essay for class, or you want to make one on your own...

Where do you start? Like any other form of traditional essay, you will begin by Developing A Topic , whether it's a persuasive argument, a narrative story, or a research question. If you’re telling a story, think about good elements of narrative. If you’re making an argument in your video essay, think about the elements of making an effective argument. If you're drafting a research question, make sure to be specific and answer the following: who?, what?, where?, when?, why?, and how?

For more information about developing a topic or researcj question, please check out the following resources:

Pace Library Guide: The Research Process, Step-By-Step
Pace Library Guide: Getting Started with Research

Once you have a well-developed topic and/or research question, then you can Create an Outline and Write a Script for your video essay. Utilizing your background research, evidence from whichever piece(s) of media you are analyzing/discussing, and your own arguments/interpretations of that media, you can build an outline and write a basic script to refer to when filmming and/or recording your video essay. This script will especially be important if you plan to record a voiceover.

For more information about how to write a script/create an outline, please check out the following resources:

Excelsior Online Writing Lab: Video Essays
How To Make A Video Essay: Writing by Indietrix Film Reviews

Now, you've got your script and you're ready to start gathering materials (scenes, images, audio, etc.) to edit into your video essay. The best place to capture images is always from a high-resolution DVD, Blue-ray, or video file.

There are a couple of different places you can acquire these files. Of course, you can always invest in your own copies of the physical media. This is the best (and most ethical ) way to get high quality images, video, and footage.

Should you wish to do a screen capture, you can use platforms like Camtasia or Clip Converter to record images or footage directly from your screen. These aren't always the most ethical means to record footage, so if you choose to do so, be sure to consult Fair Use Guidelines before doing so. For this process, you will also likely need a DVD Drive, whether external or internal. Having one that can read DVDs and Blu-rays is a plus! Resoruces for how to do these technical processes are included below.

Before you actually aquire any footage or media for your video essay, it's important to weigh the ethical considerations (i.e. Fair Use & Copyright Law) no matter what the media is or your intention to use it.

Resources:

How To Make A Video Essay: Footage and Voiceover from Indietrix Film Reviews
How To Make Video Essays: This video is especially helpful in terms of the technology of filming and recording voiceovers for video essays, less so the other aspects of video essay production.
Camtasia: Screen Capture & Recording Tutorials

As for finding stock photos or images to use that are in the Public Domain , check out this well-curated list of public domain image libraries, websites, and archives at the Tufts University Library Multimedia Production Resource Guide .

Use editing software and experiment with available functionality to enhance and support your argument. Add a voice-over, sound effects, music and other aspects of multimodality. Be sure to include references and credits to all sources used in creating the video essay.

For more information on editing video essays, please check out the following resources:

How to Make a Video Essay: Editing by Indietrix Film Reviews
Vimeo: Editing Basics

When creating, saving, uploading, and sharing video essays, it's important to have a basic understanding of digitail file formats, for videos, audio, and images.

Linked below are some resources (websites, videos, & infographics) to help you learn how to navigate each file format and learn their best uses. It's likely you'll become aware of and proficient at most of this as you move through your Film & Screen Studies coursework, so think of these resources as a brief introduction to the topic and/or as little reminders for you to refer to in the future.

Books:

Portable Moving Images: A Media History of Storage Formats by Ricardo Cedeño Montaña
Images on the Move: Materiality - Networks - Formats Editor: Olga Moskatova

Blog Posts:

Understanding Video File Formats, Codecs and Containers by Andy Owen at TechSmith
Video Formats – Meaning, types and everything you should know by Akeem Okunola at InEvent
Image file formats: When to Use Each File Type by Samual Lundquist at 99Designs

Other Resources:

Introduction to Digital Format Preservation, The Library of Congress

Image Credit: WonderShare, "Top 9 Video Formats You May Want to Know In 2023."

The Place of Voiceover in Academic Audiovisual Film and Television Criticism from Ian Garwood on Vimeo .

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Next: Copyright & Fair Use >>
Last Updated: Sep 27, 2023 11:18 AM
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Video Essays: Video Essays

What is a video essay.

What is a video essay?

A video essay can examine an argument, critique a theory or work or reflect on a production process using digital clips, imagery, sound, and voice over. An important point to note is that a video essay is not simply a written essay readout on film.

" Video essays combine different forms of media such as video (film), audio (voice-over, music, sounds), and text to study or analyze a topic. Many have structures similar to a written essay, with an introduction, body, and conclusion. An effective video essay will have a strong thesis or argument."

Producing a video essay will allow you to complete assessments using and showcasing learned skills relevant to your course work.

"Rather than merely presenting facts about a subject and calling it a day, a video essay tends to be more personal and opinionated, sparking an interesting discussion around analysing the subject matter."

The analytical aspect of the work is key to creating a video essay.

Types of video essays

This is a comprehensive article that outlines 11 types of video essays and includes examples http://norbateman.co/11-ways-to-make-a-video-essay/

How to make a video essay

Just like a written essay, you will need to plan out your argument and the order of points you wish to convey.

Once you have a notion of your argument or assessment question you will need to find supporting literature and material that backs up that argument.

Source material

Now that you know what you want to say and you've collected supporting research to support your chosen topic you can begin to collate or create video clips that will make up your visual essay.

Record audio

Record your accompanying voice over.

Edit your video essay so that it is seamless and each scene works to highlight your argument.

Both of these links below provide great points for how to make a video essay:

https://reframe.sussex.ac.uk/audiovisualessay/resources/how-to-guides/how-to-video-essays-by-greer-fyfe-and-miriam-ross/

https://www.matrix.edu.au/the-ultimate-video-essay-checklist/

The Ultimate Video Essay checklist This website comprehensively outlines steps you might want to take to complete your video essay

Using ClickView for your video essay

The Library has a collection of off-air recordings that can be viewed at AFTRS as well as remotely using AFTRS login credentials. The collection includes a number of Films, Television series, Documentaries and short films. Off-air Recordings can also be clipped and used in assignments.

Click here to find out how to use ClickView for your video essay

Video essay tips and tricks

Follow this link for tips and tricks

https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/successful-video-essay-secrets/

Video Essay Guides

269. What Makes a Video Essay Great? from Kevin B. Lee on Vimeo .

Last Updated: Oct 26, 2021 1:23 PM
URL: https://libguides.aftrs.edu.au/Thevideoessay

Communications: Video Essay

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What is a video essay?

A video essay is a short video that illustrates a topic, expresses an opinion and develops a thesis statement based on research through editing video, sound and image.

(Source: Morrissey, K. (2015, September). Stop Teaching Software, Start Teaching Software Literacy. Flowjournal . https://www.flowjournal.org/2015/09/stop-teaching-software-start-teaching-software-literacy/?print=print )

It is made of three main elements:

Image (filmed footage and found footage)
Sound (music and audio)
Words (spoken and written)

All of them are linked to your own voice and argument. It is a way to write with video.

Guidelines for Video Essay Best Practices Official technical guidelines by Prof. Antonio Lopez.

Video essays about video essays

Why Video Essays are just plain AWESOME by This Guy Edits on YouTube .

Elements of the Essay Film from Kevin B. Lee on Vimeo .

F for Fake (1973) – How to Structure a Video Essay from Tony Zhou on Vimeo .

Sample Video Essays

If Educational Videos Were Filmed Like Music Videos by Tom Scott
How to Use Color in Film A blog post with multiple video essays about the use of color palettes by multiple great directors.
Seed, Image, Ground by Abelardo Gil-Fournier & Jussi Parikka.
Every Covid-19 Commercial is Exactly the Same
Top Video Essayists some videos on this page are set to private
VideoEssay: A subreddit for analytic videos and supercuts
ISIL videos imitate Hollywood and video games to win converts
Best Video Essays of 2023
Best Video Essays of 2022 by British Film Institute
Best Video Essays of 2020 by British Film Institute.
Best Video Essays of 2019 by British Film Institute.
Best Video Essays of 2018 by British Film Institute.
Best Video Essays of 2017 by British Film Institute.
Video Essays (Historical) A YouTube playlist of historically important films that helped define the concept of video essays.
What Is Neorealism by kogonada.
Analyzing Isis' propaganda - Mujatweets by Azza el Masri and Catherine Otayek.
Oh dear! by Adam Curtis.
Fembot in a Red Dress by Alison De Fren.
WHY IS CINEMA: Women Filmmakers? NOT SEXIST, BUT LET'S BE REAL??? by Cameron Carpenter.
Women as Reward - Tropes vs Women in Video Games by feministfrequency.
Il corpo delle donne (sub eng) by Lorella Zanardo.

Video essays beyond COM

Video essays can be a valuable form of academic production, and they can be brilliant and insightful in many other fields apart from Communications and media studies. Here are some examples that cover all the JCU departments:

Lady of Shalott | Art Analysis A look at John William Waterhouse's Pre-Raphaelite painting "The Lady of Shalott".
How to ace your MBA video essay The 60-second online video essay is a recent addition to the MBA application process for some business schools.
The Last Jedi - Forcing Change An analysis of Finn's and Kylo's narrative arc in Episode VIII of the Star Wars franchise.
How The Economic Machine Works by Ray Dalio A simple but not simplistic and easy to follow 30 minute animated video that answers the question.
Evolution of the Hero in British Literature This video essay discusses the literary heroes throughout the Anglo-Saxon Period, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance Era in British Literature.
Fast Math Tricks - How to multiply 2 digit numbers up to 100 - the fast way! An easy video tutorial unveiling some math tricks.
Here's why we need to rethink veganism A brief climate change video essay on the environmental impacts of veganism, and how we can reframe going vegan less as a lifestyle and more as an aspiration.
Italy on the edge of crisis: Should Europe be worried? Channel 4 discussing the delicate political juncture in Italy (May 2018).
International Relations: An Introduction An overview by the London School of Economics and Social Science.

A video is basically a series of still images- each one is called a frame- that play back at a specific rate . The frame rate (often abbreviated FPS for "frames per second") differs depending on where you are in the world and what you're shooting on.

If you're shooting a movie on celluloid (actual film that needs to be developed) then you are probably shooting at 24fps.

If you are shooting video in Europe then you are probably shooting at 25fps...

...unless you are shooting sports. Then you're probably shooting at 50fps.

If you're shooting video in the US or Canada then you are probably shooting at 30(29.98)fps...

...unless you're shooting sports. Then you're probably shooting at 60(59.98)fps...

...or unless you're shooting "cinematic video" at a frame rate of 23.976fps.

***The weird numbers for shooting in the US and Canada stem from the fact that while Europe's 50Hz electrical system operates at 50Hz, the 60Hz electrical system of the US actually operates at 59.98 Hz.***

If you're shooting at a higher frame rate (like 120fps or 250fps) it is probably because you want to play it back at one of these frame rates in order to achieve a slow motion effect.

Video sizes are measured in pixels. Resolution refers to Width x Height. Here are some common resolutions:

FullHD (1080p): 1920 x 1080
HD (720p): 1280 x 720
4K (2160p): 3840 x 2160
4K Cinema: 4096 x 2160
Standard Defintion (NTSC- US/Canada): 720 x 480
Standard Definition (PAL- Europe): 720 x 576
VGA: 640 x 360

Types of video essays

1. Supercut

A supercut is a compilation of a large number of (short) film clips, focusing on a common characteristic these clips have. That commonality can be anything: a formal or stylistic aspect, a shared theme or subject matter...

Supercuts are a staple of fandom, but they can also be used as a form of audiovisual critique: to reveal cinematic tropes, to trace thematic or stylistic constants in a filmmaker’s work and so on.

Examples: ROYGBIV: A Pixar Supercut or Microsoft Sam's Every Covid-19 Commercial is Exactly the Same or Chloé Barreau's NON UNA DI MENO - l'8 MARZO sta arrivando!

2. Voiceover based

In this form, analysis is done by combining clips and images with a narrator’s voice that guides the process. This could be done for a variety of video essays styles: scene breakdowns, shot analyses, structural analyses, vlogs, etc. What is common is the integral role of the creator’s voice in advancing the argument.

Example: Tony Zhou’s Jackie Chan—How to Do Action Comedy or David Chen’s Edgar Wright and the Art of Close-Ups .

3. Text/Image/Sound-Based

In this form, analysis is done by combining text, images and sounds without a narrator’s voice to guide the process. Again, this could be done for a variety of video essays styles, but relies much more on editing to advance the argument.

Example: Kevin B. Lee’s Elements of the Essay Film or Catherine Grant’s All That Pastiche Allows Redux .

4. Desktop Films

A desktop film uses the screen of a computer or gadget to serve as the camera and canvas for all of the content of an audiovisual narrative. It can include content from videos, apps, and programs that would be viewable on a screen. It is a screen-based experience that uses the desktop as its primary medium.

Example: Katja Jansen’s Desktop Films ; Kevin B. Lee’s Reading // Binging // Benning .

Descriptions adapted from Filmscalpel

Resources: background and fundamentals

Best Practices

Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education Also downloadable as a PDF file
Streaming: film criticism you can watch by Guy Lodge
What is a Video Essay? Creators Grapple with a Definition Paula Bernstein from Filmmaker journal .
The Video Essay As Art: 11 Ways to Make a Video Essay by Norman Bateman.
Video essay: The essay film – some thoughts of discontent by Kevin B. Lee.
Deep Focus - The Essay Film by British Film Institute and Sight & Sound .

Scholarly Websites about Video Essays

The Videographic Essay: Practice and Pedagogy
Audiovisualcy Video Essays on Vimeo.
[In]Transition Journal of Videographic Films and Moving Image Studies.
Introductory guide to video essay From the British Universities and Colleges Film and Video Council.

Resources: software and how-to

How-to video essays by Greer Fyfe and Miriam Ross.
Media Production Guide by Tisch Library, Tufts University.
Video Reactions with OBS (Open Broadcast Software) Part 01 Setting up your scenes
Video Reactions with OBS (Open Broadcast Software) Part 02 Recording with OBS

Storyboarding

Planning and Storyboarding from Royal Roads University Library.
Video Essay Script Template

Screencasting

Quicktime (cross-platform)
Screencast-O-Matic
OBS Studio (open source, cross-platform) Open Broadcaster Software
Flashback Express (PC only)
5 Free Tools for Creating a Screencast from Mashable.

Downloading and ripping

Pasty Software for downloading.
Savefrom allows up to 720p downloads of full video, 1080p downloads of video only (no audio). Select “download video in browser” on the site.
Y2mate allows up to 1080p video downloads.
Jdownloader Software for downloading
Handbrake Software for ripping and converting
DMA Basics: OBS for Video Essays A tutorial on how to use OBS for Netflix.

Note: Try to to ensure that you download in 720p resolution or higher. Your minimum level of quality should be 480p. If searching on YouTube, you can filter the search results to only show HD or 4K results. Check also the Find Video tab of this guide.

Free editing software options

DaVinci Resolve (cross-platform) A color grading and non-linear video editing (NLE) application for macOS, Windows, and Linux, incorporating tools from Fairlight (audio production) and Fusion (motion graphics and visual effects that throw shade on After Effects).
iMovie (Mac only)
Videopad (cross-plaftorm)
OpenShot (open source, cross-platform)
Shortcut (open source, cross-platform)
HitFilm Express (cross-platform)
Free Music Archive An interactive library of high-quality, legal audio downloads directed by the radio station WFMU.
SoundCloud SoundCloud is one of the world’s largest music and audio platform and you can search for creative commons music.
YouTube Audio Library A library of free music and sound effects by YouTube. Each track is accompanied by information on the use.
Sound Image Free music (and more) for your Projects by Eric Matyas. Only requires crediting the author for legal use (see "attribution info" page).
Audacity A free and open-source digital audio editor and recording application software. Very useful to trim audio, convert a sample rate, apply a little compression, chop & screw, etc.
REAPER A digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer software. Technically a paid-for platform, its free-trial never ends.

Check also the Find Audio Resources tab of this guide.

Creating credits, copyright and fair use

Creating credits for video essays From Digital Design Studio at Tisch Library
Fair Use Evaluator
YouTube Fair Use Channel
Society for Cinema and Media Studies Statement on Fair Use
Blender A free and open-source 3D computer graphics software toolset used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D printed models, motion graphics, interactive 3D applications, virtual reality, and computer games.
GIMP A free and open-source raster graphics editor used for image manipulation (retouching) and image editing, free-form drawing, transcoding between different image file formats, and more specialized tasks.
Inkscape A free and open-source vector graphics editor used to create vector images, primarily in Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format.
Krita A free and open-source raster graphics editor designed primarily for digital painting and 2D animation. Good for sketching and conceptual art.

Stock footage

For stock footage, please check under the Find video tab of this guide.

Final Cut Pro X Tutorial by JCU Digital Media Lab.
Final Cut Pro X Tutorial (PDF)
Final Cut Pro X Full Tutorial by David A. Cox
Audio Recording Tutorial by JCU Digital Media Lab.
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Last Updated: Mar 26, 2024 9:37 AM
URL: https://johncabot.libguides.com/communications

Making Video Essays

What is a video essay.

A video essay is a piece of video content that, much like a written essay, advances an argument. Video essays take advantage of the structure and language of film to advance their arguments - Wikipedia

Using this Site

This site will take you through the basics of how to make your own video essay. Below you will find some introductory content that will prime you how to think about making your essay. The other pages on this site, reflected in the menu, will be divided into specific technical tasks involved with producing your video essay.

An Introduction to Video Essays

In this short 6 min video, youtuber Indietrix Film Review describes some strategies for coming up with ideas for your essay, explains some of the common themes that are explored, and lastly gives some insights on how they use their experience with writing written essays as a lens to create scripts for their video essays.

" Think of one of your favorite films, pick something distinctive that you like about it, or a particular scene or sequence, and try to work out what makes it so good. That's a great way to approach a rough structure for your video." -Indietrix Film Review

Example Video Essays: Professional

In the essay below, G-man Da Black Film Nerd breaks down beautifully what makes a scene in Black Panther a perfect shot. This is a great example of how using some additional overlays like arrows can help illustrate your argument.

I n the short video essay below, the author examines how the film is composed visually creates tension in storytelling. This is a great example of how you can reuse the same clips to emphasize an argument. The example made at 1:29, in particular, is very compelling.

In another example by Every Frame a Painting, the video essay below examines how choices made by the main character are represented by either facing or moving left or right on screen and parallel the characters moral development and progression

Example Video Essays: Student

Video Essay on White Narrative by Alexa de la Fuente, analyzes how films around social justice issues, specifically in Latin American countries, are framed around the white narrative.

The video essay below by Malery Nguyen explores how the construction of family dynamics in fiction films reflects the experience of many youth in Latin American countries.

Scripting Video Essays: How to Write a Great Narrative

There are many ways in which you can write video essays. Some have argued that video essays are a new trend in the world of creative writing. There is so much emphasis on developing a story from visuals, photographs, videos, and music to tell an enduring tale or lesson in this day and age.

So, if you want to join the video essay bandwagon as an artist, expert, researcher, or student, you must know how to write them first before creating them.

Writing a narrative video essay is a great way to share your ideas with the world. Narrative essays let you not only say something meaningful but also show it. A good narrative video essay is also about the art of visual storytelling.

But first, if you are wondering what exactly is a video essay. Let’s address it first.

What is a Video Essay?

A video essay is a form of a documentary-like video narrative film using film footage, video clips, and graphics to discuss an issue or topic. Academics and artists can typically use video essays to discuss their research.

In addition to blog posts and magazine articles, video essays are a new type of storytelling in the digital world. They take one idea and meticulously construct a narrative on how it came to be, how it’s been used/applied, or what it means.

In its most popular form (one person talking head), a video essay is made up of between 3-7 minutes in length and usually presents one concept or topic.

It often looks at a film and demonstrates how it is engaging in meaning or does not. The video essay can also emphasize the acts performed by actors or directors, such as performance, staging, and editing techniques.

But today, it is not fixated to film subjects only. You can also expand your visual stories about anything under the sun like history, politics, science, technology, etc. Just choose an idea and proceed with your essay writing.

Here is an excellent example of the best video essays – Example: Best Video Essays by Vox

How do you Create a Narrative in your Video Essay?

To create a compelling video essay, you must know how to write an essay with a video component to produce a compelling story. A good video essay should have the following qualities:

It should be insightful, thought-provoking, or informative.
It should be argumentative and practice critical thinking
It should be visual, formal, and well-structured.
It should help the viewer understand and appreciate a topic/situation from various angles.
It should inspire viewers through findings, vocabulary, and plot.

The best video essays also use candid footage and demonstrate the use of nonfiction or documentary filmmaking techniques . And the main reason why people gravitate towards narrative essays is that they let you show your ideas visually to your viewers.

How to Write a Video Essay Script?

Many people are starting to make video essays as a way of presenting their own thoughts and experiences. The problem is that these videos do not have any actual narration, leaving the viewer lost trying to understand what’s happening.

But to write a grand narrative, you must follow the following stages:

Brainstorming ideas is the first stage. At this stage, you should list a few interesting concepts in an organized way. You may want to use the topic form like: “A Case for Video Essays” or “How to Create a Story Using Text and Images?” So, while ideating, follow these:

Begin by picking a topic ( mostly what you are passionate about).
Think about your point of view and audience.
Set up the background and context for your essay or story (the “what”).
Reveal the turning point in your story (the “why”).
Provide evidence to support your account of events (the “where”)
Discuss how the incident relates to broader social concerns (the “what now?”).

Research is the next stage of writing a video essay. The moment you decide to make a video essay, you should have enough information about the topic. The more information and research you do in the ideation stage, the easier it will be for you as a writer and speaker to share your knowledge with the audience. Research may include:

Finding out facts from books, interviews, or research papers.
Finding out relevant video footage of the person, place, or event.
Getting access to the video footage of a particular event (e.g., presidential speeches).
Find audio or video files on the Internet and transcribe them into text format (e.g., podcasts, interviews).
THE ESSAY STRUCTURE:

Because the video essay is still relatively new, there are no definitive rules about structure and genre for these films. But still, we should adhere to some basic rules while constructing the script structure. Your structure is the most crucial stage for a crackling narrative.

The essentials of a great narrative essay structure are as follows :

First, create a rough outline from your research material.
Think about a compelling opening line with a single line answer to the question of the essay
Begin with questions, then answer in a way to create an argument.
The Argument then leads to the next question.
The emotion and Tone of the script should be formal, thought-provoking, insightful, and informative, supported by relevant visual reference.
The essay must represent a single point of view.
But it should be a well-reasoned perspective.
It must have the writer or creator’s personal touch.
Good writing is about the economy of words articulated to the point.
Don’t forget to mention the What is the Takeaway for the audience.
Don’t make it lengthy. Video essays are also about documenting or reviewing videos. So the script should not eat it all.
Once you have structured the script, go back to the beginning and review your work.

Once you have prepared a rough draft of your essay, read it out loud and find the rhythm in the story. Is it telling the theme visually? Rewrite and get the tone right. Your first few scripts may not be satisfactory. Don’t worry about that. It is a learning process.

WRITING THE FINAL DRAFT:

Now, once you have gotten all the ideas into a script, you will be eager to write the final draft. At this stage, make sure to follow the following tips:

Make sure every line is comprehensible so that viewers can easily understand your point of view without missing anything important in it.
Proofread and make sure that you don’t leave any unfinished work or broken sentences in the video essay structure.
Check the length of the video essay and make sure to follow the minimum requirements.
Once you are done with the script, check for the formatting of your work.
Spend extra time on a great narration that helps explain your content effectively and concisely.
Get a clear idea about what you want to say so that you know what kind of images to use in the final draft of your essay and how they should be arranged.
Conclude the essay by providing the audience with everything they need to know about your subject.

For a compelling narrative, the first thing to do is identify what makes the story you are trying to tell unique and why an audience wants to learn about it.

Are Video Essays Popular Today?

Though the concept was coined in the mid-1990s, it has only become popular in the last five years or so. As of now, a considerable amount of video essays and short films are uploaded on Youtube. Some have even garnered millions of views. The prominent mentions are the Nerdwriter, and Every Frame is a Painting.

check out – Best Video Essays of last year

How Long Does a Video Essay Take to Write?

If you are writing a long video essay, it can take you a considerable amount of time. However, if you aim to create a short film covering one event, it can be done in a day or two.

But, you may take time if you don’t have the research material in your hand.

Final words:

The video essay became popular because it is a way to engage with the writer rather than just “watching” them talk about something. But, to make a great narrative, you have to research a lot and put in your best efforts.

We hope this write-up has helped you create a great video essay. Happy writing!

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Berkeley mfe blog, how to prepare for the video essay.

By The Berkeley MFE Program | Jun 22, 2022 | Applying , STEM , Data Science , MFE , quant finance , graduate studies , video essay

It is important that we are able to hear and see you. Before you start recording, make sure you are in a quiet space with good lighting. In orde r to minimize distractions, please have a neutral background that isn’t busy with objects or bright colors.

You want to make sure you are in a well lit room. If possible, we recommend recording during the day with natural light. If your space has a window directly behind you, ensure that the shades or curtains are closed.

Check the quality of the device you are recording on. Make sure that your face is fully in frame and visible, and that your audio is clear. You will have an opportunity to do a test before you begin the recording, be sure to take advantage of this opportunity.

You have two attempts to record your video, so make sure beforehand that you are in an area with stable Internet connection. Since you will record the video essay directly in the application portal. We encourage you to check your internet speed and that your video will upload properly at the end of your recording. You can use an online speed test to check your speed.

We all know that the first impression is usually the most important. The video essay may be the only time the admissions committee will see and hear you, so take the time to ensure you are well dressed and groomed.

The essay question(s) will not be available beforehand. While you will not be able to prepare in advance, we recommend preparing yourself mentally: take deep breaths, go out for a walk, hydrate, etc. Do what you need to get in the right mind set. When you are ready and completed the video and audio check, the question(s) will appear on screen when you hit “Ready.” We have designed the question(s) to be answered it on the spot and you will have a few seconds to read the prompt before the recording begins.

You only have two minutes to answer the prompt. Make sure to pay attention to the time and start wrapping up before time runs out. Once you completed the recording, take a few minutes to review your response. Utilize the second attempt if needed. If you decide to record your response using the second att empt, we strongly advise that you do not read your answer or look it up on the internet. Use your own words, be yourself and talk to us as if you were sitting across from us during an interview. This is not a pass or fail exercise. We want to hear from you, your opinion, and what you have to say on this subject.

We hope these tips will help you feel more confident and ready for the video portion. If you have not already done so, we encourage you review the application tips . If you still have questions or need additional guidance, here are ways to connect or learn more: sign-up for an information session or join the weekly Q&A session via zoom on Tuesdays from 3-4 PM PT/Wednesday from 9-10 AM PT.

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How to create a video essay with students.

February 15, 2023

Video essays are a powerful and engaging way for students to express their understanding of a particular topic or concept. By combining video footage with voiceover narration, students can create a multimedia presentation that showcases their knowledge and creativity. To create a video essay with students, there are free tools you can use.

In this blog post, we will explore how teachers can guide their students through the process of creating a video essay. And I’ll share some of my favorite movie-making tools for students. Don’t forget to download these graphic organizers you can use to plan for your next video project.

What is a video essay?

A video essay is a short film that explores a specific idea or theme. It typically uses various forms of media, such as video, images, and text. In a video essay, a student presents a clear thesis or argument. They use a variety of visual and audio elements to support their ideas and engage the viewer.

If you are new to using video essays but have introduced traditional essay writing techniques in the past, I encourage you to revisit the same checklists, supporting materials, and rubrics and add on if needed.

Here are some key things a student can include in a video essay:

A strong introduction that sets the stage for the rest of the essay. It should clearly state the thesis or main argument with text on the screen or audio voiceover.
A logical and well-structured body that presents evidence, examples, and analysis to support the thesis or argument. They might include transitions with animations and music to indicate different points.
A conclusion that summarizes the main points of the essay and offers some final thoughts or takeaways.
A clear and engaging visual style that uses a variety of media. This could include video, images, and text, to illustrate and enhance the ideas being discussed.
Good audio quality , including clear and audible narration and appropriate use of music and other sounds. Showing students exemplars and non-exemplars can help them understand the importance of this point.

Overall, a successful video essay should be well-organized, visually engaging, and even thought-provoking. It should provide a fresh perspective on the topic and offer the viewer something new and interesting to think about. You might ask students to lead a discussion about the topic afterward or ask for feedback after sharing their project with their classmates.

How do you choose the right tool for your video essay?

If you are deciding on what movie-making tool is the best fit for creating a video essay, there are a few things to consider. Here are some tips for figuring out which app or website is the best one for creating a video essay:

Choose the right tool for your video essay - Infographic

Consider your specific needs and goals . What are you trying to achieve with your video essay? Do students need a lot of advanced editing tools? Will a simple and straightforward tool get the job done?
Decide on a few must-have features. Look for an app or website that offers the features and functionality that your students need. This might include things like the ability to import and edit footage and add text and graphics. I suggest using a tool that lets students easily create transitions and add effects.
Re-examine your toolbelt. I often use the phrase “embrace your place” on my podcast ( listen to new episodes here ). If there are tools you’re already using that can accomplish the task of creating a video essay, make sure to try out that one first.
Ask for recommendations. Find out what your colleagues are already using and love. Alternatively, you might read reviews and research to find out what other people are saying about the app or website. This can give you a sense of its reliability, ease of use, and overall quality.
Try out a few different options . Many different tools will help you accomplish the same goals. You may want to check out a few options to see which one feels the most intuitive and user-friendly. Many apps and websites offer free trials or demos, so you can test them out before making a decision.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice. If you’re unsure which app or website is right for you, you can always reach out to friends, colleagues, or online communities for recommendations (see above).

Tools for Making a Video Essay

Ultimately, the best app or website for creating a video essay will depend on your individual needs and preferences. However, by considering your goals, researching your options, and trying out a few different options, you should be able to find the right one for you.

Adobe Express

This free, web-based app allows users to create videos, graphics, and web pages. It has a variety of templates and design options to choose from and a free version for educators. Check out some of their recent creative challenges here.

Adobe Premiere Rush

Adobe Premiere Rush is a video editing software that allows users to quickly and easily edit and produce professional-quality videos. It is a step up from Adobe Express and is available for desktop and mobile devices. It Includes features such as automatic color grading, audio ducking, and the ability to add titles, graphics, and transitions.

Microsoft Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a web-based platform and mobile app that allows educators and students to create and participate in video discussions. Students can use this tool to create short videos using a green screen and other features like adding text to the screen.

Canva

Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to create visual content such as social media posts, advertisements, and presentations. It is available online and as a mobile app and offers a wide range of templates and design tools, as well as the ability to upload and use custom graphics and fonts. You can use Canva for Education for free to create videos and graphics.

iMovie is a free video editing app available for Apple devices, including iPad, iPhone, and Mac OS. It is user-friendly and has a variety of features, including the ability to add music, text, and special effects to videos.

Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro is a professional-grade video editing software for Apple users. This video tool is used by editors and filmmakers and offers a wide range of advanced features. It may be something students want to explore if they are passionate about filmmaking.

Benefits of Using Video Essays in the Classroom

Using video essays in the classroom can have several benefits if you’re looking to make a case for video essays. Firstly, video essays can provide an engaging and interactive way for students to learn and express their ideas. This can help to foster a more dynamic and engaging learning environment. Secondly, video essays can provide a more inclusive learning experience, allowing for a broader range of student voices and perspectives to be heard.

Thirdly, video essays are an excellent option for students seeking a more creative outlet. They can create a visual representation of information and ideas. Additionally, video essays can be easily shared and accessed online, allowing for collaboration and feedback from both peers and teachers. Overall, incorporating video essays into the classroom promotes creativity, critical thinking, and student engagement.

Getting Started with Video Essays

If you want to find examples of video essays, there are a few places you can go. First, you may want to search for “video essays” on YouTube or Vimeo. This link will take you to my free download with YouTube tips for teachers.

Try searching for specific themes related to topics students are studying. For example, “literature analysis video essays” or “civics video essays” to find more specialized collections of videos. If you are searching for examples along with your students, you might want to check out my article for Edutopia full of tips for online searches.

Creating a video essay with students can be a fun and rewarding experience for both teachers and students alike. Not only does it provide students with a creative outlet for expressing their understanding of the material, but it also allows for a deeper level of engagement and understanding. I’d love to hear your thoughts and help you celebrate your students’ creations. If you share in social spaces, tag me @ClassTechTips on your favorite platforms, including Instagram and Twitter .

Find more posts on Writing Strategies:

Innovative Assessment How to Incorporate Video Essays in Your Classroom – Easy EdTech Podcast 206
Boost Student Writing During Be An Author Month
3 Social Media Inspired Student Projects – Easy EdTech Podcast 192
Video Journals in the Classroom

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Dr. Monica Burns is a former classroom teacher, Author, Speaker, and Curriculum & EdTech Consultant. Visit her site ClassTechTips.com for more ideas on how to become a tech-savvy teacher.

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Jul 31, 2022

The Rise of Video Essays

The daunting five-paragraph essays assigned in secondary school have created a sense of dread amongst most students, as they engage with the challenge of organizing their ideas and effectively guiding a reader through their arguments. In fact, many face the dilemma of articulating and knowing what they want to say. Yet, what has become the burden of both secondary and higher education students has softened in its perception by reason of the rise in video essays, primarily published and distributed on YouTube. Video essays present several advantages compared to traditional essays. There is undeniable potential for video essays to circulate important information and allow for ways to express critical thought. Though the two types of essays resemble one another in structure and narrative, the multimodal characteristics of a video essay establish it as a new way of composing and presenting the contents as opposed to a traditional essay.

Fundamentally, every essay contains three fundamental parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. The body has a sequence of ideas with transitions and then unites and restates the main message (or thesis) at the end. An argument cannot be told effectively without an established definition and explanation for the reason an argument is made. After all, readers, viewers, or listeners first need to be interested in the main idea before spending their attention capital. Doug Specht (2019), a Director of Teaching and Learning, School of Media and Communications at the University of Westminster, also emphasizes the need for essays, both written and visual, to remain similar in structure and in how they are outlined: “You will still need to define the thesis, the main point of the argument. You will still need to plan the shape of your argument, and the essay shapes can be adapted to audio or visual essays too” (p. 87) Afterall, if a film, YouTube video, essay, novel, and the like do not have a solid purpose for existing, it does not help nor impact the audience.

Additionally, these essential messaging components exist in any medium with a narrative or story, but it must be pointed out that the terms narrative and story have slightly different definitions. According to Merriam Webster, a story is “An account of incidents or events” (2022b), and a narrative is “A way of presenting or understanding a situation or series of events that reflects and promotes a particular point of view or set of values” (2022a). Clearly, a story, whether true or fictional, gives a general description of what is happening. Conversely, a narrative is a way in which that description is told. Therefore, written or visual essays do not merely recall connected events, but rather develop a solid thesis supported by relevant research. An effective narrative runs like a thread throughout the essay to keep the readers linear with the argument and its supporting points. Traditional essays achieve narrative through rhetorical strategies and an author's written persona and tone. Video essays use essay content and adapt it to several cinematic techniques similar to documentaries, but on a much smaller scale, especially for novices with low budgets.

Before any writing, filming, or recording of any kind can take place, an outline should be established to materialize the jumbled flow of ideas and map them into a cohesive narrative. One should have a performative approach to outlining video essays because, unlike written essays, the work must be spoken aloud accompanied by other visual effects. Süleyman Kıvanç Türkgeldi (2021), an Assistant Professor specializing in Communication and Performance and Visual Arts at Cukurova University, calls video essays themselves performative research:

These forms of expression belong to a plane that cannot be expressed with numerical data but transmitted through symbolic data (moving / still image, sound, and music forms, etc.) outside the boundaries of language (p. 821).

Thus, a divergence in how to approach a traditional and video essay becomes clearer, and the advantages of video essays are shifting how people entertainingly receive information.

One major advantage of video essays is that their multimodality draws in larger audiences. There is more opportunity for creative expression in the way the author presents research. Samantha Hines, a head librarian at Missoula College at the University of Montana, wrote an article on multimodal literacy and accepted the following definition offered by Sean Cordes: “Multimodal literacy can be said to have a cultural literacy component that goes beyond the established information literacy standards” (as cited in Hines, 2014, p. 14). The prefix “multi” already predisposes the multitude of ways or “modes” of information and distribution and how it contributes to the literacy skills of the audience. Those who struggle to conceptualize and comprehend traditional text greatly benefit from other modalities such as pictures, audio, and video effects.

In addition to the medium, one cannot discount the power of the creator in video essays and the relationship with the viewer. Hines (2014) highlights social media’s role in instantly distributing video essays at a faster rate than traditional ones: “Users need to focus on more than who created content, but also who passed it along and how they interacted with or perhaps even altered it” (p. 14). An audience of a video essay may come across a video essay it through YouTube recommendations or online communities that share that video. The influence of their video essays is perpetuated by a coalesced community surrounding a video essayist because of a seemingly closer relationship that the viewers have with the author. There is a direct dialogue with an audience via comment sections and forums that traditional essays do not have. J. Degenhard, an analyst covering key market indicators for Statista, reported that in 2021 approximately 2,240.03 million users spent time on YouTube (2021). While not every video will hit an algorithm that spreads it to millions of these users, the accessibility and ease of sharing make content much more promising.

Equally important, the added visual aids and moving motions of the video essay have long appealed to the human need for expression through pictures. The earliest depictions of written language were through pictographs. Additionally, Ruth M. Van Dyk (2006), a professor of anthropology at Binghamton University, recalls another example of visual media in archeology:

In archeology, as in any discipline, visual representations are integral to the production of knowledge and scholarly authority. The map, for example, is perhaps the most singularly useful item in any site report (p. 370).

It could be said that essays are a kind of map that directs the reader through the author, director, or presenter’s inner thoughts and arguments. In congruence with communities surrounding a particular creator of video essays, one can make quite a significant impact on the audience's own perception or education of an issue or topic through video essays. Jacquelyn S. Kibbey (2011), a professor at UNY Oswego Graduate Studies, argued visual literacy continues to be a desirable way to educate people in our increasingly multimedia world:

Visual literacy teaches us how to see, communicate, and understand through visual means. Advertisers and marketers understand how to reach their audience far better than educators. Why shouldn’t teachers enlist those same methods? (p. 51).

Online essayists on social media can have quite an influence. Thus, educators and those who are knowledgeable in certain areas should not underestimate the sway of video essays.

Furthermore, the ways of expression consistently change within new technologies. Writers learning other ways to adapt their craft to suit other performance mediums has existed as long as humans performed plays and gave public speeches. Therefore, writers learning how to hone their craft and adapt it to other media is not new. In Sarah Levine and Johanna (Jones) Franzel’s (2015) discussions on teaching how to write scripts for radio is explored. In fact, they state that:

When radio audiences tune in to listen to a story, they have no pictures to look at and no written text to track. So when students write for radio, they must create specific, concrete images to paint a picture, strong verbs to communicate action … because they are speaking their ideas aloud, they must attend more carefully to whether their words actually make sense (p. 21).

Video essays have the advantage of video and pictures, whereas radio does not. However, a solid narration is still essential for most video essays, whether it’s a voice-over or the creators film themselves physically. Nevertheless, writers must compose a script that will sound intelligent but is not afraid to deviate from an academic tone and use humor and colloquialisms instead. Users on social media desire information and education, but many users also appreciate some personal examples from the essayist or offhanded remarks on the content before returning to the main point.

Moreover, video essays produced on YouTube not only bring a unique method of expressing ideas, but the topics can cover a variety of relevant, pop-culture topics that one may not see in traditional academia. While some video essays may provide analysis of highly academic subjects, most video essays can also cover recent national or international news and trending discourse in niche communities on social platforms. These examples are then analyzed or commented on through critical lenses related to economics, history, race, sociology, gender, and more. Patricia G. Lange (2019), an anthropologist and associate professor of critical studies at the California College of the Arts, describes the participative atmosphere of YouTube: “Revisions to the scholarly record show that people engaging with mass media did not simply absorb media messages without active interpretations” (p. 37). And this engagement is a good thing because even participation in seemingly silly topics can motivate everyone to critically analyze the information they receive. YouTube’s accessibility allows anyone to produce a video essay, including those without any higher education background. Even professionals in various fields now utilize the platform to produce intriguing content.

In the end, video essays are another method of performance, and can offer quite insightful perspectives in an entertaining method. Ric Allsopp (1999), a current guest Professor in the MA SODA program at the Inter-University Centre for Dance, identified digital media’s influence on performance art:

Whatever the ambivalent indications of digital media, writing will certainly continue to develop as a technological medium, and as such, as performance-performance (in whatever form) will continue to be an increasingly complex interaction of signifying systems (p.76).

In other words, writing shapes the performance, and technology grants diverse manners in which to perform. The video essay, as stated previously by Süleyman Kıvanç Türkgeldi, is the performance of research, brought to life not only through visual effects but even through the persona put forth by the digital essayist.

Bibliographical References

Allsopp, R. (1999). Performance Writing. PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art , 21 (1), 76–80. https://doi.org/10.2307/3245984

Degenhard, J. (2021). Youtube users in the World 2017–2025 . Statista. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1144088/youtube-users-in-the-world

Hines, S. (2014). Multimodal literacy and why it matters: a brief overview. Against the Grain , 26 (4), 14–16. https://doi.org/10.7771/2380-176x.6902

Kibbey, J. S. (2011). Chapter four: media literacy and social justice in a visual world. Counterpoints , 403 , 50–61. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42981595

Lange, P. G. (2019). Youtube initiation: participating through a camera. in thanks for watching: an anthropological study of video sharing on youtube (pp. 32–68). University Press of Colorado. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2g5915d.5

Levine, S., & Franzel, J. (Jones). (2015). Teaching Writing with Radio. The English Journal, 104(5), 21–29. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24484576

Specht, D. (2019). Writing: getting started. In The Media and Communications Study Skills Student Guide (pp. 69–88). University of Westminster Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv11cvxcf.9

Türkgeldi̇, S. (2021). Thinking of video essays as a performative research with a new concept: transimage. SineFilozofi , 812–825. https://doi.org/10.31122/sinefilozofi.823234

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2022). narrative . https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narrative#:%7E:text=Definition%20of%20narrative%20 (Entry%202,style%20the%20novel’s%20narrative%20structure

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2022b). story . https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/story

Van Dyke, R. M. (2006). Seeing the past: visual media in archaeology. American Anthropologist , 108 (2), 370–375. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3804798

Visual References

Figure 1: Silveira, E. (2019). UOL TAB [Illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/82467245/UOL-TAB?tracking_source=search_projects%7Cyoutube

Figure 2: Vogel, J. (2020). Media Temple 2 [Illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/100244905/Media-Temple-2/modules/578308925

Figure 3: Silveira, E. (2019). UOL TAB [Illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/82467245/UOL-TAB?tracking_source=search_projects%7Cyoutube

Figure 4: Hamazaki, K. (2018). Wifi Society [Illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/70844581/Wifi-Society?tracking_source=search_projects%7Ccomputer

Figure 5: Franchi, M. (2020). Microsoft x Surface [Illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/87835469/Microsoft-x-Surface/modules/508045167

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Guest Essay

Will A.I. Ever Live Up to Its Hype?

By Julia Angwin

Ms. Angwin is a contributing Opinion writer and an investigative journalist.

It’s a little hard to believe that just over a year ago, a group of leading researchers asked for a six-month pause in the development of larger systems of artificial intelligence, fearing that the systems would become too powerful. “Should we risk loss of control of our civilization?” they asked.

There was no pause. But now, a year later, the question isn’t really whether A.I. is too smart and will take over the world. It’s whether A.I. is too stupid and unreliable to be useful. Consider this week’s announcement from OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, who promised he would unveil “new stuff” that “ feels like magic to me.” But it was just a rather routine update that makes ChatGPT cheaper and faster .

It feels like another sign that A.I. is not even close to living up to its hype. In my eyes, it’s looking less like an all-powerful being and more like a bad intern whose work is so unreliable that it’s often easier to do the task yourself. That realization has real implications for the way we, our employers and our government should deal with Silicon Valley’s latest dazzling new, new thing. Acknowledging A.I.’s flaws could help us invest our resources more efficiently and also allow us to turn our attention toward more realistic solutions.

Others voice similar concerns. “I find my feelings about A.I. are actually pretty similar to my feelings about blockchains: They do a poor job of much of what people try to do with them, they can’t do the things their creators claim they one day might, and many of the things they are well suited to do may not be altogether that beneficial,” wrote Molly White, a cryptocurrency researcher and critic , in her newsletter last month.

Let’s look at the research.

In the past 10 years, A.I. has conquered many tasks that were previously unimaginable, such as successfully identifying images, writing complete coherent sentences and transcribing audio. A.I. enabled a singer who had lost his voice to release a new song using A.I. trained with clips from his old songs.

But some of A.I.’s greatest accomplishments seem inflated. Some of you may remember that the A.I. model ChatGPT-4 aced the uniform bar exam a year ago. Turns out that it scored in the 48th percentile, not the 90th, as claimed by OpenAI , according to a re-examination by the M.I.T. researcher Eric Martínez . Or what about Google’s claim that it used A.I. to discover more than two million new chemical compounds ? A re-examination by experimental materials chemists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, found “ scant evidence for compounds that fulfill the trifecta of novelty, credibility and utility .”

Meanwhile, researchers in many fields have found that A.I. often struggles to answer even simple questions, whether about the law , medicine or voter information . Researchers have even found that A.I. does not always improve the quality of computer programming , the task it is supposed to excel at.

I don’t think we’re in cryptocurrency territory, where the hype turned out to be a cover story for a number of illegal schemes that landed a few big names in prison . But it’s also pretty clear that we’re a long way from Mr. Altman’s promise that A.I. will become “ the most powerful technology humanity has yet invented .”

Take Devin, a recently released “ A.I. software engineer ” that was breathlessly touted by the tech press. A flesh-and-bones software developer named Carl Brown decided to take on Devin . A task that took the generative A.I.-powered agent over six hours took Mr. Brown just 36 minutes. Devin also executed poorly, running a slower, outdated programming language through a complicated process. “Right now the state of the art of generative A.I. is it just does a bad, complicated, convoluted job that just makes more work for everyone else,” Mr. Brown concluded in his YouTube video .

Cognition, Devin’s maker, responded by acknowledging that Devin did not complete the output requested and added that it was eager for more feedback so it can keep improving its product. Of course, A.I. companies are always promising that an actually useful version of their technology is just around the corner. “ GPT-4 is the dumbest model any of you will ever have to use again by a lot ,” Mr. Altman said recently while talking up GPT-5 at a recent event at Stanford University.

The reality is that A.I. models can often prepare a decent first draft. But I find that when I use A.I., I have to spend almost as much time correcting and revising its output as it would have taken me to do the work myself.

And consider for a moment the possibility that perhaps A.I. isn’t going to get that much better anytime soon. After all, the A.I. companies are running out of new data on which to train their models, and they are running out of energy to fuel their power-hungry A.I. machines . Meanwhile, authors and news organizations (including The New York Times ) are contesting the legality of having their data ingested into the A.I. models without their consent, which could end up forcing quality data to be withdrawn from the models.

Given these constraints, it seems just as likely to me that generative A.I. could end up like the Roomba, the mediocre vacuum robot that does a passable job when you are home alone but not if you are expecting guests.

Companies that can get by with Roomba-quality work will, of course, still try to replace workers. But in workplaces where quality matters — and where workforces such as screenwriters and nurses are unionized — A.I. may not make significant inroads.

And if the A.I. models are relegated to producing mediocre work, they may have to compete on price rather than quality, which is never good for profit margins. In that scenario, skeptics such as Jeremy Grantham, an investor known for correctly predicting market crashes, could be right that the A.I. investment bubble is very likely to deflate soon .

The biggest question raised by a future populated by unexceptional A.I., however, is existential. Should we as a society be investing tens of billions of dollars, our precious electricity that could be used toward moving away from fossil fuels, and a generation of the brightest math and science minds on incremental improvements in mediocre email writing?

We can’t abandon work on improving A.I. The technology, however middling, is here to stay, and people are going to use it. But we should reckon with the possibility that we are investing in an ideal future that may not materialize.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

Julia Angwin, a contributing Opinion writer and the founder of Proof News , writes about tech policy. You can follow her on Twitter or Mastodon or her personal newsletter .

Something Good: Rickards High School junior wins $1,000 in video essay contest

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - This one is all about promoting democracy!

The League of Women Voters of Tallahassee hosted a video essay contest for local high schoolers. The winner was Serenity Wiggins, an 11th grader at Rickards High School.

She won $1,000 for her 30-second video encouraging future voters to take part in democracy.

She spoke at a recent League of Women voters banquet to accept her big win.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook and X ( Twitter ).

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What is a Video Essay? The Art of the Video Analysis Essay
A video essay is a video that analyzes a specific topic, theme, person or thesis. It can be used to persuade, educate or critique. Learn the definition, uses, structure and examples of video essays on Youtube and other platforms.
Video essay
A video essay is an essay presented in the format of a video recording or short film rather than a conventional piece of writing; The form often overlaps with other forms of video entertainment on online platforms such as YouTube. A video essay allows an individual to directly quote from film, video games, music, or other digital mediums, which is impossible with traditional writing.
What Is a Video Essay? Definition & Examples Of Video Essays
A video essay is an audio-visual presentation of your thoughts on a topic or text that usually lasts between 5 and 10 minutes long. It can take the form of any type of media such as film, animation, or even PowerPoint presentations. The most important thing to remember when creating a video essay is to include voiceover narration throughout the ...
How to Write a Video Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide and Tips
A video essay is a video that delves into a certain subject, concept, person, or thesis. Learn how to write a video essay script, choose a proper environment and tools, and present a video essay well in class.
LibGuides: How to do a Video Essay: The Video Essay Process
References to cite sources used in the Video Essay. Referencing is a formal, systematic way of acknowledging sources that you have used in your video essay. It is imperative that you reference all sources used (including videos, stills, music, sfx) and apply the correct formatting so that references cited can be easily traced. The referencing ...
Introduction to Video Essays · Learning on Screen
Video essays are scholarly videos that make an academic argument through film language. This guide offers a research-led introduction to the production, evaluation and dissemination of video essays for students, teachers and researchers.
What is a Video Essay? The Art of the Video Analysis (with Examples
Video essays are a uniquely effective means of making an argument. This will specialize true in criticized essays. On type of video critiques the facets of a specific topic. As is an Video Essay? The Art of who Video Analysis Essay.
How to Create a Video Essay for Your College Application
A video essay is a personal introduction on a college application that showcases your personality and interests. Learn how to choose a topic, create an outline and script, use imagery and audio files, edit your video, and submit it online or through the Common App.
Video essay resource guide
Learn what video essays are, how to structure them, and why they are important for film criticism and scholarship. Explore examples of video essayists and venues, and get tips on software, file management, and finding and capturing video.
Introduction to video-essays
Introduction to video-essays. By Mariia Makutonina. November 24, 2021. While we wait for the Videography course to become again available at Middlebury, I invite you to discover the world of video essays on your own terms through these five artists. Video essay is a piece of video content that, much like a written essay, advances an argument.
Video essays and digital storytelling
Video essays use audiovisual materials to present research or explore topics. Like written essays, they may contain an introduction, argument, supporting evidence, and conclusion. Introduction. Writing an essay, multi-media or otherwise, is about telling a story. Stories have a structure, and the academic structure for an essay is different ...
What is a video essay? Five criteria explained
Let's consider what a video essay is and could be. Essentially, a video essay is the visual repre... -- 2017 has seen an explosion of 'video essays' on YouTube.
LibGuides: How to do a Video Essay: What is a Video Essay?
As a structure, the video essay is thesis-driven, and uses images with text so that the audience can read and interpret the idea or argument in a multimodal way. In educational settings, the term video essay is used broadly for teacher/student-learner generated video and as a vehicle to transmediate between written-text to digital forms.
Library: Media Production and Film Studies: The Video Essay
What is a video essay?. Christian Keathley, a Professor of Film & Media Culture at Middlebury College & co-founder of in[Transition], defines video essays as "short critical essays on a given film or filmmaker, typically read in voice-over by the author and supplemented with carefully chosen and organized film clips"
How To Make A Video Essay: Writing
How do you make a video essay? How do you pick an idea, research movies and write a script? Here's my tutorial for how to write a video essay, with more epis...
Video Essays
"Video essays combine different forms of media such as video (film), audio (voice-over, music, sounds), and text to study or analyze a topic. Many have structures similar to a written essay, with an introduction, body, and conclusion. An effective video essay will have a strong thesis or argument." Producing a video essay will allow you to ...
Video Essay
A video essay is a short video that illustrates a topic, expresses an opinion and develops a thesis statement based on research through editing video, sound and image. (Source: Morrissey, K. (2015, September). Stop Teaching Software, Start Teaching Software Literacy. Flowjournal.
Guide to Video Essays
A video essay is a piece of video content that, much like a written essay, advances an argument. Video essays take advantage of the structure and language of film to advance their arguments - Wikipedia. Using this Site. This site will take you through the basics of how to make your own video essay. Below you will find some introductory content ...
what is a video essay?
just like a print essay, a video essay is a way to explore an idea, but with sound and image adding dimension.Resources:Peter Thompson, "The Cinematic Essay:...
Scripting Video Essays: How to Write a Great Narrative
A video essay is a form of a documentary-like video narrative film using film footage, video clips, and graphics to discuss an issue or topic. Academics and artists can typically use video essays to discuss their research. In addition to blog posts and magazine articles, video essays are a new type of storytelling in the digital world.
How to Prepare for the Video Essay
The video essay is an opportunity for you to showcase your communication and presentation skills. Candidates record themselves answering the prompt which appears once you hit start. A webcam and microphone are required for this section. Since the video essay is a little different from the standard application requirements, here are some tips to ...
How to Create a Video Essay with Students
A video essay is a short film that explores a specific idea or theme. It typically uses various forms of media, such as video, images, and text. In a video essay, a student presents a clear thesis or argument. They use a variety of visual and audio elements to support their ideas and engage the viewer.
The Rise of Video Essays
Video essays present several advantages compared to traditional essays. There is undeniable potential for video essays to circulate important information and allow for ways to express critical thought. Though the two types of essays resemble one another in structure and narrative, the multimodal characteristics of a video essay establish it as ...
A.I. and the Silicon Valley Hype Machine
A flesh-and-bones software developer named Carl Brown decided to take on Devin. A task that took the generative A.I.-powered agent over six hours took Mr. Brown just 36 minutes. Devin also ...
Something Good: Rickards High School junior wins $1,000 in video essay
The League of Women Voters of Tallahassee hosted a video essay contest for local high schoolers. The winner was Serenity Wiggins, an 11th grader at Rickards High School.

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How to Write a Video Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide and Tips

What is a Video Essay?

Steps on How to Write a Video Essay Script

1. Write a Thesis

2. Write a Summary

3. Choose a Proper Environment and Appropriate Tools

4. Use a Template

5. Be Conversational

6. Be Narrative

7. Edit Your Script

8. Read Your Script Loudly

9. Get Feedback

How to make a Good Video from your Essay Script

How to Present a Video Essay Well in Class

Other video presentations tips include;

VIDEO ESSAYS GUIDE

Drawing on the inspiring work of pioneering educators and researchers engaging with this creative method, this guide aims to offer a research-led introduction for students, teachers and researchers approaching the video essay for the first time.

Finding Coherence Across Journals

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Visual Rhetoric

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Film theory and criticism

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Introduction to video-essays

Video essays and digital storytelling

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How to do a Video Essay: What is a Video Essay?

Media Production and Film Studies

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Video Essays: Video Essays