VIDEO ESSAY NOT REGULAR ESSAY

ESSAY IS DONE AND ATTACHED, you create the video aspect. Please read directions and offer price you deem appropriate.

The video essay uses: clips, images, spoken word commentary and/or caption cards, subtitles, etc. A video essay is not a simple collage or montage of material. It works partly by juxtaposition, by placing images in sequence and using them as ‘reveals’, but it is also structured by a ‘presence’ – the essay author, in other words – that directs the viewer’s attention and takes them on a thought-provoking journey.

In short, a video essay is a kind of persuasive storytelling, presenting a viewpoint and the evidence for it, telling a convincing story about it.

To be done well, it needs to be:

planned in detail
fully documented
scripted
Do not just present a random sequence of materials which vaguely refer to a topic: that is not a video essay and is a sure route to a poor grade in this assignment.

An overview of the process

A video essay uses footage and clips from libraries, archives, or other sources which is carefully selected and edited, and which:

incorporates ‘talking head’ sections where the author (or others) speak to the camera;
uses captions, subtitles and/or other on-screen text to comment on images, to add to them, to subvert them.
In many ways a video essay is a semi-documentary form and requires many of the same kind of strategies. It means identifying a topic and gathering material, working with that material to develop, refine and understand the idea more fully, working from a clear vision of how the final sequence will be.

How long should a video essay be?

Your video essay should be 8-10 minutes in length.

How is the video essay graded?

The following aspects will be evaluated in grading your project:

Introduction: The opening is engaging and hooks the viewer from the beginning.
Content: Students utilized at least 5 scholarly sources that were clearly and concisely summarized. Scholarship was seamlessly integrated into discussion that included a clearly described objective and thesis statement. The author demonstrates a clear knowledge of the materials and has organized the information in a clear and compelling way.
Video: Video includes a clear statement of purpose. Clips, images, voiceovers and ‘talking head’ sections are presented in a logical order, with relevant information that supports the video’s main argument.
Grammar: The text and audio have no grammar or spelling errors.
Production: Video is edited. Video runs smoothly from shot to shot. A variety of transitions are used to assist in communicating the main idea. Shots and scenes work well together. Graphics explain and reinforce key points in the video.
Some useful links:

How to make a video essay: