Videographic Film & Media Studies: Spring 21

FMMC0334 Spring 2021, MW 2:00-3:15pm, Axinn 105

Author: Jason Mittell (page 1 of 2)

Sample Video Commentary: What Is Neo-Realism?

This 2013 video by the acclaimed video essayist kogonada, originally published in Sight & Sound magazine, is deceptively straightforward. On the one hand, it seems like an explanatory video that provides a comparison between two versions of the same film – we could probably read the transcript of the voiceover and understand the essay’s key argument about the differences between Hollywood cinema and neorealism.

But kogonada’s tonal mastery adds additional dimensions to the video that transcend the ideas expressed by the words alone. First off, the use of the split screen allows us to experience the distinctions between the two versions, not just have them described via prose. The video lingers on the extended shots, recreating the effect of duration that kogonada suggests is an essential component of neorealism – just as filmgoers would see Terminal Station‘s takes endure beyond normal expectations, we experience them surpassing the Hollywood norms, feeling the effect of the neorealist aesthetic.

Additionally, kogonada frames the entire piece in a suggestive and poetic tone. Instead of using the academic framework of an argument, thesis statement, or reference to other critics, he posits the entire video as an experiment requiring a time machine. Is this science fiction? His voiceover tone certainly suggests that something is a bit off from conventional academic discourse. This opening frame locates the entire video within the realm of speculative fiction, even though its content is fully rooted in history and critical analysis. Thus when he arrives at his conclusion, drawing the link between neorealism and the essence of cinema, it feels less like a conclusive argument by a persuasive critic, but more of a hypothesis offered by a somewhat mad scientist (or artist). Thus the videographic form embraces a poetic mode that encourages a degree of uncertainty and abstraction, much more than we would expect or allow for in a written essay.

On Video Art vs Online Culture

Great conversation today about the boundaries between videographic criticism vs. online video vs. found footage films vs. video art vs. [whatever else]! I hope we might continue the discussion here outside of class. Here are a few links to spur your thoughts (as well as the various links from the Week 10 Schedule:

  • Arthur Jafa’s video “Love is the Message and the Message is Death” got cut-off in-class – here’s a (illicit) link to watch the whole thing.
  • More on Jafa: the New Yorker profile I mentioned, and a short piece on his video, including an embedded link to a “pirated gallery video” of the work.
  • On the question of exhibition contexts, you might consider “Videographic Frankenstein” – this was an in-person exhibition at Stanford curated in 2018 by Shane Denson (Stanford professor, scholar of Frankenstein, and videographic critic) in honor of the 200th anniversary of the book. The exhibition was in a room with a number of monitors with headphones, so you could focus on one of around 8 videographic pieces at a time. This online publication curates those pieces for ongoing consumption. As you’ll see, the pieces range from more conventional videographic essays to more experimental “art” pieces. (I contributed a video that’s more of the latter, in a deformative vein…)

I look forward to seeing what more y’all have to say about these boundaries between art and criticism, online access vs. in-person exhibition, free vs. (very) expensive, how such works speak to different audiences, etc.!

Week 10 Schedule

April 26 – Videographic Responses

  • Submit videographic response drafts to Google Drive
  • Watch in class

April 28 – Video Essay and/or Video Art

Jen Proctor, “A Movie” (which, as Creekmur discusses, is a remake of the classic found-footage experimental film “A Movie” by Bruce Connor)

Mark Rappaport, “The Empty Screen”

Christian Marclay, “Telephones”

Week 9 Schedule

April 19 – Share Abstract Trailers

Post Abstract Trailer videos to Google Drive and discuss in class

For this week’s Video Commentaries, choose a video from the Black Lives Matter Video Essay Playlist.

April 21 – Visiting with Cydnii Wilde Harris and Will DiGravio ’19 (via Zoom)

We will meet with two rising stars in the videographic world, Cydnii Wilde Harris and Will DiGravio.

Cydnii Wilde Harris (she/her) is a film scholar and video essayist, whose work largely concerns the representations of marginalized communities, particularly the depictions of Black and brown women and femmes in film and television. She holds an M.A. in Cinema Studies from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and a B.A. in English from Spelman College.

Will DiGravio is the host of The Video Essay Podcast and writes the weekly newsletter, Notes on Videographic Criticism. He holds an M.Phil. from the Centre for Film & Screen at the University of Cambridge and a B.A. in Film & Media Culture from Middlebury College.

Before the meeting, check out some of their work below, as well as a few videos that they want to discuss with us:

First off, listen to the episode of Will’s “The Video Essay Podcast” featuring a conversation with Cydnii. As part of that podcast, Cydnii discusses one of her videos as well as one by another creator that you should watch:

Will is also sharing a video essay-in-progress that he is working on:

Additionally, you may be interested to see the excellent video essay Will produced for this class in 2017!

We will also discuss Cydnii’s video “The Original Ending”:

As discussed in the podcast, Cydnii and Will collaborated to co-curate the Black Lives Matter Video Essay Playlist. There are dozens of videos on the list – I asked each of them to choose one to discuss with our class. Cydnii selected:

And Will selected “Unlocked by Jazmin Jones“:

Week 8 Schedule

April 12 – Discuss Plans for Abstract Trailers & Portfolios

Jason Mittell’s trailer for “How Black Lives Matter in The Wire“:

Alex Ho, “Gazing at Chineseness in Nezha Conquers the Dragon King“:

Noah Liebmiller, “Why the Eye?” (from 2017 course):

Nicole Morse, “Some People Like Hearing Sad Things” about Transparent

Elizabeth Alsop, “The Television Will Not Be Summarized” about Twin Peaks: The Return

April 14 – Share Desktop Videos

  • Do weekly video commentaries (try to look at desktop documentaries)
  • Upload and discuss Exercise #6 – Desktop Videos

Week 7 Schedule

April 5 – Share Deformative Videos

  • Export deformative videos & discuss in-class

April 7 – Assignment #6 Workshop – Desktop Video

Watch “Right Now Then Wrong” by Kevin B. Lee

Watch “Watching the Pain of Others” by Chloé Galibert-Laîné  (note: turn on English captions if you don’t speak French…)

Week 6 Schedule

March 29 – Share Multiscreen Videos

  • Export videos to class folder
  • Come to class prepared to discuss role of multiscreen in videographic work

March 31 – Assignment #5 Workshop: Deformations

Week 5 Schedule

March 22 – Share Epigraph Videos

  • Export videos to class folders
  • Come prepared to discuss the role of text on-screen

March 24 – Assignment #4 Workshop – Multiscreen

  • Do weekly video commentary
  • Give feedback to peers on the epigraphs
  • Watch “Honolulu, Mon Amour” and read online commentaries
  • Watch “Magic Mirror Maze”:

Talking about Talking

I’d love to have a conversation about voiceover in video essays as you work on your exercises – what do people think works well or not in videos you’ve seen? What are your takeaways from Ian Garwood’s video? Are there specific things you hope to try with voiceover this semester?

Week 4 Schedule

March 15 – Share voiceover videos

  • Export exercise #2 to classes folder
  • Come prepared to talk about voiceover, building on videos you have viewed

March 17 – Assignment #3 workshop – Videographic Epigraph

Explore other videographic epigraphs at this showcase

Week 3 Schedule

March 8 – Meet in Axinn 105!

  • Export Supercut & PechaKucha videos to Exercise #1 folder on Google Drive by noon on Monday.
  • Come to class with hard drives and keyboard/mouse set-ups

March 10 – Assignment #2 workshop in Axinn 105 – bring  keyboard/mouse packages and headphones

Review this tutorial for using the recorders – see also this overview for tips

Week 2 Schedule

March 1 – Introduction in-class – meet via Zoom, but at 3pm we will come to Axinn doors (on Admissions side of building) to get important equipment

In-class on Monday, we watched the following videos:

March 3Assignment #1 Workshop on Zoom.

  • Make sure you have chosen media for the exercises on your hard drive ready to go!

Week 1 Schedule

February 24, 2pm: we will meet remotely at this Zoom link.

When you get a chance (after reading over the syllabus), please fill out this student questionnaire. Also, please join the class Slack workspace.

Note that the first set of assignments involves working with a film or television episode that will need to be ripped into a digital file – it’s important that students request this media as soon as possible via this form. In thinking about what text to choose, think about a film / TV program that you find interesting that you want to spend many hours exploring videographically. If you’re not sure, you can request more than one to consider.

If you have not done so already, please install Adobe Creative Cloud on your computer following these instructions (it’s free with your Midd ID!) – please do this by Monday’s class:

Conversations

This is an open venue to share thoughts related to class – just create a post and categorize it as Conversations! You can also converse on the class Slack.

Video Commentaries Instructions

Each week, students should find a video essay published somewhere online and write a commentary on it. Commentaries should be posted before class on Wednesday morning (except for our first week, when it should be posted by Monday morning). The commentary should strive to answer two basic questions: what did I learn from this video about the subject matter? and what did I learn from this video about the videographic form? Commentaries should be at least 250 words, but should be as long as necessary to explore the ideas.

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