Griffin Conger’s Portfolio Gabagool

ASSIGNMENT: Choose one element present in your film/episode, and create a video compilation gathering all of the moments of that element. Assemble these moments together using straight cuts of linked sound/image tracks. All sounds and images should come from your film.

This was the first assignment we tackled in the class and was a great way to introduce one of the most basic elements of video essay creation. This exercise helped me realize how variable a video essay could be. Just by following a very basic set of parameters we were able to create a unique video which linked together elements which are otherwise easy to ignore. While I don’t truly think a compilation of all the times the Jason Funderburker croaked in Over The Garden Wall will conjure any grand revelations, the act of assembling one specific elements from a film helped demonstrate the possible new connections such an exercise might reveal.

Assignment: Select a sequence from your film, and a quotation from a written text (not specifically related to your film; it could be academic, poetic, narrative, etc.) of no longer than 5 sentences. Alter the video sequence in some noticeable way using at least two different types of transitions or effects. Either replace or significantly alter the soundtrack. The quotation should appear onscreen in some dynamic interaction with the video.

This was perhaps my favorite exercise we did in class. The combination of choice clip selection, video transformation, audio alteration, and on screen text helped give a strong sense of what a complete video essay might be. Perhaps my biggest takeaway from this class is how juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated media (audio, text, video) will create new and interesting connections which otherwise would never have existed. How many other people have linked the space rock band Duster with the late poet Louise Glück and a 2014 animation for kids? There is a certain joy and power in creating something unique like this, and I hope to carry that joy into whatever I make in the future.

Assignment: Use a multiscreen process as a compositional technique to create a short piece (3 minute max) engaging with at least one other (significantly different) video source uploaded on the shared media folder that other participants have uploaded. The video must contain moments of both fullscreen and multiscreen, including images from multiple sources. All audio and visuals must come from your film and the videos posted on our server. Each editor must impose an additional parameter upon themselves. A goal of the exercise is to engage in spatial montage to make a meaningful juxtaposition between two or more sources.

This was maybe the most difficult assignment of the class. Perhaps the linking of animation with live action media was what made it so challenging, or the fact that I’ve never actually watched Afterlife (sorry Christmas), but either way this assignment required me to figure out exactly what I wanted this video to be doing; I needed to come up with my own parameters outside of the ones listed in the prompt. Since the medias were so difficult I struggled for awhile to land on something which felt fitting. I finally decided I wanted it to appear as if Over the Garden Wall was bleeding into the reality of Afterlife. I’ve always liked stories about some other world peering into our daily life and the promise of escape they offered. I still of course had to find clips which I felt vaguely matched between the two pieces, but overall this was an incredibly instructive assignment.

Assignment: Create a video essay that directly responds to another published video essay. The approach you take to the response is up to you, as long as it engages both with the content/ideas and the form of the original video. You might think about responding by extending the original’s ideas to other examples, debating particular points, “remaking” the ideas via new forms, or otherwise building upon the foundation that the other video constructs. Your response video should be comprehensible on its own, not just as a response that requires familiarity with the original. It should be at least 4 minutes long.

I believe I am more comfortable with pieces that lean towards the artistic side of video essays rather than analysis, which is why I wanted to push myself to attempt something outside my wheelhouse. I’ve always found myself to be a strong speaker, and so while I wasn’t particularly thrilled about hearing my voice recorded back to me, I was willing to tackle voice over as a new element to incorporate into my works. Despite this, I found myself struggling when I compared my work to that of schnee’s. Perhaps this is an obvious conclusion, as one of us is a procrastinating and overworked college student while the other is a successful content creator who makes his living on publishing compelling video essays. Still, it was difficult to hold my work in comparison to schnee’s. Nevertheless I hope my arguments hold up at least a little and managed to convince a few people that Ashitaka is actually secretly one of the best written characters in fiction.

I also really enjoyed messing around with the audio mixing of certain clips. Most of the music I listen to these days is more beat focused with piles of samples all coming together to form something which really makes you nod your head and tap your fingers. While I am no expert audio mixer (and you truly must forgive me for the silliness of my opening lines), working on this project helped me identify a style I want to pursue in the future. Bringing clips together, overlaying audio and images, and syncing it all up to some marching beat is something I find incredibly satisfying. I am eager to continue working on pieces in this manner in the future.