Our playlist of favorites on YouTube:
+ 2 more from Vimeo that were not on YouTube (embedded below)
Goal:
Make a list of key characteristics that make these videos great and craft a “rubric” or list of goals for our own projects – a set of standards we will aspire to.
First observation: Each video showcases a different genre and has a different set of virtues associated with that genre.
Great storytelling (fiction):
- What are the components of a great story?
- What visual techniques are used and why?
- What audio techniques are used and why?
- What editing techniques are used and why?
The Importance of Setting:
Great non-narrative immersive experience (ethnographic):
- How is a “story” established without words?
- What visual, audio, and editing techniques create the immersive experience?
Local Voices + Immersive Visuals:
Great storytelling (non-fiction):
- How can a non-fiction piece benefit from the elements of great storytelling?
- What are the components of a non-fiction story about an individual?
- What visual, audio, and editing techniques are used?
Great documentary storytelling:
- What audio/visual/editing techniques are used?
- How do these videos establish legitimacy?
- How do they establish a sense of authenticity?
- How are there styles different and what are the strengths/weaknesses of each?
- How do these videos engage us and create a sense of interest?
- Where/what is “the gap between what is and what could be?”
Powerful Points:
Show don’t tell:
Strong Rhythm:
Of course, we would expect great rhythm in a rap video:
but it works for immersive experience videos as well:
For Tuesday
Challenge 1: Reverse Engineering
Take your favorite video and analyze the first 100 shots, noticing everything you would need to re-create the video yourself. Include the following:
- Shot description
- Duration of shot
- Composition: Tight or wide shot, angle, symmetry, focus
- Movement
- Lighting (including position of sun, weather, artificial lights)
- Edit Effects
- Sound
- Guess at exactly what equipment was used and where/how it was set up.
Here is an example of an analysis of the first 20 shots of Hong Kong Strong.
