Video essayist and media scholar at Tel Aviv University
Faline San’s videos are typically anecdotes about her life or explanations of her thought process regarding bizarre niche topics. They caught my attention due to her quick pacing, engaging storytelling, her finely-tuned (and very funny) editing style, and her self-deprecating sense of humor. how i would defeat the immortal snail is a great example of this – it’s essentially a ten minute rant about a , but it’s very funny and complex. This is especially impressive considering she is still a teenager, and I look forward to seeing what work she produces in the future!
Revolutions have long been about men – what they want and how they get it – because patriarchy determines the words we use and the ways we see. The laws and lexicon of human rights do not recognise that intimate partner violence is a form of torture, because it is only what the state can do to men that is taken seriously – and what men do to women is just “domestic violence”. My only complaint about Grace Lee is that she doesn’t upload more often! Especially since in her recent work she’s demonstrated an incredible visual sensibility, casually packing tons of information — jokes, easter eggs, and more — into every shot. This video is near and dear to my heart because it speaks to my own struggles to define video essays, and my gnawing feeling that sometimes we might be getting too permissive with the term, or alternatively too restrictive. Few essayists explore this kind of ambivalence as well as Lee. Jon Bois might just be my favourite documentarian working today, and I have a strong suspicion that soon a lot more internet videos are going to be taking cues from his work. This multipart look at the trials and tribulations of the Falcons is a longform study of failure in all its myriad forms. In the hands of Bois and his collaborators, we see in this team a devastating series of near-misses, could-have-beens, and lost opportunities. Sports narratives often focus on snatching victory from the jaws of defeat; who knew the opposite could be so engrossing? Improvements in quality and economy, and the invention of the , allowed new video and audio material to be recorded over the material already present on an existing . This was introduced into the technique. If a scene closer to the beginning of the video tape needed to be changed in length, all later scenes would need to be recorded onto the video tape again in . In addition, sources could be played back simultaneously through a (video switcher) to create more complex transitions between scenes. A popular 1970-80s system for creating these transitions was the U-matic equipment (named for the U-shaped tape path). That system used two tape players and one tape recorder, and edits were done by automatically having the machines back up, then speed up together simultaneously, so that the edit didn't roll or glitch. Later, in the 1980-90's came the smaller beta equipment (named for the B-shaped tape path), and more complex controllers, some of which did the synchronizing electronically. In the 1950s, (VTR) were invented and it was a defining element in the advancement of video editing. The VTR was the first device to use magnetic tape and was a revolutionary addition to video editing but had major drawbacks; the quality degradation caused by copying was so great, that a was edited by visualizing the recorded track with , cutting it with a or cutter, and splicing with . The two pieces of tape to be joined were painted with a solution of extremely fine iron filings suspended in , a toxic and carcinogenic compound. This "developed" the magnetic tracks (tape), making them visible when viewed through a so that they could be aligned in a splicer designed for this task. The process allowed editors to play back their video but only at one speed and to mark the point of cut an editor had to be very precise. This process was used up until the late 1970s and early 1980s but the evolution of video editing continued. By the 1960s the EECO 900 was invented as well as the Ampex EDITEC which allowed for electronic editing and electronic editing controller.[] The first type of editing in the early 1900s was made with scissors, tape, and an editing table. Since editors could not view their edits while in the process, holding the film to the light was their only way of viewing their work. With the invention of the Moviola in the 1920s, a machine that allowed editors to see the film and make precise edits to deliver a better film. this process was used for about fifty years and helped advance video editing.
Actor, writer, film video essayist
Video editing is one of the most crucial steps of the process. The process combines all motion footage, and sound recordings to create a compelling visual story. Before editing film, makers would require the camera to be stationary, with the action being distant from the camera. The video was captured with single shots strung together without regard for continuity, screen direction, lighting, emotional consideration, etc. Using video footage, a director can communicate non-fictional and fictional events. The goal of editing is to combine video and sound to communicate to the audience and allow them to feel emotionally connected to the story. It is a visual art.
Considerations for planning, making and editing a video essay.
As jubilant as we should be to see dictators toppled, and as thrilled as we are to see those countries stumble towards liberation and justice, however clumsily, I am painfully aware that although women may have been at the barricades beside men, post-revolution, they are in danger of losing the rights they do have.
Q&A sessionour staff, current students, or alumni ambassadors
This is the least ‘essay-like’ work on my ballot, but Abigail Thorn is pushing the creative envelope so much within the field of popular YouTubers that I feel she deserves mention. One thing I love about Philosophy Tube is how Thorn finds a way to incorporate the concepts she discusses into the forms of the videos themselves. Here, she makes clear the performative nature of gender by having a cis male portray the closeted, male-presenting version of herself. The moment when that actor steps aside and Thorn comes out (sorry) is one of my favourite in any video this year.
Film scholar and video essayist
A terrific example of found commentary in pop culture. The designers of Grand Theft Auto V likely didn’t intend to make a statement on the ‘Blue Wall of Silence’, but by programming police officers not to attack one another, no matter what, they unwittingly replicated real-world dynamics. Earle turns his tinkering with the game’s code into an intriguing investigation into media message-making.