I believed this could really execute creativity and skill on a different medium. After a while of thinking about it, I knew the perfect genre that I could create a self-referential video on: a YouTube Video. However, it is not just a simple, uploaded video. It is a video in which the YouTuber/vlogger speaks to the camera on a certain topic. Alright, that's a bit of a long name for the genre, but hear me out. After thinking of the perfect name for it, it'll sound great--hopefully.
Of course, by creating a self-referential video on a YouTube video, I have to do my research on how different YouTubers speak to their audiences, what conventions they share, and what the essence of these videos are. Is it the way they speak in a peppy tone, to keep the conversation going? Is it the music they play in the background? Do their audiences change, or do they share the same fan base?
After careful thinking, I conducted steps for myself to follow as to creating this WP:
- Become an "Expert" - Basically, know the elements of a YouTube video back to back, and yes, even more than the questions in the previous paragraph. I need to understand their attitude, what they speak about, how they speak about it, and what their point even is. (It's like the discussion portion of a scholarly article). After becoming an expert, I can create one myself.
- Find the Essence - After today's lesson, I learned that scholarly articles have an essence, as do most genres. There is a main aspect to them, that even if you translate or transform the conventions to fit into certain audience, it still remains in tact. This step involves me searching for the essence of the YouTube video genre that I'm looking for.
- Create a Script - This process is more of a "Behind the Scenes" type of thing. I know that if I have a script with me, things will run smoother. However, as I create a script, I will make sure to insert the conventions that I found the most important from each video that I find. This is the most vital step because it should have the big ideas of a YouTube video.
- Execution - After rehearsing and finding the perfect tone and attitude, and channeling my inner-YouTube star, I will grab a camera and film my self-referential video. I'm sure this will create a dozen of bloopers and I will not finish it in one take.
- Edit - The raw film is not enough for YouTubers. If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that YouTubers are meticulous when it comes to editing their videos. It must be trimmed properly with proper sound effects and music. This might be one of the most important conventions in a video. I'm sure it'll be challenging.
Finally, after I have the final product in my hands (or uploaded, really), I will create my self-analysis, and explain the moves that I took and why I took them because, as De Piero says, everything done in our projects must have a reason. And, of course, I will include sources from the reader. I will do my best to summarize the lessons that I have learned throughout this course in this self-analysis, while also hopefully creating a perfect video of this example. Ultimately, I'll (try to) have it all tied up together.
Good for you for going with option 3! This option definitely requires more work, but I am sure it will cultivate a very creative final piece. Your idea is a good one and I agree with you that with the perfect title, your piece will come out great. You listed some very detailed goals for yourself. It is definitely important to become an expert, find the essence, create a script, actually film the script, and then edit the video. The most important part about your project will probably be doing the initial research. I think it is a really neat idea to take a video of yourself since you are focusing on YouTube videos. I just wonder how you will be able to answer all of the questions in the prompt in a more informal way, but I totally believe that you can do it. Good luck with your project, I hope to see the final result!
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I think you're the only other person in class besides me who isn't going to be doing option one or two. Your choice for a YouTube video is unique and the self-referential aspect of it will definitely make it hilarious! You seem familiar with the genre, and in your bio you mention your previous work with videos that you've done before, so this seems like a perfect fit for you. The very thorough steps for your process that you provided are so well done, I may have to borrow a few steps for my own project. I am doing something similar to this, as I'll be creating a podcast, and I never thought of such small aspects like making a script or even rehearsing beforehand. I think you should be fine because you seem passionate about this, have experience, and generally enjoy making videos. Overall, I think the plan you have is great and the video you produce will surely be awesome.
ReplyDeleteSantos,
ReplyDeleteLet me begin by saying: your blog is phenomenal. It’s aesthetically gorgeous, it’s thoughtful, and it’s well organized. Hat’s off. ☺
OK, so asking yourself question like you did in this PB3A—“what [is] the essence of these videos [?] Is it the way they speak in a peppy tone, to keep the conversation going? Is it the music they play in the background? Do their audiences change, or do they share the same fan base?”—is SOOOOOOOO smart. That’s what I’m talking about! ☺
I encourage your desire to create a self-referential YouTube video 1,000000%, with the following caveat: what kind of YouTube video? There a bunch of “sub genres” out there, so think about which one you want to do. You could do multiple ones, and really have a super self-referential YouTube video, but that might be too much to bite off.
Process-wise, I suggest settling on one specific genre first before you build up too much steam. Once you do that, it’s time to look at conventions. I’m confident that you’ve got a good hold of how to go about decoding/deconstructing the conventions of YouTube video—think about those tables we make in class. Forming an outline or a mind map will probably help with managing your ideas, and as far as editing goes, I wanted to mention that I’ve used iMovie for a handful of really low-level YouTube videos I’ve made in the past. Of course, you could always go to… YouTube… to find out how to make a YouTube video! (Fodder for inclusion in your movie?)
Z
A self-referential video is super creative and fun, and I give you praise for doing it. You gave me a pretty clear idea of what you were going to do and how you would do it by listing it out. Way to go for creativity in doing your PB3A! So far you plan to go about doing your WP3 in the way that I would tell you to. You recognized how a lot of people do these videos in different ways even if they are talking about the same topic. Also not every convention falls into the self-referential video genre depending on how each person goes about it, so I say figure out how you want to go about it: goofy, sassy, humorous, serious, etc. Then create you video doing what you want, creating your own conventions as you go. However, stick to a few of the basic ones like photo-editing, graphic effects, music, references.
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