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Video Project

There are three components to the assignment, to be completedcollaboratively with the members of your blogging group:

1. Create a brief video clip to gain comfort with the technology required.

2. Create a 5 to 10 minute video about a contemporary social issue.

3. When showing the video in class, provide a live (not video)introduction, conclusion, or both.

1. Brief Video ClipThe purpose of this mini-assignment is to ensure youve selected theappropriate video format for presentation in class. Since this is only aboutmastering technical requirements, the content of this clip is entirely up toyou. This brief clip will not be evaluated for content quality, but will simplyreceive a pass/fail grade for using technology in an appropriate way.

Clips should be 30 to 60 seconds, contain still images (or stills with briefvideo interspersed) and contain audio or visual narration. At least one soundeffect or music clip must be incorporated.

2. Video on Contemporary Social IssueThis is the main portion of the project and will factor most heavily into thegrade. You will construct a professional, 5 to 10 minute video using primarilystill images (although including video clips or animations may increase theeffectiveness of your message). This should be accompanied by at leastsome audio narration, although visual narration also may be used.

The content of the video needs to explore a contemporary social issue or

phenomenon. I know that explore is a vague term. If you like, you mightsubstitute the term tell the story of for explore. Or you might think ofthis as a mini-documentary, or a piece of investigative journalism, or a videoeditorial. Whatever your approach, you should make some kind of argumentand support this in the video. Put another way, your presentation shouldilluminate something about the nature of the issue itself through both visualand oral/textual arguments.

In short, dont just inform us about sides of an issue, but rather, make apoint. Perhaps youll achieve this by making a claim about the issues causesor its effects particularly if either is little understood. Perhaps youllencourage us to consider the issue in a new light by arguing that its similar

to another issue. Perhaps youll challenge us to think that were missing thepoint as we consider this issue or that weve been considering it in thewrong way.

How involved or detailed should your message be? You should create thevideo for an audience who might care enough to research it onlineor who atleast care enough to click on your video if they stumble across it on, say,Facebook. In light of this, consider how medium choice and design

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considerations will affect your audiences perception of and engagement withyour message.

Consider avoiding the most polarizing, hot-button issues (abortion, deathpenalty, gay marriage, and the like) and the overdone ones (childhoodobesity, legalizing marijuana, drinking age, global warming, cyber-bullying,

eating disorders, drunk driving). Instead focus on something where theressome healthy, engaging public discourseand where more needs to be said.For example: genetic counseling, media depictions/framing of participants inthe Marcellus shale debate, Mexican drug cartels, technologys effect onattention span, cultural reasons for the rise of zombies in popular culture,unforeseen ramifications of the Arab Spring, conflict minerals in cell phones,MMAs depiction of masculinity, PowerPoints misuse, social networks effecton popular perceptions of what friendship means.3. Live Introduction or Conclusion

The in-class speech portion of this project should be brief, at no more thanfive minutes, and typically will be an introduction or a conclusion for the

video, or both. One option is to consider modeling this after a news reportthe anchor might contextualize the issue beforehand, and then cut to a videocreated by a reporter. Or sometimes there will be little or no lead-in, but theanchor will provide some discussion after the news piece or analysis finishes.Either way, this should be fully integrated with the video itself, and should bewell delivered.

General Requirements

Find a way to distribute the work fairly. Keep in mind thatediting/compiling the final product is very time intensive.

Cite the source for your visuals at the end of the video. Web links are

fine. Burn the final version of your video to a CD or DVD for submission to

me, or arrange something else in advance (like a YouTube video, forinstance). Youll also be responsible for managing the technology toshow it in class, from a separate copy.

Visuals Guidelines

Select visuals to augment your oral or textual components. The two(visuals and language) should mutually supportone another, not workat odds. Get the script written early so you have lots of time todevelop good supporting images.

Be wary of extremes: an overabundance of either overly-literal or

vaguely-conceptual images. Similarly, try to avoid lots of genericimages. Unless absolutely necessary, avoid grainy or watermarkedimages.

If someone appears on the screenwhether you recorded them or iftheyre on video from another sourceconsider visually introducingthem. (Name, credibility, etc.)

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