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I am posting this as a benchmark, not because I think I'm playing very well yet.  The idea would be post a video every month for a ye...

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Writing Every Day



Tell me if you think video posts are a good idea.

7 comments:

undine said...

I never watch online videos--well, almost never--and much prefer to read because it's faster.

Rose said...

No. I prefer to read.

Thomas said...

It's interesting that you're considering them. A few years ago, you may recall, I tried my hand at vlogging but found that it was both too much of a hassle (I was a bit more ambitious about the production values that this video you've made) and too much of a strain on my vanity (I was too often embarrassed about how I came off, a bit like hearing my voice recorded ... or, in fact, seeing a picture of me ... only times, like, a million!). I find writing a blog post relatively easy, both in practical and existential terms.

But since you posted those readings of Shakespeare at Bemsha, I've thought about it again. I think there's a definite use for embedding a video in a written post precisely if you're trying to get at something like "voice" or "performance". You are in a position to put your mouth where your words are. But in this particular post, you're just putting words in your mouth that would probably be communicated more efficiently in writing. I think the video medium needs to be more than a talking head in our line of work.

For example, I imagine it is technically possible to record screen activity, a web-cam image of yourself working, and, of course, your voice talking all at the same time. So you film yourself and your screen at once. You could then edit a few sentences or write a quick paragraph, commenting out loud along the way. Edit the film down to two or three minutes, cutting back and forth between your page and your face and you'd have a compelling presentation.

That might take a bit of work, especially the first few times you do it. But once you get the hang of it, it might be an easy way of producing a very useful and informative post.

Jonathan said...

Good points. Vanity is definitely a consideration. I am going to do a set of posts about enjambment on Bemsha that use my voice to demonstrate the points, rather than just speaking aloud something that would be better in written form.

Clarissa said...

I like this video post. I think it would be great to have them from time to time.

Jonathan said...

I think I could do ones a lot better than this, I think, with better production values, to really make it worth while.

Anonymous said...

Thomas's idea of a video post that actually captures some element of your personal writing process is super intriguing to me.

Otherwise, I'm not too keen on video/talking posts about writing. The disconnect between medium and message strikes me as a rhetorical hindrance given the purpose of SMT.