Video Essay – Contemporary skincare ingredients and practices date back to antiquity?
A video essay was composed with narration, visuals, and quotations from interviews and academic articles to inform the audience about skincare approaches dating back to antiquity. Prior to making this revision, an article was written for Unit 2, in which the research question was, “To what extent do beautification approaches of the modern-day relate to those of antiquity?” Furthermore, to reach a specific audience, City Tech Freshmen, a video essay was chosen as the medium. This is because the demographics of City Tech Freshmen consist of well-rounded diversity and subjects that are teens to young adults. Nowadays, health and wellness have become an emerging trend that is growing at a rapid rate. With new information and innovations constantly grabbing the spotlight, one may ponder the parallel of such approaches to the past. For that reason, a video essay was chosen as the medium due to its ability to deliver information conveniently, efficiently, and rapidly. A video essay is a medium that teenagers and young adults are accustomed to, especially since nowadays instant gratification and fast information are favored above all. Using visuals and audio instead of text helped revitalize the information and support comprehension.
A video essay was recognized as the best method of communicating information about the procedures of beautification of antiquity and its relation to contemporary methods because it aided comprehension. With a series of complex and intricate materials to discuss, it only made sense to use audio and visuals to make the material more understandable. For example, instead of simply showing a collage of photos of antique skincare ingredients, a narration was added to explain each idea and material. A photo essay would have hindered the audience’s comprehension because there may have been visuals that needed an explanation. Simply showing a photo of myrrh oil wouldn’t have satisfied understanding, as most people are unfamiliar with such ingredients. Alas, visuals and audio was recognized to be essential.
Reflecting back on the composition, there were some successes and limitations. Firstly, the medium worked well to lessen the complexity of the material and offered ease of understanding with the images and audio. Nonetheless, this was my first time creating a video essay, hence, I struggled with formatting, editing, and composing it. Although I attempted my best to self-teach and educate myself on the subject of video making, the results were subpar. I had several issues with the sound and video quality which I was incompetent to revise flawlessly. For this reason, if I were to do this project once more, I’d spend more time learning in-depth about video making and editing. It may also be a good idea to visit a museum and interview a researcher to enhance the venture.
I really enjoyed watching your video. I liked your choice of images and the inclusion of background music. I also enjoyed reading your artist’s statement. Very detailed and informative. Even though this was your first time creating a video essay, it was very good, entertaining, and well-edited.