Since I have started producing video blogs, my work has evolved from long-form, single-shot episodes to concise, mashed-up segments that are non-linearly “quilted” together with multiple shots. I have started to embrace using first person narration driven by succinct Twitter-like statements. That’s right! I have discovered I am expressing myself in Tweets.
“Lost in Dublin” and “Touring Europe” demonstrate how I attempt to organically link improvisational statements using raw footage without relying on post-production devices such as scripted voiceovers. I sought out scenes that independently contribute to an overall subtle structure. These episodes focus on vacation footage I took during a recent trip to Europe. The various settings, cultures and diverse scenes allowed me to experiment with editing, maximize the features of the medium and trust the audience so I could create unique and engaging pieces strangers and acquaintances would enjoy.
I strive to inspire through works that are entertaining and insightful as well as persuasive without preaching. Visibly demonstrating my emotional reactions to scenes and engaging with settings helps me “show” the audience rather than “tell” them.
Visually framing iconic landmarks and landscapes in the background – while narrating in the foreground or interacting with the scene – eliminates the need for explicit exposition. This approach helps create opportunities for dual-coding when multiple implied meanings and messages overlap and can be deciphered all within a single scene – while collectively contributing to an overall theme or concept.
Removing images of the narrator’s performance (emotional reactions and/or oral observations) or vice versa and only focusing on the narrator in a non-descript setting – impacts the effectiveness of the scene, changes the message or results in incomplete statements that are in jeopardy of being misinterpreted. That approach helped me filter through the content as I navigated through footage -- seeking out relevant clips that could shape the overall presentation or reinforce the emerging structure.
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