Anchored in Media: A Personal Experiment on Creating Intentional Video Texts

 

I am a personal fan of using video as a personal form of education. I have a habit of using video platforms like YouTube and TikTok to gain more information on specific topics. I was recently given the task of revisiting a video made for a graduate course and revising the video based on professional readings. I want to take you through my journey of creating an effective video text for an audience. 

My Initial Video

Step 1: Revisiting My Purpose

I first went back to my original video and revisited the purpose of creating this digital piece. Who was my audience? What information was I hoping to present to viewers? I evaluated my initial video and determined my purpose for creating the video:

• Personal introduction

• Ways I use social media personally and professionally

• My views on incorporating social media in the classroom. 

I determined that my video genre was Argumentative due to what Hicks (2013), described as an "exposé style", arguing a specific position on a topic. 

Step 2: Finding Things to Eliminate

This stage in the process felt a bit uncomfortable because it required personal critiques of my initial video. According to Delago et al. (2021), videos give learners opportunities to "allocate attention and processing capacity to the content itself, rather than the reading processes required to extract and construct meaning from text" (p. 5251). I combed through my video and looked for fillers, things that were unnecessary for viewers. I split web windows between my video and Google Docs. I used the speech-to-text feature to create a transcript of my original video. This feature was very useful because it was a very efficient way to create a video transcript. I used the transcript to edit the information I wanted to present to viewers. I used the original transcript to eliminate what I considered fillers. I kept the content the same, however, I made sure the content presented clear information to viewers.

Step 3: Reconsidering my Technique

When considering my technique to improve my video quality, I relied heavily on ideas from Troy Hick's Crafting Digital Writing. Here are some ideas that I took into consideration:

• Prewriting and drafting- Creating a script or storyboard for video content

• Media Choice- Choosing the best media for video recording and editing

• Captions and Text- Considering visual text to support video topic

• Transitions- Considering the pacing and sequence of the video

• Editing- Adjusting timing of video and special effects using editing resources

• Publishing- Sharing content in an accessible format

 (Hicks, 2013, p. 111-121)

Step 4: Finding Resources

According to Paskevicius (2021), Sharing and resources used during digital content creation can benefit both the content creator and audience in navigating source materials. I will be sharing a few resources used during my video revision process. When looking for a resource to recreate my video, I wanted to find a resource that included a teleprompter feature. I wanted to avoid as many "um's" as possible and stay on topic, so reading from a teleprompter was a good option. I came across a website called Veed that helps creators design engaging video content. I chose this resource primarily because it included a teleprompter feature. Later in my process of editing the video, I used Canva to add a simple background. I also used Canva to add text referencing key details in my video. 

                                      

Step 5: Rerecording 

When analyzing the quality of my initial video, I knew that improvements could be made. From personal experience, I often feel that higher-quality videos are more engaging to view. I initially recorded the video on my MacBook Pro. My specific model does not have high-quality video recording. My lack of lighting also contributed to the poor video quality. I initially tried using my MacBook Pro in different lighting and found that the video quality was better than my initial video. The teleprompting feature on Veed can only be used on a laptop or desktop, so I attempted to record my video on my MacBook. This is where I encountered some challenges. I started with a trial video to understand how to use Veed's teleprompter. I loved that the teleprompter feature allowed me to speed up or slow down the rate of the teleprompter text. When watching my recording, I noticed some lag time between my voice and the movement of my mouth. I find this to be a user error because I did not exactly keep up with the guide lines provided on the teleprompter. Because I wanted the flexibility of talking at a more natural talking speed, I opted to rerecord my video on my iPhone 14 pro, while having the teleprompter feature next to my phone. After 

Final Product

I see notable differences between my original introduction video and my revised video. Researching techniques for improving video texts and actually recreating my own video taught me to consider intentionality when producing videos for an audience. I would like to note that although there are notable improvements with my revised video, there is still room for growth. I am working to improve my use of video transitions to avoid glitches between clips. I hope you can notice the differences in my videos as well. I value your feedback. Comment down below to share your thoughts.

Final Video

References

Delgado, P., Anmarkrud, Ø., Avila, V., Altamura, L., Chireac, S. M., Pérez, A., & Salmerón, L. (2022). Learning from text and video blogs: Comprehension effects on secondary school students. Education and Information Technologies, 27(4), 5249-5275. https://link-gale com.ezproxy.montevallo.edu/apps/doc/A706506242/AONE?u=mont41605&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=53ffbb59

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH, Heinemann.

Paskevicius, M. (2021). Educators as Content Creators in a Diverse Digital Media Landscape. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 65(5),1–10. https://doi.org/10.5334/ jime.675

Sims, T. (2023, March 10). Smith ed629 revised video. [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/t521d2DXWvk

Sims, T. (2023, March 10). Smith ed629 initial video. [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/DQZjXV8T1eU