Thursday, July 21, 2016

Week 7: Video Critique "The Power of One"



After spending the last 6 weeks reviewing digital stories, primarily in the form of movies, which are personal and really address the ideas of change and transformation, I have opted to share out a video which has a much more personal connection to me.

Last year, my daughter was inspired to create this video as a result of an assignment she was given at school.  The assignment was intentionally vague and required the students to use literary elements.  These included repetition and creating a motif around a central theme.  The teacher also asked them to not create fiction--but to address an issue or situation that was personal to them.  This was really difficult for my daughter who finally settled upon this very personal narrative.

As I critique her video, it is difficult to separate out the pride of a parent.  So, I have looked primarily at the rubric provided by the teacher and also as a part of this course.  What is immediately apparent to me is that she has developed cohesion in her narrative through the use of her central idea of 'one.'  This element ties everything she says together and draws the elements she has chosen into a singular idea.  I actually like this because I believe it helps the viewer to understand where the emphasis is. Otherwise this becomes a linear plot line with out much to pull it together.

I also hear a clearly developed voice.  She has struggled finding a narrative voice in her writing and it is fascinating to see her develop a clear one in this digital story.  Her voice is strong and passionate.  She has a great idea and concept in which her own voice emerges.

Her use of digital tools is good--the voice/music audio is well balanced and the background music compliments the story.  She deliberately chose an edgy piece of music which has an Asian feel but which is modern.  She was not satisfied with her own voice over but I think it feels authentic and genuine.

She did not use any fancy editing techniques with her photos.  She does have a nice mix of personal and stock photographs which describe her theme.  She might have used smoother transitions more effectively--fading in and out could have been more effective.  I do like the repetition of photos which match up with the audio narrative for emphasis.  That repetition is very effective and really drives the idea and theme home.

Overall, I find this digital narrative to be very effective and think that Lark met the goal of the project as it was assigned.

No comments:

Post a Comment