Now that editing software is easily available and it is increasingly simple to download/rip AV content, video essays are becoming increasingly popular. Two main trends seem to be emerging:

1. Video essays that merge text, sound and visual content in an open manner that can be read in multiple ways. These normally lead viewers towards central arguments but ask viewers to engage in their own interpretations of the content. A good example is Catherine Grant’s ‘Touching the Film Object? Notes on the ‘Haptic’ in Videographical Film Studies’ (filmanalytical.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/touching-film-object-notes-on-haptic-in.html)

2. Video essays that follow a traditional voice-over documentary format which leads viewers through specific arguments and towards direct conclusions. A good example is Arielle Bernstein and Serena Bramble’s ‘Female Sexual Agency in a World of Blurred Lines’ (blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/video-essay-female-sexual-agency-in-a-world-of-blurred-lines)

Both types can be constructed with relative ease and are good tools for exploring and presenting research topics and/or class themes.

In this session I propose covering the basic principles of how to construct video essays with a particular emphasis on how consumer technologies such as smart phones can help produce original content to be included in the essays as well as how to use creative commons licenses in the production of video essays.

With new campers signing up every day, I was getting curious about what this year’s THATCamp Wellington might look like. Nothing like a little word-clouding to get the big picture (campers’ motivation for attending + Voyant Cirrus = big picture).

So if new + digital + technology + humanities + data + research + people + projects = YOU…

and you haven’t already signed up…

It’s not too late! All you need to do is tell us a little about yourself and what you’re interested in right here.

Welcome to the the first keen bean campers, who have shared why they’re looking forward to THATCamp Wellington 2013. Perhaps you share similar interests…

• Data visualisation
• Social networks
• Text mining
• Ontologies
• Access
• Crowdsourcing
• Hacking/coding for newbies
• Hear about new projects
• Innovation in the humanities
• New digital tools and technologies

What would you like to add to the mix? Share your ideas when you sign up here.

W13 is being held on Thursday 28 November, in the Railway Building on Pipitea Campus, Victoria University of Wellington (Bunny Street).

Thanks to the generosity of our major sponsor InternetNZ, and the help of Victoria University of Wellington and Wai-te-ata Press, we’re able to keep registration to a budget-friendly $25. This will be collected on the day, and invoices and receipts can be arranged then too.

We’ll be rolling up our sleeves for a full day, from around 8.30am to 5.30pm, with post-match drinks to follow. The schedule is what we make it, but the day will roughly break down like this.

Once you’ve signed up, start thinking about the kind of session you’re going to propose. To help you get started, check out these tips.

Questions? Ideas? Drop me a line any time at thatcampwgtn@gmail.com or @thatcampwgtn