The story of this video began as a conversation with my younger sister, the end result of which was our sarcastic ridicule of overt displays of “masculinity.” Socially, we have constructed certain attributes as “manly,” but these attributes are, at their core, arbitrary. Something is regarded “masculine” largely because culture constructed it as such.
The story looks like me rounding up roommates, sisters, friends, to interview. I found that nearly every woman I spoke with had ideas regarding her part, especially once I gave a few “primer” ideas. The ladies infused my script with a life of their own, a passion that made me laugh and appreciate the camaraderie. Coordinating is a huge effort of film, especially once you start involving other people. When the writer composes, they can find other voices to add to the conversation simply by searching a database. In video, the composer needs physical access to the additional voices and sources, showing how much more the image/video is embodied.
The writing process was similar to the introduction video in that I storyboarded for a while before making my shots. Video is highly interconnected; it is impossible to splice up and manipulate the specifics like language. Therefore, I knew I needed to get quality takes that maintained the vibe I wanted throughout. Rather than writing and composing from words, in putting together a video the artists combines large pieces of already-compiled information. Therefore, it is already “written” in some aspects, before the author begins to string the videos together. Working with multiple characters differentiated it from my introduction video, and I had to apply extra measures, like evening out the volume for all subjects so one was not louder than the others, to create a fluid text. I also had to coordinate tones, and put “interviews” next to each other that fit well in regards to subject, length, energy, etc.
I did not do my original idea, which was a satirical infomercial regarding writing “opportunities” for women, because I realized the project would require more time and effort than I could budget. So, an element of the rhetorical situation was a college-level class, in which I had other demands on my time, and video is a very time-consuming medium. I also chose not to create anything that did not entertain on some level, because the rhetorical situation seemed asking for something witty and humorous. I also felt the need for a social critique, something that exposed constituents of society that we too often take for granted. The rhetorical situation asked my video to imply both a question and an answer, and gender construction is a rich site for both.
In the future, I would have liked to include more subjects. The diversity of character enriched the film; I love the idea of collaborative writing, and video is an excellent platform for that type of work. As a writer and thinker, I have begun to see the possibilities of video manifested in the limitations of text. This would make an awesome film short, I have found myself thinking about writing projects. Video, interviews, do not allow us to be bodiless subjects, and I see great potential in that physical presence. Our narratives become visible by the very presence of our bodies, and viewers cannot ignore the text’s situatedness.
Affirmed habits and “things I didn’t know before” include:
· The graphic design lab iMacs = awesome.
· Working ahead on contacting people to help you = good.
· Shooting in different types of light = bad.
· Entering the editing process with a plan, but prepared to toss the whole thing out = good.
· Music can change the entire tone; like an entire stylistic re-write.
· The editing aspect constitutes as much of “composing” as shooting the original video.
Working with video, in many ways, seems like working with layers of text simultaneously. There is the “text” of lighting, of sound, of transitions, music, subject, dialogue, captions, and so forth. It shows bodies, it shows situatedness and subject-object interaction…video may be the ideal medium for exposing and resisting “masculine” conventions that can constrain language.
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