Sometimes you need to prove a point with a video. If you want to explain why a certain cutscene (or movie scene) is great for example, your message will be conveyed much for effectively if you actually show the scene rather than describing it and posting screenshots. It also allows the viewer to decide for themselves if they actually agree with you.
Nother example. Say your topic is a certain video game (say
Cuphead for example), and you're trying to argue that the game is super hardcore. As an example of this difficulty, you decide to show off the tutorial and you post
this clip. Though you did end up struggling a lot there, it's very clear that it is your fault and not the game's. This technically undermines your point, but that isn't always a bad thing. Bad points should be undermined! How many times have you read a pretentious essay explaining to you why a certain book is a masterpiece only for you to finally read it and realize it's crap. The themes the author was talking about were barely there and the dialogue, plot, prose, and characters were dull. Video evidence is stronger than a photo, which itself is stronger than a quote.
I will say though that many of the things people perform video essays on could be performed written instead. The only real reason why I watch them honestly is because they cover topics that more professional academics consider themselves "too good for". If you want an in-depth critique of video games, you
have to watch
Joseph Anderson. You can't just google "in-depth critique of x" because you'll either get crap or nothing at all most of the time. I'm not saying that good written video game critiques aren't out there (here's one of
Nier:Automata, though you have to have played/watched the game to actually appreciate it), but they are hard to find.
If you want to see a video essay that takes advantage of the fact that it's a
video essay. I would recommend
Why is it So Hard to Remember What Happens in Transformers? by Lindsay Ellis. She talks about the delicate balancing act of making a frame interesting enough to keep you entertained, but not making it too exciting to prevent your brain from being overloaded. As you can guess, Michael Bay fails at this. If you already know her and aren't a fan of her political views don't worry, they're barely present in this one. It gets going at around the 3 minute mark in case you get bored and are tempted to quit before watching the entire video. Tell me what you think.
Author
Topic: Youtube Video Essays (Read 2448 times)