Video Versus Traditional Essay – Tala Farah

There are several things that can be done with video essays that cannot be done with traditional essays, the main one being its use of visuals. Visuals allow the creator of the essay to show the audience what they are discussing rather than simply writing it all out like in traditional essays. Video essays allows for greater interaction with the subject compared to tradition essays. In terms of what can be said, traditional essays are usually limited to academic works, having to be written in a more professional manner, as opposed to video essays that allow for more creative freedom.

When comparing the video essay titled “The Marvel Symphonic Universe” and the article “The Evolution of Instagram Activism,” layout and content used to discuss the subject varies. For the video, actual movie scenes, interviews from people, and footage showing symphonies being conducted to play the music are all shown. This serves as a huge benefit as it allows viewers to easily understand the example that is being discussed. Humor is incorporated in the video with the interviews, something that is not typically found in traditional essays. The interviews bring an element of being able to relate to the people in the video, thus making the video essay more emotionally invoking for viewers. Now shifting to the article, it immediately starts with a primary source, showing the nature of the article. Throughout the piece, sources are used to further expand on the subject. What stands out about the essay are the use of images that provide examples of the activism posts on Instagram, allowing for a nice visual as opposed to just describing the post. Between the article and the video, the video is just easier to follow, in my opinion, simply due to the fact it is a video and all I have to do as a viewer is listen and watch.