Week 13 — Video Essay Showcase

This week is about completion, reflection, and looking forward. We screen final video essays and discuss not only what was made, but how these practices extend into future creative, professional, and research contexts— including the evolving role of AI in cinema and media production.

To Do This Week

• Submit your final video essay (exported and ready to screen)
• Bring a shareable link or file backup
• Prepare to briefly introduce your work to the class
• Complete course evaluations

Class

Final Screening

We will screen final video essays in class. Each student will give a brief introduction (1–2 minutes):

• What question, idea, or experience does the essay explore?
• What form did it take, and why?
• What changed between early drafts and the final version?

The screening is not a critique session—this is a presentation and celebration of completed work.

Group Discussion: What We Learned

After the screening, we will reflect collectively:

• How did your understanding of editing, sound, and structure change?
• What surprised you about working with images as a form of thinking?
• How did AI tools support, complicate, or reshape your process?
• What kinds of stories felt most effective in this form?

Next Steps: The Future of Video & AI

We will discuss where these skills go next:

• Video essays as research, criticism, and creative practice
• Short-form and platform-based video (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram)
• Hybrid workflows: editing with AI-assisted tools
• Ethics, authorship, and transparency in AI-supported media
• Building a portfolio of thoughtful, intentional video work

The goal is not just technical proficiency, but articulation— knowing why you make something and how it speaks.

Course Evaluations

Please complete course evaluations during class. Your feedback is important and directly shapes how this course evolves.

Closing Thought

Video is no longer just a medium for representation. It is a way of thinking, testing ideas, and building meaning— especially in an era of intelligent tools and networked images.

Carry this practice forward.