For a long while, video essays have been one of my favorite types of media to engage with. It’s fascinating to listen to someone discuss a topic that interests them, while taking full advantage of the affordances the multimedia format of video grants in order to make their case more compelling. Over time I’ve begun to notice that one genre in particular that often overlaps with video essays is that of media review and critique. You might see hours-long video essays dissecting the plot, production, and themes of some obscure TV show, or the investigation into a piece of lost media, or something of that effect. This intersection is what I’m especially interested in.
Two months ago, YouTuber Hbomberguy took the internet by storm with a viral 3-hour video essay titled “Plagiarism and You(Tube)”. In this video he analyzes the culture of plagiarism and intellectual property theft that has been cultivated on platforms such as YouTube, and ended up exposing a handful of other big-named content creators in the process. On top of it garnering 17 million views at the time of writing this, it also produced a lot of memes and internet discussion around the subjects discussed.
I’ve been an enjoyer of Hbomberguy’s work for a while now, and this video is no different. Ultimately, I think what makes his video essays so consistently successful is that they’re 1) they’re well-researched, and utilizes the source material effectively; 2) formatted in a cohesive way that allows the viewer to easily follow along by establishing a clear continuity of ideas; 3) has a generous helping of jokes and humor to keep the viewer interested; 4) maintains an easily digestible pace that allows the video to be academic but not boring; and 5) he takes full advantage of the multimedia format to tell a story, using pictures, video, graphic effects, sound design, and his own voice to fully immerse the viewer.
If I were to begin writing my own video essay, I would first want to craft an outline that can allow me to develop the script and graphics in tandem with each other. The script should be written in a way that is conducive to multimedia use, and the multimedia you collect should in some way lend itself to the script. A good video essay ideally develops both visual and script in tandem so as to make the most of its medium.