Rylan Eisenhauer Plog Post #9 “Final Project Idea”

Rylan Eisenhauer

I have thought for a while on what I would like to do for my final project and I want to do something somewhat experimental and share where the inspiration came from.

The two modules I will be using for this video project are networked video on YouTube and Looped video.

My idea for my final project is to make a “choose your own adventure” using the networked video platform YouTube of what would be a screen recording of a Google doc as a man is trying to write a love letter. The interactivity aspect will be that the audience can choose to help or mess with the guy’s writing by changing the font, the color, deleting his work, and more by using the mouse. I will also be utilizing loops in order to convey longer extended time and even reputation to show a back and forth or fighting between the text and the mouse. I want the man to speak to the audience specifically through typing to “speak” to the audience by typing “you better stop that! its very frustrating!” The audience will be able to “communicate” by being almost a “silent character” only able to convey what it is doing using the mouse doing actions like pointing, moving around the screen, and things like that.

The endings I have in mind for now are a good ending where the audience helps the guy and things are happy, a bad where they guy gets fed up and just leaves the audience to watch the blank empty doc as the mouse just moves around in a loop, and many another where they get in a fight of control over the mouse to also use some loops.

I am still working to figure out how many videos will be encompassed in this video, but I want it to feel engaging, have a sense of comedy to it and use music to help convey the emotionality and tone of the work. The inspiration for this idea is similar to the “Animation Vs Animator” series but instead of an animation or stick figure, its just the mouse and text that appears on screen. It will be less “cinematic” and wont be as advanced, but I think there is a fun story that I can tell with this medium and utilizing interactivity with it would be lots of fun.

Rylan Eisenhauer Blog Post #8 “Bill Viola”

Rylan Eisenhauer

Bill Viola give a pretty close speculation of the more creative reorganization of presenting film we have been seeing in today’s society. He relates ideas of our own self development through self reflection similarly to how we may turn to the film we capture and rethink its purpose or arrangement. The greatest connection he drives is “Today, development of self must precede development of the technology or we will go nowhere—there will be condominiums in data space (it has already begun with cable TV)”(Viola pg. 14). And in the case of Bandersnatch taking the idea of a choose your own adventure with the intention of finding multiple paths and routes to explore, it itself is a reflection of the condominiums in how we can change the approach we take to engaging in observing and consuming film.

The way we structure our films are important as it will ensure audiences has a comfortable and entertaining experience so they can have as many take always as possible. This is what leads us to favor the approach of very linear storytelling as its easiest to consume and present information. However, in cases like Bandersnatch and other choose your own adventure stories, it almost makes the goal or message of the film to encourage the non linearity and loops as a reflection of the very choices we make seeming more impactful when we know the array of choices we could witness. We have been at odds with how we can present these ideas without audiences feeling too taken aback or confused as stated “artists know that there must be more out there than this. Even though the technology is interactive, this is still the same old linear logic system in a new bottle”(Viola pg 11)

Bandersnatch is similar to this as although it encourages going back and forward to find other routes, thats still linearly moving forward and back. Only rarely do we see a flashback of his childhood and it being primed so that the audiences is guided to that instance and put right back where they left off. It is for this reason I still find Bandersnatch entertaining rather than tedious from a viewer perspective. But that doesn’t mean I still think that linearity is the only way we can or should go about creating film works. Its for this very reason I give praise to Kaleidoscope on Netflix as its whole purpose is to an arrange a random order for people to view and then experience to find out the big picture. Its like putting a puzzle together, there isn’t a correct place to start, you just slowly start connecting ideas until you get the full picture.

I believe that aiming towards more creative ways of compiling footage and unique storytelling is a direction we are headed that can point to new possibilities for viewers. But as of right now we are in a place of worrying that if we embrace too much interactivity and non linearity, we are at risk of viewers being overwhelmed with choice and thinking that the ideas presented are to disjointed. Not to mention with attention spans getting lower and lower overtime, if things aren’t interesting or apparent right off the bat, people will just lose interest. We as people still crave structure and organization, thus “visual diagrams of data structures already being used to
describe the patterns of information on the computer video disc. The most common one is called “branching,” a term borrowed from computer science”(Viola pg. 11). And as we work with film, we know the linearity of time always moving forward, even if you play footage in reverse, the time on the video will still always count forward. We have rules we need to abide by while working to creatively bend them.

Viola also made a point to draw connections to sacred art (as seen above) that works to challenge the simplicity of the choose your own adventure approach as a nonlinear form of storytelling. Within the image shows a Japanese shaman called itako that which calls upon spirits to communicate with them. This form of communication “without the aid of wires or hardware of any sort, have been for ages regularly communicating through time and space with ancestors long gone”(Viola pg. 4). They encouraged the mapping of space in the mind known as “the walk through Hell” to bring spirits along towards familiar paths. Sacred arts like these transport what would be a “viewer” to go across space and time through the mindscape in order to experience something non linearly. The choice of going down the path is so vast in one being to stay right where you are and the other to go what would be to a different world in a single decision.

It is my believe that the technologies we are working with to increase interactivity will become more advanced in time, but we are still in the early day basics. We as a culture are not yet at the place of suspending disbelief as easily if it doesn’t follow the rules we are familiar with (abiding by space and time linearly). But this doesn’t mean we haven’t been trying or working to break this mold. electronic literature writers have been working to create non linear works through key words and multimedia methods of creating experiences that often seem disjointed. If we are able to apply the puzzle framework to viewers to challenge them to witness more thought provoking ideas, we could see the age that advance storytelling methods like these are normalized and can be more personal and investing experiences.

-Rylan Eisenhauer

Carrick – Blog Post 6 (Video Essay)

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Carrick

 

While watching the assigned video essays this week, one concept resonated with me more than anything else: the idea of “therefore, but,” introduced in the F for Fake video. It felt like an “aha” moment. This technique—structuring a narrative so that each point logically follows or subverts the last—seems to be the backbone of the most compelling video essays I’ve come across.

One video that has stayed with me for some time is “Games you can never play again.” by The Cursed Judge. It exemplifies this “therefore, but” structure beautifully. Rather than diving straight into analysis of multiplayer games or the implications of the title, the creator begins with a seemingly unrelated story. That story unfolds into another, and another. Each thread is connected—not obviously, but emotionally and thematically. As the video continues, earlier moments are revisited in subtle ways, creating a satisfying sense of continuity and curiosity. You keep watching, not because you’re being told something directly, but because the pieces slowly form a larger picture.

The video is also a great example of how image and language work together. The voice-over is calm and reflective, never rushed. The clips shown on screen aren’t random; they’re carefully chosen to enhance the emotion or context of what’s being said. The visuals aren’t just decoration—they’re evidence, memory, and metaphor all at once. The use of music and ambient sound adds even more emotional depth, helping to guide the viewer’s feelings without ever becoming manipulative.

That said, I think I would take a very different approach to my own video essay. I’d aim for a blend of styles inspired by creators I enjoy, with a stronger focus on humor and a tone that doesn’t take itself too seriously. While the “therefore, but” structure works beautifully for longer, narrative-driven essays, I think shorter videos—like the 1- to 2-minute format for this assignment—lend themselves better to something playful, punchy, and more experimental in tone than deeply reflective or story-based.

Rylan Eisenhauer Blog Post #6 (Video Essay Films)

Rylan Eisenhauer

Video essays have always interested me as they have always been able to showcase a persons passion or interested in a topic that a paper or written work cant do full justice. Especially if the video essay creator uses themselves as the person to explain the topic and all of their thoughts in a creative way. Specifically, the video essay and more so creator of it I would like to showcase is Scott The Woz on YouTube and his “Not for Resale” video essay:

Scott’s video essay doesn’t take the exact formal approach most do, he understands that comedy through quick whiplash bits and segments keeps people engaged while able to inform the audience of more information that can be used for another bit/segment. This language is perfect for nerd type audiences and those who are curious about video game topics to both be informed and entertained. He is able to keep a semi professional tone about the topic while being free to put emphasis and swearing about segments he has stronger beliefs about which may resonate with the audience too.

The usage of imagery is really well done as he uses video gameplay for the segments he is informing people about and uses imagery on top of that to visually point out key components. Meanwhile, he reserves showing his face specifically for bits and comedy so that it is clear to the audience what they may expect. This reminded me of the F is for Fake video talking about “meanwhile back on the ranch” as when he is done talking about the logistics of a topic, he rounds it off with comedy as a segway into the next section.

His consistency of theming all ties into one another really well to even be using video game music in the background for the majority of the video, even cutting the music out during a punchline to extenuate the impact of the joke. The visuals and the audio tie into each other so well because Scott understands that with his style of comedy that timing is key. Every pause, whiplash, cutaway, and visual on screen helps to keep the audience either informed or comedically entertained. Thus he stays true to the points from How YouTube Changed The Essay by Evan Puschak by being a “Short Interesting Truth.”

So how would I go about writing my own video essay? Well the two key points I took away from the videos that I want to keep in min while writing is the goal in mind and its execution. The goal should be to keep whatever topic I think of to be short, interesting and truthful at heart. Even if the essay takes a bit more of a stance or opinion, it still needs to be factual information, brief yet informative, and have a gimmick or way of keeping audiences interesting. Which I believe can be obtained as long as I stay true to the execution of being causal using “therefore,” “but,” and “meanwhile” to connect all of the topic and points together in a linear fashion. As for how I actually write down the pacing and structure, I should look into a two column structure or at very least be descriptive in what visuals and audio are happening when as voice over and visual cues will be necessary.

-Rylan Eisenhauer