The videographic essay: criticism in sound and image

Book synopsis: The last decade has seen extraordinary developments in the multimedia presentation of cinema and moving image scholarship via the form that is commonly known as the ‘video essay’. What the finest examples of this videographic criticism have made clear is that such work allows for and even demands a different rhetoric than written film scholarship, which can in turn transform how we engage with and study cinematic texts. Some of the form’s alternative rhetorical approaches to the traditional scholarly goal of producing knowledge were tested in summer 2015 at an NEH-funded workshop, ‘Scholarship in Sound and Image’, organised by Christian Keathley and Jason Mittell at Middlebury College in Vermont. There, fourteen international scholars gathered to experiment with the new form. This volume grows out of that workshop, and out of a follow-up edition in 2017. With special focus on the practice and pedagogy of videographic production, the volume contains detailed descriptions of the assignments that were designed to both stimulate work and teach technology; in addition, a companion page on the caboose website features videos produced by participants during the workshop. This unique volume will be of great value to teachers and students, critics and videomakers, as well as anyone interested in this growing area of critical practice. The volume also addresses issues such as the professional validation of videographic work, copyright and fair use, and technology. Also featured are two scholarly essays by co-editor Catherine Grant and original contributions by the workshop’s special guests: Eric Faden and Kevin B. Lee