I have been struggling, not just with my DA but with online uni as a whole and I go into greater detail in my beta video.
But as it stands I have decided to switch my DA slightly. I still intend to research the future of sports technology, that be it in regards to stadiums, san and player experience, and overall how sport will look in the future.
However, I have decided to switch up my approach to researching and creating content, as well as the platforms I distribute it on. I was initially going to post video essays onto a YouTube channel then promote this through my already established future technology Instagram page from my first year DA. I have now decided, pending feedback, to move my content onto TikTok, this is for several reasons which I talk more about within the beta video, but essentially I found the time constraints of researching and creating longer-form content harder for both myself and my computing hardware to handle.
Of the content I have created so far I saw little interaction, I also was not happy with the final product and the way I went about researching and creating the content.
Hopefully, the revisions I have made to my research, creation, and method will allow me to finish the semester off with a functioning, respectable digital artefact.
disalvio.home.blog 
Reblogged this on Future Cultures.
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Hi Luke,
First of all, I’m sorry to hear about the struggles and setbacks. Every is hard enough without a computer imploding on itself, so what you’ve managed to achieve already is impressive considering the circumstances.
As for the DA itself, I think a pivot to Tik Tok is a very promising direction to take your project. I took a quick look at Future Studies Tik Tok and they are, as you said, largely in a different language and so therefore I couldn’t glean much from them.
However, I did get the chance to check out some other successful “mini-essay” Tik Tok’s, and there’s a definite trend as to how the successful one’s are constructed. Take this one (https://www.tiktok.com/@lefty46/video/6817406462848027909?u_code=d7h6km7k35de15&preview_pb=0&language=en&_d=d7h6l08ed64mmg×tamp=1589857031&utm_campaign=client_share&app=musically&utm_medium=ios&user_id=6722359173860312069&tt_from=messenger&utm_source=messenger&source=h5_m)
for instance. The use of an attention-grabbing quote, block lettering, and then a pivot into essay style content serves as a good way to hook your audience. Finding a secondary source that essentially acts as both an encapsulation of all the ideas you wish to discuss and a point which you will either agree or disagree is also a common trend. I’m unsure how you would go about translating this format into sports (I’ll be the first to admit my knowledge in the area is pretty slim) but the ideas you outlined in your original pitch seem like a good place to start!
I also had a chance to look at your “Future of Stadiums” video, and I think you were being a little harsh on yourself, especially the constraints you were working under. While certainly the video production was a little rough around the edges, the content was still there, and the ideas were coming across. In this regard I only have two major pieces of feedback for you.
The first is that your delivery is very subdued (which is not necessarily a big problem! Renegade Cut (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9infsKo33_2LUoiqXGgQWg) for instance keeps a very subdued tone in his video essays.) However, it was clear based on what I could hear that you made the video under constrained circumstances and were quite stressed at the time. This led to your delivery being quiet low energy, which makes them less inherently engaging. I would highly recommend in pivoting to Tik Tok that you take some time to improve this aspect, of your video essays. Tik Tok tends to reward more high energy and confident videos. You could approach this in a few ways, like recording multiple, or if you don’t feel entirely confident delivering your content, finding someone to do that for you!
The second piece of feedback I have is to pay close attention to the language you use. The key to most video essays is that there is a specific blend of personable and analytical language. This Medium article (https://medium.com/creative-landscape-of-youtube/5-filmmakers-that-have-mastered-the-art-of-the-video-essay-9667f7b2ee9c) outlines a few of the best analytical video essay channels, and they’re all worth looking at in terms of the specific way they construct sentences to transition between voice over and video clips. A few other channels that do a good job of blending analysis with general personality are:
Lindsey Ellis (https://www.youtube.com/user/chezapoctube)
Sideways (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi7l9chXMljpUft67vw78qw)
ContraPoints (https://www.youtube.com/user/ContraPoints)
Each of these creators have their own distinct personality and mode delivery, but still manage to maintain a generally informed tone and so are worth a close look. Finally, if you feel that creating really polished language is going to be an issue don’t be afraid to seek out an editor for help (trust me there are a tonne who would jump at the chance) most successful video essay channels employ an editor in some capacity, and it shows in the elegance of their delivery. If you’re unsure where to begin hunting for one, I’d start with the Young Australian Writer’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/YoungAustralianWriters/?multi_permalinks=2916832185060804%2C2916752155068807%2C2914500825293940%2C2916647745079248%2C2916625941748095¬if_id=1589588937077625¬if_t=group_activity)
But overall, you have all the piece here, and the move to Tik Tok is a really strong choice. Good luck with your DA!
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Hi Luke,
thanks for your honesty in your video, I can assure you that many of us are feeling the same way about uni at the moment.
I can imagine that the project was quite ambitious in terms of creating that much content and getting it edited to a high standard. I do understand your point about TikTok being a more accessible platform in terms of editing however i’m not sure that your DA would translate as well as it would on youtube. I am not personally on TikTok so I may be wrong but i’m not sure if it is somewhere people go for informationally type videos. I still think that Youtube is the best way to go and maybe just creating a few 5 min videos would be achievable? https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-use-tik-tok/
Here is a link to article on TikTok, it may be able to help you decided to transition or not.
your beta video was edited really well and was visually appealing, you explained where you were up to well and gave some clear direction as to where you wanted to go next, however the final DA is due quite soon so am unsure if making big changes at this point is time wise. I am super intrigued to see what information you deliver on this topic! Good luck.
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