If you chose the video (8-10 minutes, in mp4 format):

This is a video presentation filming either yourself talking, or your voice over a visual presentation (e.g., some slides, or whatever other visuals you like…get creative!).
It should include:

• a critical title that hints at the topic and at your thesis. Say or write your title at the start of your video.
  
  
• a spoken introduction to your topic and of what you argue. You should also say what you will address in your video (how you arrive at your argument).
  
  
• a structured talk on your topic. A video presentation, for example, at a conference, typically introduces the topic, gives context, and an analysis broken down into 2-3 main points (just as an essay does, but in a more conversational tone, and often with visuals to guide the viewer, even if that’s just a heading inbetween sequences of yourself talking to the camera). Your talk should anticipate the opinions of others by using counterarguments to reinforce your own thesis. You should also quote from the text to support your talk, with each quote shown on screen to help your reader follow., or, if you are not using visuals, just saying ‘’quote” and “end of quote.”
  
  
• Each time you transition into a new aspect of your talk, you should make it clear to your viewer how this new point relates to what you previously said. If you are filming yourself, make sure that you are expressive enough to convey that you are shifting to another aspect of your talk (body language, facial expressions, brief pauses).
  
  
• A few words to conclude and leave your listener with food for thought.
  
  
• If appropriate, any images to illustrate your points.
  
  
• At the very end of your video, please provide credits to the text you analyzed and any sources or references to other people’s work that you have used. You can use any style guide to reference your sources, as long as you are consistent and use the same guide throughout. Style guides are explained on Purdue OWL > Research and Citation, in the left menu. You can say ”Thanks to [such] and their work [such], and [such and such], etc.” Consider limiting yourself to 2-3 external sources for the length of this project.
  
  
  Make sure you test the audio and camera quality and that your voice is clear before recording the entire video. You can then edit it and cut any unwanted parts before submitting, as well as add any visuals.

Keep it simple: videos are more conversational than written text. Don’t speak too fast, and make sure to include brief pauses in your speech where appropriate. Those tiny moments of silence help your listener digest the content before taking in more. If you are using visuals, don’t crowd the screen too much. Your voice should dominate the content, and any visuals should only be there to reinforce your points, not to make them!

Before submitting your video, please use the checklist located at the bottom of the main Assignments page.