A Personal Commentary on Last Year’s Videos

To be honest, commenting on other students past videos, makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. However, since it is being ask of us and also knowing that it is very possible that this will happen to ours next year, here is what I think of them:

After seeing the posted videos, I have to say that I’ve picked “The Meetings of the Worlds” as my first worse video. I applaud their effort but to be honest, the setting of the video gives me the chills! The idea of having as the setting of their videos their own personal spaces –their rooms- is a poor decision. The lighting of the rooms is poorly illuminated, hence, both presenters give the impression they rushed to make it and the results are devastating. The presentation and delivery was non-existent. There were not real contributions besides reading from a monitor which pearly colored their faces while they coyly exposed their main theme. On the other hand, both presenters look a bit lost, confused, and unsure. As a personal note, I know we as students get very busy but preparation is the key.

My second worse video goes to “Caudillos versus the Nation State. I’m stroked by the lack of creativity! I made a list of pros and cons of the video and I have to say that the cons are substantially larger than the positive points. The guy in the video just limits himself to read from his notes and leaves not substantial contributions to the conversation he and his friends were having. The used of definitions was very basic and did not expand into examples. Consequently, the extreme use of conceptual ideas lives no room to show their personalities leaving me yawning the whole time. To conclude with this group and knowing that their intent was to present about ‘Caudillos” in Latin America, they focused too much in Argentina and left other important figures out. I have to say that I should have taken their writing of their title on the blackboard as foreshadow that the presentation was going to be the same way they drew it on the board.

Now, regarding my favourite videos, as number one is “The Terror”, by Camila and Miles. They did a great job! They started very strong, with a clear theme and lead the watcher with a set of point that was presented. Both presenters knew what they were taking about. They had rehearsed their parts before presenting and it shows in the fluidity of their dialogues. On the same note, I love the use of old footage and pictures throughout their video; especially the footage of “Soy Guerrillero” of Sendero Luminoso’s revels. Additionally, their use of maps, language, examples, and correlating stores goes well when presenting a cohesive videoMy last and most favorite video has to be, “Independencia Narrativos, Past and Present”! They did an amazing job! The interaction of the presenters was so candid and vivid, that created an instant connection with the audience-me. As a result, the opening line: “Welcome to history gossip with: Julian and Michelle”, was so funny and clever that my interest was caught right at that moment. The passage of time and the tightening with examples, using the figures of Bolivar, Marti, and Chavez, created a cohesive thematic dialogue for the presenters and make the presentation clear and objective. . Personally speaking, I could go on and on taking about how good this video is; however, I will sum up my preference for it here: you guys rocked it out!