LAST100 – WEEK 1

Hello there!

I am Michelle Marin, a 1st year student in LFS taking Latin American Studies to learn more about my Mexican heritage and Latin background.

Over the weekend, I watched several of the student videos posted on the LAST100 blog. One of the videos which stuck out the most to me was the “Caudillos” video by Anna Wilmann, Elyse Doyle, Emma Elsner, Isabel Masters and Rachel White, due to their unique approach to making an educational video. The usage of handmade drawings kept me hooked as it was interesting to see the different styles of drawings by the artists, and in turn, helped me focus on what the narrators were saying. Additionally, the effort which was put into the project by each individual was apparent.

Another video that I truly enjoyed was “Modernity in Latin America” by Thamer Farjo, Nicole Gross, Nicola Cox, Austin Chang and Allysia Lam. I liked this video because it taught me a lot about trade and trade routes that we still see today, including the Brazilian coffee trade. It also taught me about Mexico’s trade history and how it came to be. As a Mexican, I feel sad to know that my ancestors had to endure many hardships under Diaz, nevertheless, I am proud of how Mexico managed to survive through the difficulties. What I enjoyed the most about the video was the images which complemented the students’ presentations well. The subtitles were also great as it made the video extremely easy to comprehend.

I found the content of “The Meeting of Two Worlds“, by Matthew Landberg and Brette Harrington great (it was filled with many details!), however, as a visual learner, I had a hard time keeping up with the presentation. Personally, I found that it did not feature sufficient visual queues to help audiences like me follow the content through the video, as it consisted mostly of the students talking. Nevertheless, I believe that this video could potentially be very beneficial for auditory learners, as the lack of changing visuals could help them focus on the content of the video, and ultimately, get the most out of it.

Lastly, I also watched “Independence Narratives Past and Present II“, by Amy Main and Cennedi Mills. I found this video extremely diverse as it featured different forms of visuals, such as maps, videos of the students introducing the topics, images of Bolivar and Chavez, and what they represented as historical figures, and even music. However, I found that the audio quality was not too great and the lack of subtitles made it difficult to follow.

Through watching these videos, I feel better prepared with regards to how I could approach video projects, and I am looking forward to making them in the near future, as well as learning more about Latin America in the process.

Thank you for reading my first post!

Regards,

Michelle Marin