Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve noticed those in public who don’t wear masks are typically younger people ranging from teenagers to adults in their late 20s. I suppose this is either because they have less cause for concern due to their younger and potentially healther immune systems. Or it very well may be that they’re just over the pandemic. The pandemic has cut a significant amount of time from everyone’s lives, but I think young adults feel specifically stripped of their “prime” years in socializing and partying. The readiness for younger populations to unmask worries me. I want to motivate the agency of my audience. I want my audience to feel impelled to stay strong and to understand their capabilities in upkeeping precautions benefit the greater good. Despite the lifting of mask mandates, we should choose to wear a mask. We should choose to care and protect.
Living and especially growing up in the current digital era has procured such short attention spans to reinforce robustly, and perhaps implicitly, desires for quick gratification. So, what better way to appeal to a population that’s used to scrolling through 10-second videos than a short video boiling down a major health crisis.
However, since the video I wanted to make couldn’t suit social media’s 10-second video trend, I questioned how I’d keep my viewers engaged. I recently watched a documentary about how Cocomelon is popular with babies and toddlers. I found out that the use of quickly changing perspectives captivates little humans so that they feel a sense of instant gratification with each pan. So, what better way to engage a gen-Z population than treating them like TV-addicted babies and toddlers. The clips in my short video are no more than 3 seconds, but each represents or incurs relatable emotions.
Therefore, by employing such a sophisticated technique as taught by Cocomelon, I thought it would be fitting to engage mostly pathos to keep the attention of my viewers. I didn’t think showing graphs and numbers in a video would. Although, to employ some logos I did use clips of newscasts from the height of the pandemic to show how grievous the height of the pandemic was. Regarding ethos, I honestly didn’t want to put myself in the video, so I left that rhetorical strategy out.
Breakdown of the video:
(1) beginning opens with happy smiles and social environments that remind the viewer of what the normal was before the pandemic.
(2) mirroring how the pandemic disrupted our lives, the video cuts to a dramatic visual of particles in the air. This section of the video has quick cuts of a graphic showing a COVID-19 particle. The disruptions stand as a metaphor of the persistent anxiety everyone faced at the height of the pandemic. Behind these visuals newscasts plays as audio, since during such an unprecedented time the public only had the news to offer comfort- yet ironically it caused more unrest.
(3)scenes during quarantine- solely showing shots of people alone to give the weight of isolation. Following the pattern of the beginning- alternating between close portraits of smiles- the isolated scenes will alternate with shots of patients in ventilators for an explicit contrast. This shows that yes, ordinary experiences in quaratine were bad, but were only half of the story.
Transitioning with a white screen to symbolize optimism, the video ends with quick shots of people in masks- alone and in social settings. These scenes show that we can be happy and responsible at the same time, as life will go on.
Composing the traditional essay was far more daunting to me than composing the visual essay. With traditional essays, I always stress about the logistics and especially meeting expectations. I would consider myself more of a visual person, as I often have trouble putting my thoughts to words. So, with composing the visual essay, I really enjoyed the creative freedom to channel viewers into seeing exactly what I envision.
The anticipation I had to complete the visual essay also made the planning part a breeze. I’m not typically so decisive, but with this planning, I knew exactly who I wanted to make it for and how I would do it. On the other hand, formulating an intended audience for the traditional essay felt far more complicated. All in all, it was easier to engage in composing the visual essay than the traditional essay. I guess that really makes me a part of my targeted audience- genZ.
