What is your project for the Mary Gates Undergraduate Research Symposium?
My project is a video essay titled "Queer Silence." I explore the meaningful use of silence within a small selection of contemporary queer films, directly experimenting with the relationship between image and silence.
How did you find the topic for your project?
I developed the project while I was taking Professor Jennifer Bean's course CMS 321: Queer Feelings and Video Essay Production. I began experimenting with silence and dialogue in Céline Sciamma’s film Portrait of a Lady on Fire for a class exercise, and it blossomed into a video essay.
What has been the most challenging about the process so far?
Learning the necessary technological and editing skills (and applying them effectively) was definitely a major challenge for me. It's an ongoing process, and I'm still learning new skills every day. I am fortunate that Professor Bean's course taught me the basics.
What has been the most rewarding about your process?
Being able to effectively use video essays as a form of scholarship is immensely rewarding. Written analysis is an important skill, but videographic criticism allows for a unique level of analysis that blends formal research with artistic expression. It has given me a newfound confidence in myself and opened up many opportunities, especially as other CMS faculty have started incorporating video essays as assignments options for their courses.
How can other CMS students get involved in the future?
Take Professor Bean's course this fall (you'll be so glad you did!) and reach out to Professor Bean or myself if you want to chat about videographic criticism. The best way to learn about this kind of work is to watch video essays. The online publication [in]Transition: Journal of Videographic Film and Moving Images Studies is a great place to start.