Digital Culture Maker Project
For this project, I decided to try and make something simple but aesthetic object in origami sunglasses, my instructions to construct this object came via a five-minute YouTube video. For this paper, I will be reviewing the instructional value of this video by evaluating the following criteria: the clarity of instruction, quality of video, and the ability of someone with no outside knowledge or skill (myself) to follow these instructions.
This video was very clearly tailored to those with little to no origami experience but with an interest in creating something, it is therefore simple and fun. The video begins with the instructor showing off an example of the object you are learning how to make as well as some similar variations to demonstrate the ability to add your own flavor to the origami. The first thing you notice is the loud hum of noise in the back ground however, this fades, and is hardly noticeable when the instructor is talking. When he begins describing the steps to the verbiage is unclear at best, phrases such as, “folding this corner to this corner” (1:04) would make no sense to someone looking to learn origami if there were not a video accompanying the general statements showing you which corner was “this corner”. The video made the process one that was very easy to follow along. The object was always kept in frame, never blurry. The back ground was well lit making everything easy to see and went through each step slowly and precisely giving me time to make my own folds alongside the instructor without stopping the video to pause very often. I found that the combination of the instructor’s words with the video made the steps easier to replicate, unlike other videos I explored when looking for a tutorial, where there were no verbal instructions just a pair of hands folding paper with distracting sounds demanding your attention such as crying children or emergency vehicle sirens. The overall back ground noise was not very distracting, the steps were shown very clearly as well as described. The video instructions made it very easy for someone with no outside experience with origami to create something aesthetic and cool. I was able to follow along with what the next step in the process without much difficulty. After completing my creation, I compare what I made to how my instructors object came out. Mine is sloppy. It is slanted and uneven but it resembles the object made by the instructor closely enough to be called a relative success. I followed the steps to the best of my ability and any imperfections stem not from the quality of instruction but simply my own lack of ability and experience making precise folds, the type of thing one can only develop with repetition.
After considering the criteria I laid out for defining the value of this video as a tutorial I would call it a success. The video instructions were clear concise and helpful while the demonstration playing under the voice cleared up any confusion based on the instructions. Most important however was the ability for someone with no previous understanding to be able to follow the directions to create an object for themselves and I was able to do just that.
Video link: Here — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGBT95nWsCk
