Color Video Poem and the Power of Storytelling during COVID-19
It’s poetry, color, and videography all in one action-packed afternoon. HackCville’s upcoming Crash Course “Color Video Poem” will teach you the basics of storytelling, cinematography, and editing with Adobe Premiere Pro. Check out the following interview with instructor Jaison Washington to learn more!
This semester, we launched Crash Courses: one-time workshops that teach you valuable digital skills in two hours or less. Up next on the docket is Color Video Poem, led by third-year Drama and Studio Art double major Jaison Washington. While the course itself is still several days away on Friday, October 2nd (1:00 — 3:00pm EST), you can read all about Jaison and his plans for this one-of-a-kind Crash Course in the interview below:
What’s your involvement with HackCville? When did you join and what programs have you participated in?
“Last spring I took Storyboard, the videography course, and it was a lot of fun. I actually went on the New York trip with everyone and got close to some people then… But taking that class kind of inspired to get more involved in the creative world. I’ve been doing drama since I was in middle school and I went to high school for drama [too], but I wanted to look more at the technical aspects of video, so it [Storyboard] just seemed like the perfect opportunity. After that, I was actually meant to help teach Storyboard but then, of course, with the pandemic, there was no access to the cameras, so plans changed. But now, I have a new opportunity which I honestly think is more personalized, so I like it even better.”
How did you originally get into art and videography in your personal life?
“For art in general, it was definitely in middle school… I took a drama class and I fell in love with it. I used to be really into acting but never really got into the technical aspect, so when I got here [to UVA] I was kind of in the dark on a lot of those things and just trying to find a place where I could learn those skills. HackCville was the first place where I felt welcomed in to learn Adobe Premiere Pro, and once I started in the spring, I just went off and I wanted to learn more. So I learned more skills over the summer, and I feel like I’m pretty decent at it [now]. This semester, I’m taking a video design class where we’re also working with [Premiere Pro], so I’m definitely saturated with this Premiere and storytelling knowledge.”
Give us a quick overview of your Crash Course. What can students expect to walk away with?
“There’s three main topics in my Crash Course... First there’s a section on Premiere where we’re gonna do some basics of editing like Lumetri color and [other tools] because I know a lot of people might not know how to use those… Then we’ll have a section on storytelling, symbolism, and metaphor. Everyone in the class is gonna have to write a poem– that’s what their video will be about– and they’re going to take twelve shots for each line of the poem. We’re also gonna have a section of the class where we talk about the kinds of shots you can take and the rule of thirds… just basic cinematography techniques.
Have you ever made a “color video poem” yourself? If so, how was that experience?
“I’ve never made a ‘color video poem’ per se; this was kind of just a random idea I had. I really like poetry and, over quarantine, that was one of the things that brought me a lot of comfort. There’s this podcast called Sugar Calling where she [the host] would call a bunch of different poets and they’d read their work, and it just felt really special and personal and vulnerable… I wanted to do something similar where we could all create our own stories through poetry. So, I guess I’ve never created a color video poem, but I have done abstract videos where I’ve used Lumetri color. This course will be a way to really hone in on one color and what that color means to each individual person.”
Compared to other HC courses, Color Video Poem seems pretty unique. How did you come up with the idea in the first place?
“Originally, when [I was going to help teach Storyboard], I started thinking about different projects because, when I took it, we did a bunch of different projects… and I wanted to have one project that was mine. So, I started thinking, I want to do something with color, and when I got into poetry over quarantine, I realized I could combine these two things and make this really beautiful project that we could all work on together. Once I put those two things together, I knew that this was what I wanted to do.
It’s still very new and I’m kind of nervous about it… I’ve never taught a class before so it’s going to be really interesting, but I’m excited to see what people bring. I think it will be really meaningful.”
Who should sign up for CVP? Is it open to people of all skill levels or just those with previous editing/videography experience?
“It’s open to all skill levels! I think everyone is an artist, even if they don’t embrace that side of themselves… The skills I’ll be teaching aren’t über-complicated. They’re going to be pretty basic. But I think what’s more important is what we get out of it through the stories and the moment that we share together.”
What’s the one thing you would tell someone as to why they should take your course?
“It’s a good outlet during these times to create and share something personal. I think, especially now, we can all feel a little bit lonely, and being able to create something, share it with other people, and get validation for what you have to say is a really powerful thing.”
Excited to learn more? Sign up for Color Video Poem and other Crash Courses now on HackCville’s website. We can’t wait to hear your story next Friday!
