Cats & Twitter — an online video experiment
What did I do?
This week, I decided to create a short online compilation video based on the various antics of my cat Sunny, because he is one of the most frequent subjects of the videos I create — in a leisurely capacity — and I thought he would make a great video subject for this week’s creative task.
How did I do it?
To create the compilation, I used the app InShot (for the first time), as I found that it allowed me to create and edit a short video easily, using the correct aspect ratio for Twitter and Instagram, and add music and text.
Therefore, I decided to create a video that featured some of the unexpected scenarios I have captured him in — both in the past and over the last week — and create a narrative based around his “various guises” and temperaments. I also included accompanying funky music (which I attempted to synchronise with the changing of the clips) and text, to emphasise the video’s fun-loving and light-hearted theme.
Why did I do it?
The video, as a whole, conforms to the general structure and features of modern online videos, as the videos are “direct” and “experiential”, namely, they are first-hand and spontaneous in nature and in several cases happened without my foresight. Thus, this exemplifies the occasionally crude and shaky camera footage, and overexposed footage, particularly in the first clip.
Furthermore, some of the video clips have bad lighting in them, a consequence of using archive footage from dark settings. Had a filmed these particular clips recently, however, I would have endeavoured to ensure that the lighting and other technicalities, were of a higher professional standard.
Finally, while the video itself does “show, not tell” without requiring text, I decided to add one-word descriptions on each clip to clarify Sunny’s current disposition, in conformance with the Twitter description of “many guises”.
When posting to Twitter, I adhered to several of the expectations of a typical Twitter post, by including several cat-related hashtags including ‘#CatsofTwitter’, a quote about cats from Sigmund Freud, and a CTA (Call To Action) to encourage followers to “Watch” the cat’s antics.
What would I like to do next time?
In the future, I will attempt to be more original and innovative in regards to what I post, ensuring to be more vigilant by noticing what is happening around me when I am out and about, such as trying to film something if and when I am in a particular media environment and doing something especially interesting.
What I would like to try doing next is a ‘Day in the Life of…’ post in the form of an Instagram or Snapchat story. Until now, I have avoided posting such stories on a regular basis, owing to my general lack of interest surrounding “broadcasting” my daily events to other people, but in the right context, this might an interesting and experimental method of storytelling to try out.
