How To Make A Video Essay

Summary

In this insightful commentary, the video essayist addresses the challenges of standing out in a saturated field, emphasizing the importance of discovering one's unique voice. They critique the common advice to 'stand out' as vague, advocating instead for creators to develop a style that only they can execute. Drawing from personal experience, they discuss the necessity of deep knowledge and research to provide fresh insights, sharing their journey of abandoning a successful gaming channel due to a lack of expertise. The video serves as both a guide for aspiring essayists and a call to authenticity and continuous learning in content creation.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video essayist community is growing, but many struggle with standing out due to the saturation of content and similar formats.
• 🎭 The author criticizes the cliché advice of 'standing out' without specifics, as it can mislead creators into unnecessary reinvention.
• 🔍 The most important aspect of being a video essayist is to find and develop a unique 'voice' that can only be achieved through personal creativity.
• 🎮 The author shares a personal story of abandoning a successful gaming channel due to feeling like a 'hack' without deep knowledge in the subject.
• 🤔 The author emphasizes the importance of providing fresh and insightful analysis in video essays, rather than just echoing existing opinions.
• 📈 The author's success with a 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' video essay is attributed to identifying an under-discussed aspect, 'bathos', demonstrating the value of unique insights.
• 📚 The necessity of continuous learning and gaining deep knowledge in a specific niche is highlighted as a prerequisite for creating insightful essays.
• 🚫 The author warns against copying the style or 'voice' of other creators, as it can lead to a lack of authenticity and synergy in one's work.
• 🧩 Finding one's voice is compared to finding the right wand at Ollivanders, an iterative process of trial and error to discover what fits best.
• 💡 The author suggests that creators should experiment with different styles and approaches to find their unique voice and style in video essay creation.
• 🌟 The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to support the author on Patreon, offering various rewards for different levels of support.

Q & A

What is the main issue the speaker identifies with the video essay community?

The speaker identifies the main issue as the lack of originality and the tendency for video essays to blend together due to the use of the same format, making it difficult for creators to stand out and be memorable.

What does the speaker consider the most important aspect of being an essayist?

The speaker considers finding one's unique voice and providing insightful analysis as the most important aspect of being an essayist.

Why did the speaker abandon their gaming video essay channel?

The speaker abandoned their gaming channel because they felt like a 'hack' after watching a series by another creator who had a deep understanding of game design, realizing they were not providing fresh insights.

What is the speaker's opinion on the advice 'stand out' for video essayists?

The speaker finds the advice 'stand out' to be cliché and vague, potentially harmful as it might lead creators to believe they need to reinvent the wheel to be different.

What does the speaker suggest is the core purpose of video essays?

The core purpose of video essays, according to the speaker, is to provide insightful analysis of a piece of media, offering fresh points and arguments that haven't been made before.

What personal experience did the speaker share about their second YouTube channel?

The speaker shared that their second channel, focused on video games, had unexpected success with its first two videos, each garnering over a million views.

What is the speaker's advice for someone wanting to make a video essay on a popular topic?

The speaker advises to find a fresh angle or insight into the popular topic that hasn't been discussed before, as this will increase the video's watch time and click rate.

What does the speaker believe is the reason for the sameness and boredom in many video essays?

The speaker believes the reason for the sameness and boredom is that many essayists do not do the necessary research and instead copy ideas from each other, contributing to the echo chamber.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of continuous learning for essayists?

The speaker views continuous learning as a prerequisite for essayists, emphasizing the need to always be listening to podcasts, reading books, and watching lectures to broaden their knowledge in their niche.

What does the speaker suggest as the best approach to finding one's voice as an essayist?

The speaker suggests that finding one's voice involves a lot of experimentation and creation. It's about trying different styles until one finds what fits them best and feels most authentic.

What mistake does the speaker warn against when it comes to finding one's voice?

The speaker warns against copying the voice of another creator wholesale. Instead, they advise experimenting with different elements to find what works best for the individual.