Over the past few years, people have been consuming various new forms of media. From the emergence of new streaming services and platforms with new TV shows and movies and the rise of TikTok, media has taken over day-to-day life. We constantly look for movies and videos to entertain ourselves and pass our time, but we never stop to consider the value of the media we consume and how it impacts our mental health and our lives in general. Although there are many informative forms of media that can be interesting, such as documentaries, they are typically boring, and it is hard to find documentaries that are captivating. On the other hand, video essays, essays in video form, are not only intriguing, but they are also educational and have a wide variety of genres. 

To begin with, video essays are similar to written essays in many ways. Video essays most likely have an argument that they are trying to further. This argument can be related to any topic—movies, shows, politics, economics, etc. Video essays are just like written essays but put in motion. The argument of the essay is often supported with evidence from media such as books and songs or the argument is related to media from where the evidence is stemming from. The argument is usually well-reasoned and represents a single point of view. Unlike written argumentative essays, video essays often do not acknowledge the other perspectives of the argument. Arguments in the video essays are often very strongly supported and opinionated but they fail to consider other ways of thinking. 

Video essays also put more emphasis on critical thinking through visual engagement. They also utilize all the available resources to make the video engaging. Video essayists often utilize different editing techniques, voiceovers, background sounds, graphics, and more to make their video as elaborate and luring as possible. 

Some good channels on Youtube to watch video essays are “Every Frame a Painting” and “Nerdwriter”. Although “Every Frame a Painting” only has a limited number of videos, they are all very educational and interesting and you are guaranteed to learn something new. “Nerdwriter” posts a new video every week and the videos are very opinionated and enticing. 

“I love watching Nerdwriter in my free time because all the opinions are so fresh and the stance that he takes is almost always strange at first but more reasonable as you watch the video,” stated Arcadia High School junior Melanie Borrayo. “I always learn something new by watching his videos.”

Ultimately, video essays are similar to documentaries, but they are made for people who want something innovative, original, and unconventional. Not only are video essays a good way to pass time, but they also end up nourishing the brain. 

Photo courtesy of Jakob Owens