Overview:

A digital essay combines images and a voiceover. Images can be graphics, charts, photos or animations. In addition to the voiceover, the digital essay can include music and sound effects.

Instructions:

Watch the following videos, then do the following:

For a digital essay to have impact for a reader, there is often an “emotional question” at its heart: something reader needs answered. This digital essay has its question in the title? Does it answer any other question that is unstated, but implied?

Describe the organization of the video. What does the writer introduce in the opening, how does the writer organize the points she makes and what strategies does she use. When she gets to the end, what strategy does she choose? How does she leave her reader? If the piece is intended to answer a difficult question, one that doesn’t have an obvious answer, what does the viewer understand the answer to be at the end?

Economy of detail and pacing are important part of a digital essay. Unlike a written essay, there is interplay with the images. Writer’s choose details carefully, as well as when to speak, along with whether to let images come in slowly, quickly, stop.  How does the writer use economy of detail and pacing to create impact for the reader.

How does the writer use the images to make an impact on the viewer and keep the viewer interested. How does voice interact with the images to keep the reader interest?

The power of the writer’s voice is also an essential element of a successful digital essay. How would you describe the speaker’s voice. Casual or familiar? Does she use the rhythm of her speech, its loudness or softens, or any other features to establish a relationship with the reader or create interest or tension in the topic?