Onscreen Cameo

This exercise is used to consider how you, as a video essayist situate yourself in relation to your media object.

Download the pdf.

Watch onscreen cameo exercise examples here.

Prompt: Select a scene from your media object to visually insert yourself into as part of its reality: get closer to the story space from inside! Film yourself using your smart phone or equipment available to you. Film and edit your project in ways that ensure that you (or part/s of you) are integrated into the media object’s reality. Speaking is optional. Work in groups of 3 or 4 to record and help each other.

Consider: Who are you? How do you situate yourself in relation to your media object, its production, audiences, and any implicated communities it might represent? How will you insert yourself? Where do you need to be within the scene? Are you an extra, leading character, supporting character, guest, ghost, background character, or someone else? How will you technically integrate yourself into the scene in the time allotted? How does your cameo change/enhance/alter the reality of your media object? If you refuse to put yourself in frame for this prompt, who or what will you use as your avatar?

Restrictions

  • 30 seconds to 1-minute.
  • You must be part of your media object’s reality.
  • You may use part/s or all your body.
  • You do not have to speak.
  • No temporal effects: do not manipulate the speed.
  • You may cut, edit, and otherwise rearrange your media object(s) to accommodate your appearance.
  • Visual effects permitted.
  • You may work with more than one media object if you are able to create a cohesive reality across texts in the time allotted.

This exercise was devised by Dayna McLeod. It was commissioned by ‘Embodying the Video Essay’ workshop hosted at Bowdoin College, July 2023, a collaboration between The University of British Columbia, Bowdoin College, University of Leeds, University of Rochester, and the University of St. Andrews, which was funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Connection grant.