tishaturk: (professional geek)
Tisha Turk ([personal profile] tishaturk) wrote2011-03-08 08:03 am

Computers & Writing conference 2011

I spent a couple of months this winter working on a research project that predates my work on vids and vidding: an academic essay that I wrote quite some time ago is finally going to be published this year, and I've been revising it to get it ready to go. I mention this only because the reviewers' comments made me see that some of the things I've been thinking about vids apply to other literary forms more specifically than I'd previously realized. So my extensive revisions to the article included the incorporation of some language that I've developed for talking about vids, and the editor was pleased with the changes. \o/

But in recent weeks I've been thinking and writing about vids again: working on an article to submit to the Transformative Works and Culture special issue on remix video, prepping for a couple of conference presentations this spring.

The exciting news there (and the reason for the title of this post) is that the Computers & Writing conference proposal reviewers responded to my proposal for a standard stand-at-the-front-of-the-room-and-talk presentation by saying "Vidding looks really interesting! And complicated! And we think you need to do a 75-minute mini-workshop on it rather than just a 15-minute talk, so you can explain the history and show more vids and lead a discussion of vids' pedagogical potential."

As a native midwesterner who has, however unwillingly, absorbed certain gendered behavioral norms, my immediate impulse was to say "Oh, gosh, are you sure? Really? Me?" Fortunately, I overcame this impulse (with the help of my fannish impulses, which were shouting YES SHARE THE SHINY FUN THINGS WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHO MIGHT LIKE THEM) and said "I would be thrilled to run a mini-workshop on vidding! Thank you!" Because, let's face it, vidding is awesome and more people should know that.

Having 75 minutes to work with means, among other things, that 1) I can show more than one vid, and 2) I can show longer vids. I love Star Trek Dance Floor, but I've shown it at conferences so often simply because it's short. Of course, I am now in danger of paralysis induced by the sheer vastness of options available to me, but I think I'm up to the challenge of narrowing my options. I may ask for help, though. :D

[identity profile] jackiekjono.livejournal.com 2011-03-08 04:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I would recommend Greensilver and Eunice's "Papa Don't Preach" for Dr. Who and Torchwood. It really shows just how far you can go from cannon and is actually way more accessible than one might think.

It's really my goto vid for explaining to people why on Earth people think this is fun and why it actually is original and transformative and not just random clips from the show set to music.

[identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com 2011-03-09 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
Ooooh, that's a great suggestion. I was thinking about [livejournal.com profile] laurashapiro's Aeryn/Starbuck crossover or the Buffy/Dean crossover, but I think you're right that "Papa Don't Preach" might be more accessible.