6.2 The Creative Potential of Video for Art Classrooms

While video certainly affords a plethora of options for exploration, creation, and expression in many different regards, I believe that its true creative potential, as an art medium, is only realized upon considering the things that it allows for which other mediums simply cannot do. By its very nature alone, video is already set far apart from the vast majority of art forms because it enables its creators to utilize moving images; Most traditional art forms are largely static, and thus, dynamism must come through special techniques or other means (i.e. texture, placement of subject matter, color, etc.). With video, this is not the case. Images are fluid intrinsically, and these same images can be cut, sequenced, arranged, exchanged, flipped, distorted, recolored, and even holistically altered to create entirely new forms of meaning. Furthermore, the manner in which these moving images are presented opens up additional realms of possibility. In some cases, the creative presentation of video can offer just as much to the overall artistic product as how the video was made, if not more. One such example of this is the upcoming "Addressing Home" project being undertaken by Teachers College in December. The various video works on display will likely speak to the concept of "home" in their own unique regard, however, by projecting these videos onto the Manhattan Bridge (a bridge that is used by many New Yorkers for daily commutes, and actually coming home), the meaning of this project is deepened and intensified.

In regard to the potential of video in art classrooms and education abroad, video is best suited for facilitating collaboration and communication between student peers. For every step of the video-making process, from preproduction to postproduction, teamwork is an absolute necessity in order to ensure a suitable final product. In preproduction, roles must be properly assigned and adhered to. Who will be in charge of gathering the props, costumes, and makeup to be used in the video? Who will direct/film/sound-record the video? Who will be in charge of scouting locations? What is the shot list? In the production process, the collaborative spirit carries forward from preproduction and intensifies. Positive communication between directors, cinematographers, sound recorders, productions assistants, and potential actors must be maintained at all times, otherwise, time, effort, and resources (which are all nonexpendable) will have been wasted with scarcely anything to show for it. Similarly, for postproduction, it is completely counter intuitive for collaborators to butt heads in the editing lab. Compromises and team-spirited resolutions are the only way to eschew negativity and quickly resolve problems that may arise. Having students engage in processes such as these serves to strengthen their ability to work well together with others--a skill that is extremely important in all walks of life, and especially important for aspiring artists. Often in art, too much emphasis is placed on individuality and self-focused creative exploration, which can make it difficult when it is time for artists to come together and work collaboratively. Introducing video into art classrooms ensures that students are able to become acclimated to the spirit of collaborating early on, which will greatly help their artistic futures.