Examining Modal Resources in Youth Video Production

• In Event: Aesthetics of Multimodal Play: Exploring the Expressive Creativity of Court-Involved Youth

Abstract

This inquiry examines a close analysis of two videos created in an afterschool program; this micro-analysis aims to offer insights into the types of modal resources participants draw upon for meaning-making during digital video production. This inquiry is framed by the concept of multimodal play (Vasudevan, Dejaynes, & Schmier, 2010), within the broader theory of multimodality. To examine modes is to look at what resources are used for communication: a mode is “a socially shaped and culturally given semiotic resource for making meaning” (Kress, 2009, p. 54).

The media artifacts considered include an improvisational “haunted apartment” horror movie and a “cell phone bullying” movie, digital videos created in an after-school space without extensive pre-production or formalized curricular instruction. These media artifacts are analyzed at a granular level using methods of multimodal transcription (Bauldry & Thibault, 2006). This method of analysis offers insights into the types of modal resources taken up by participants, by examining modes including primary audio, background audio, visuals, camera framing, gestures, body language, etc.

This micro-analysis aims to add to the growing body of research on multimodality and multimodal play. Through a close look at two short videos, this inquiry will examine how participants draw upon multiple modes for meaning-making, and how this might have implications for broader education contexts.

Author

• Melanie Hibbert, School of Continuing Education, Columbia University