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2006 ITV Class Links
Using PMWiki |
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AmnestyAmnesty International: website videos - Fiona I chose the Amnesty International website because it is a non-commercial site specifically for spreading information and calling attention to world-wide plights. They periodically produce short video clips to bring attention to an issue. The video is all archived in their bank of information and you can view the latest videos, see 'global' videos about conferences, or search for specific interests or countries. I think video is an excellent choice for this organization because they rely on emotional sensitivities in order to attract people, and a video of a suffering person, in most cases, would have more of an impact than simply a written article or an mp3. The videos are offered in a variety of languages including English, Arabic, French, and Spanish, which is an unusual thing to find on the internet and reinforces the impression that the organization is concerned about disseminating information accurately. Also, since the site seems to be targeted at a worldwide audience of compassionate people, the variety of language options, as well as the sensitive nature of the videos, seems appropriate. The videos are short, just a few minutes long, which is ideal considering their heavy and, at times, overwhelming content. Most of the videos are direct interviews with people who have witnessed or experienced human rights abuses first-hand, and the videos give a global voice to a local situation. Although it's hard to tell if they were made especially for the internet or if they are just clips from film footage, they work well in the online format because the interviews are usually head and shoulder shots, making them the perfect size for online TV watching. One unusual thing about the website is that the transcript is right below the video as you are watching it. I'm guessing this is for keyword searches, but it's actually really distracting. I found myself reading the transcript while the video was playing, instead of watching the video. The transcript basically just says what is subtitled in the video above, so I don't know why I kept focusing on the written words, but I think they should remove the transcript. Below each video is also a link to a related article or more information. If the videos weren't so short, I don't think this link would have been that necessary (though it would have been useful, definitely). But since the videos are so personal, yet so short, they act as a teaser and make you want to find out more information. If the link to more information WASN'T there, I would probably just feel frustrated by the tiny glimpse that the videos afford. My biggest complaint with the videos is that the player does not tell you how long the video is, or how much further you have to go. I found this really frustrating, and while watching the longer videos, I felt impatient to know how much longer I had. If I had known that I was already half-way through, for example, I would be much more willing to keep watching. Also, the search option could use more work. When I searched for specific subjects, I was brought to a page with a description about the video but no way to access the video. |