Video Poetry: A How To
Ed Bell hosting the first PLU Presents on March 28th 2020.
Just over a year ago, when the pandemic hit Europe and lockdown forced the closing of all public spaces, there was a mad rush to put artistic events online. One way this change of circumstances manifested for Paris Lit Up was a new series called ‘PLUPresents’, a weekly video event that featured poets from all over the world. We quickly learned about the limitless possibility of video poetry: from recording a reading of a poem to adding sequences and music, the artists who submitted their work to PLUPresents have managed to find tremendous inspiration with this new form.
The series is still going on a monthly basis, and I am frequently asked what makes strong video poetry? And so, to celebrate one year of PLUPresents, I wanted to put together a how to on video poetry. To do this, I asked some questions to five artists who have been involved with the processes of creating video poetry and gathered their responses. Beyond the technical advice, such as making sure your videos are filmed in landscape and keeping it to 3 minutes, these five artists explore other elements: form, performance, choice of image and words, narrative and inspiration.
For more of their work, here are the links: Lala Drona (check out her Youtube and Instagram, too!), John Hicks, Alison Koehler, Rufo Quintavalle, Leah Soeiro
Think of the screen
When you are developing your video poem, remember that the viewer will be seeing it through the screen: a laptop, a television, a tablet or a mobile phone. As Lala Drona puts it, ‘the intention behind the creation of video poetry is to be experienced through the screen, and the screen is a visual medium’ and we can play with this medium. Leah Soeiro says that ‘a video poem exists between images and words’ and we can exploit this in our work more than we can in person. John Hicks optimistically says that ‘without needing to be a cinematographic expert’, we can enjoy film making and the joy of combining ‘colour, dynamic, real scenes or abstract touches’. Rufo Quintavalle adds that this medium is not only a ‘new way of putting work out’ but also ‘a different way to get across meaning, to communicate differently’. He highlights the ability video poetry gives artists to reach out during the pandemic.
Think of performance
With that in mind, whether you are simply reading a poem or doing something more technologically ambitious, you need to be aware of performance. For John Hicks, that means being aware of ‘setting, movement and correspondence’, and for Alison Koehler, it’s a question of light and framing. What’s more, because you have more time than on stage, think about the pace of your poetry and give space for the audience to respond to your words. In your performance, are you sitting or standing? Looking at the camera or looking into the distance? Is your background on purpose, or are there items and objects that reflect your theme?
Laetitia Hohenburg performing her piece L’Heure Bleue for PLU Presents featuring Le Ortique.
Think of form
All artists that I have interviewed make a distinction between ‘filming yourself reading a poem’ and ‘making a video that is in itself a poem’ (Alison Koehler). But no matter what video you send to PLUPresents, you should think about the way that it can engage your audience. For instance, Leah Soeiro thinks that ‘a successful video poem doesn’t reveal the seams between the lyrical and the cinematic components’, and Lala Drona hammers the point home ‘The video is not simply a tool to promote, but an artistic medium through which the message is enhanced.’ For Rufo Quintavalle, the beauty of video poetry is that ‘images [can] evolve as semantic or musical shifts occur in the poem’, and because the two are connected, think about what sequences you select, how you portray them and what order they take. Is there irony in your words, but none in your images? What poetic devices can you find in the selection of your form? As John Hick says ‘Transition, development, rhythm, feeling and poetic embodiment… Nothing could be more pleasing to the soul that thirsts for relief and release’.
Shorter is better
All the artists I interviewed said that the video should be 3 minutes.
This said, they all offer some nuance. Leah Soeiro says that she has seen ‘video poems that are 20 seconds and gorgeous, all the way up to 20 minutes’. Alison Koehler recommends longer poems only ‘if you’re ready to dive in deep - with the text, with the visual elements, with the editing, and especially with new levels of personal excavation.’ And Lala Drona states that ‘there are long form (10 mins) and short form (2-5 mins)’ but that she personally ‘prefers short form (a woman of my times).’
Hélène Argo + La Réjane performing during PLU Presents Together Behind Four Walls, part two.
Play with image and words
This is crucial when creating a video that is in itself a poem, and offers many opportunities to set yourself apart as a video poet. As Alison Koehler says, ‘moving images do something other than illustrate what is being described’ and Lala Drona adds that ‘juxtaposition can create a powerful new message’ when ‘your image and words can conflict with one another’. Ultimately, when you are assembling your video, it is worthwhile to think about the relationship between footage and reading. According to Leah Soeiro, the audience will ‘need to see them as inseparable, created simultaneously, and without one being held in higher regard than the other’. However, Rufo Quintavalle believes that ‘the images need to be valid and strong in their own right’.
Use editing software
And you don’t need to pay for it. Simply type into a search engine ‘free video editing software’ and presto! If you need help with any tips and tricks, the internet is your friend.
Rufo Quintavalle talks a little more about the editing process: ‘working with the way one image turns into another, with a memory of something earlier in the film or with visual references, when one shape echoes another from a previous scene or foreshadows to a later one’ is an intensely poetic process. Enjoy that poetic process in the editing phase of your work to find new ways of expression.
Rewrite your poem, or re-film your video
So, you started out with a certain poem and a certain sequence in mind. You have worked at the performance, the form and the editing. But when you watch it back, it just doesn’t hit the mark. What do you do? John Hicks thinks that ‘the random plans’ hidden within our art are sometimes only discovered later. He advises to ‘write another poem based on what you have filmed’ in order ‘to let the images move the words, if possible’. Conversely, this could also mean that once the poem is set, maybe it might help to ‘go out on a filming exploration and open yourself up to noticing, “getting lucky” [Ed. with the footage]’. These new images might help you understand new facets of the poem.
Emily Ruck Keene chose to pair her poem with illustrations in the PLU Presents featuring Le Ortique
Notice the world around you and the world in your work
To understand the function of video poetry, Leah Soeiro says that it is about ‘finding out the essence of poetry, and translating it or discovering it in a visual world’. As a result, if we admit that everything is poetry – as we do at Paris Lit Up – we will understand our task is to see the poetic in everything.
John Hicks says that ‘video poetry asks for us to notice… See that billboard over there? Or that poster for a missing cat? What do they say if we put them into a transcendental role?’ It is our cerebral cortex that helps us create associations and it is this that will help you create a video poem, and you shouldn’t worry if it takes time to make those connections. As Rufo Quintavalle puts it, it might take ‘weeks or months’ before he finds a way to combine the picture or short film of something that caught his interest into a video poem.
Finally, the video poem, according to Alison Koehler, is ‘a digitally immersive world that reaches into the text and beyond it’. Once we have seen the external world, we are able to go into the internal world of the video poem and work out what it is that we are trying to create in it.
If you do these two elements, your video poem will offer something that is more than just the sum of its parts.
Believe in what you are doing
This applies to all artistic undertakings, of course. But I would say it is even more important when we try out a medium that isn’t as well-known as others. Alison Koehler says that ‘whatever we’ve lived, wherever we are now is the only starting point that is necessary’. Leah Soeiro adds that when we ask ourselves what will make a good video poem, ultimately ‘everything is OK, but the idea is to challenge ourselves’.
All the artists I have interviewed emphasise the importance of experimentation and play. Video poetry as a medium allows for both a lot of fun, and the potential to create something moving and telling piece of art. Rufo Quintavalle says, ‘stick to your vision and don’t be embarrassed by your vision - even Bob Dylan has bad lines’!
Helen O’Keeffe hosting PLU Presents featuring John Hicks, heating up the evening with a virtual bonfire. <3
Get inspired by others
To get started, it’s always a great idea to watch what other people are doing. You can check out PLUPresents’ playlist that features over 12 episodes of our video poetry series with dozens of artists. Below are some personal recommendations from the artists interviewed, who also have video poems out there..
Erica Schreiner’s The Disorders Series: Erase
Pipilotti Rist’s ‘Ever is Over All’