In The Hyphen and Aesthetics
Fernando Hurtado’s approach with In The Hyphen, linking two things in the video title that at face value probably aren’t clearly connected, but then he does deep dives into how/why they are and the broader issue behind it. And he’s educating people specifically about stories involving the Latinx community, he does exactly as he says in his bio. There’s a very clear common theme within his content and you know what, generally speaking, he’s going to be talking about every time.
I watched his latest video, regarding ICE raids at Home Depots. He starts the video off with the main drive for making this video: that these raids are happening frequently, and he includes clips and sources for this claim. He then sets up the rest of the video, how “this story is about the hyphen between immigration and the United States.”
More clips, photos, and quotes come across the screen as he mostly does a voiceover, with only a few short clips of him popped in, speaking to his phone in what looks like his apartment. It’s surprisingly very casual, compared to the extremely put-together graphics and editing he has when he’s not seen on screen. I found that interesting just as a comparison.
I also noticed how he puts his call to action(s) smack in the middle of his video, in the middle of a point, even. I thought this was a smart tactic, because by the halfway point of the video, people who are still watching have a much higher chance of wanting to hear more. And, he gives people multiple options. The simple, “subscribe and hit the bell”, but then offers those who wish to support him further, they can join his Patreon, where he then lists the benefits of doing so. One of the benefits of his Patreon is the ability to actually pitch him stories to cover, which I just think is a great way to really engage with your audience. Along with all that, he also mentions another, even more niche platform of his, the podcast. There are so many levels of interest available to the audience to engage however deeply they wish to. Fernando’s videos, or at least the one I watched, is a really comprehensive real-world example of nearly everything we’ve talked about so far in class.
Pivoting.
In regards to the upcoming format practice, I think I’ve settled on medium-to-long form content, at least for what I want my launch plan to be centered around. I’m really excited to get into the editing aspect and playing around with crafting a video. However, I find that I’m stuck on the aesthetics? I live in a tiny apartment, I don’t have the best lighting (save for a janky ring light that turns off after 15 minutes despite being plugged in), I don’t have like… a good spot to sit or stand and film.
Perhaps that could be part of my shtick. Oh, that’s the kinda funny girl with a boring ass background on YouTube who talks about… I think I’m going with music history/culture content, that just feels more right for a YouTube channel than running content. I also realized, after some thought, that I don’t really think I want to be responsible for “influencing” or “de-influencing” anyone’s fitness or exercise, since bodies and lifestyles are all so different. I may have personal experience in my specific circumstances, but I am grossly underqualified to be speaking to an audience about it at large. Aside from maybe a few humorous TikToks here and there.
Anyway. There are a number of people that I’ve seen who literally have their kitchen in the background (like Fernando, even), or just a blank wall. So, I guess it’s not that serious… Either way, it’s exciting to be actively putting in the creative effort and playing around with something tangible with this assignment.