Verdi July 2nd, 2007

A couple of weeks ago we started talking about critiquing videoblogs in a flash meeting. Like I say in the video, I’ve used this great feedback process with my theater and I think it’ll work well for talking about videoblogs too.

So, I set up another flash meeting for Tuesday, July 3 at 23:00 GMT (that’s 7 p.m. EST, 6 p.m. CST, 4 p.m. PST here in the U.S.). You can figure out your time in relation to GMT here.

This is a moderated process where the responsibility of the audience is to not bring their own agenda and to have a desire for the artist to do her/his best work.

For this first meeting well be looking at two videos:
“Stop, Look And Listen” by David Howell
and
“Little Iraq” by Cheryl Colan

There is limited space in the flash meeting so email michael@freevlog.org for an invitation.

Continue Reading for more details on the process

This process was developed by Liz Lerman from The Dance Exchange in Washington D.C.

The purpose of this process is to create a critical dialogue between an artist and responders that is non-threatening and positive. Nothing is set in stone. This is a working method and can be adapted to fit needs as they arise.

The process works best when there is a presentation of work (readings, performance, visual art, etc.) for a group of responders. The creative artist should be present for the critique and have thought carefully about questions s/he wants to ask the responders.

The responsibilities of the responders are twofold: 1) not to bring their own agenda to work they are responding to and 2) have a desire for the artist to do her/his best work. Responders are attempting to help the artist create her/his piece not to create their own. It is important for responders, as hard as this may be, to not bring their own bias and expectations to the process.

The responsibility of the artist is to be honest and open. The artist needs to be in a place where they can question their own work in a somewhat public environment. Also, it is the motivation and meaning of the creator that is the basis on which feedback is given, so the artist should be very clear about her/his intent.

Process Steps:

1. Statements of Meaning (Affirmations and Observations)

Responders give the artist either positive feedback about the work or moments that affected them. People want to hear that what they have just completed has meaning. “What has meaning for you about what you have just seen?” or “What was stimulating, surprising, evocative, memorable, touching, meaningful for you?” The artist must work to really hear the comments. Responders need to try to make the palette of responses as wide as possible. Be specific and expansive in the use of vocabulary about the work.

2. Artist questions responders

Artist asks the viewers questions about the work. Be specific; nothing is too insignificant. The more the artist clarifies what s/he is working on, the more meaningful becomes the dialogue. This is the most important step in the process.

3. Responders question artist

Responders ask neutral questions of the artist about the work. It is very important not to be judgmental in the phrasing of the questions. This is a chance for the responders to help the artist step back and analyze the work. If given the chance, most criticisms can be stated or explored in this step and what can’t probably wouldn’t be heard anyway, or isn’t relevant.

4. Criticisms and opinions

If there is a criticism that can’t be stated in the form of a neutral question, responders can express opinions about the work to the artist after they have asked permission of the artist. The artist is allowed to refuse at any time. The opinions should be positive criticism, based on problem-solving techniques. It may seem redundant to ask permission for every single criticism but it is very important. This gives the artist control of this very sensitive step and creates a dialogue, albeit a very basic one.

Discussion - If certain social, personal, aesthetic, or political issues are brought up around the artist’s work, a discussion may ensue. The discussion can be about very sensitive material, so careful facilitation is very important at this point. It is also good to relate it directly to the work whenever possible. This step can conceivably happen at any point in the process but is best tabled for the end.

The Critical Response Flash Meeting by Freevlog, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

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