The TV Dictionary w/ Ariel Avissar

The Video Essay Podcast

Today's episode features a short conversation with Ariel Avissar, a lecturer, PhD student and Tisch Film School Scholar at Tel Aviv University, and the creator and curator of the ongoing TV Dictionary project. The premise of the project? Try to capture the essence of a TV series with only a single word. The task? Make a short video that pairs the dictionary definition(s) of that work with a clip or clips from a single series.

[3:20] - The origins of TV Dictionary

[7:48] - Inviting new (and experienced) video essayists to join the project

[10:28] - Why so little academic videographic criticism about TV?

[14:30] - Who is contributing to the project?

[15:29] - What kinds of videos are being made?

[18:25] - How have creators responded to the process of making for the project?

[20:08] - Collaboration with the Critical Studies in Television blog [more here]

[25:13] - How to contribute to TV Dictionary

Be sure to check out the ongoing series of blog posts on the CST blog:

Post 1 by Ariel; Post 2 by Dan O'Brien; Post 3 by Tomer Nechushtan

And also learn more about the upcoming roundtable dedicated to the project at the upcoming CST online slow conference. The roundtable will be held at 3:15 - 4:45 pm BST and feature Libertad Gills, Catherine Grant, Evelyn Kreutzer, Johannes Binotto, Ariel Avissar and Jason Mittell. More here.

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This show is hosted, produced, and edited by Will DiGravio.

Emily Su Bin Ko is the show's associate producer.

Music via Free Music Archive: [here] and [here].