The Difference Between Our Bodies by Cynthia Cox

Houston-based poet Cynthia Cox asked me to contribute a reading for her first videopoem (we’re blogging acquaintances). I was happy to comply. Cynthia noted in an email that she has only a point-and-shoot camera and the most basic of software (Windows Movie Maker), but I think the results show that it is possible to make a decent poetry video under such conditions, as long as one doesn’t try to get too elaborate. Having a good idea and being able to execute it effectively with the tools at hand trump everything else; there are so many professionally made poetry films that I would never share here because they are filled with visual or musical clichés.

Good decision to go with black and white, I thought, and the inclusion of children playing in the soundtrack seems apt. Cynthia told me that since she also wanted to post the video to Flickr, that helped enforce concision, since Flickr doesn’t allow videos longer than 90 seconds.

3 Comments

  1. Reply
    Swoon 8 July, 2011

    Nice piece of work.

  2. Reply
    Cynthia Cox 11 July, 2011

    Hey, I just saw that this was here! Thanks for posting it, Dave.

    • Reply
      Dave Bonta 11 July, 2011

      Thanks for making it — the first of many, I hope!

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