5. Transmedia Vlog

The Reawakening is a documentary that Joseph, Renee R, Renee G, Rebecca, Emma and myself produced as part of the Transmedia Vlog component of this unit. Upon embarking on the process of the creation of The Reawakening, the idea to adapt William Blake’s core idea of “to see through the eye rather than with” to a modern context was immediately decided upon. Our group was highly interested in examining the outcome and effect that the physical presence of William Blake himself would have in our current virtual society. After drawing inspiration from the growing wave of “zombie apocalypse” Hollywood features in addition to popular talk show programs such as Ellen and Dr Phil our group structured our Vlog to follow the dramatic plot of ACU students witnessing William Blake’s “rise from the dead” and Blake’s shock at the norms of a 21^st century society that ultimately results in the intervention of talk show host Dr Felicity. Our Vlog is organized into three sections which include the Introduction, Interview component and Dr. Felicity’s segment. My role in this Transmedia project was to play the character of myself who upon witnessing Blake’s reawakening, decides to interview everyday citizens and test their knowledge on Blake. I also introduce the context of our story alongside Joseph at the beginning of the Vlog. 

My experience of working with a Transmedia Vlog has undoubtedly enhanced my understanding of Blake’s desire to cleanse the “doors of perception” (Blake 75) and promote a freedom of the mind that is untainted by societal conditioning. By placing Blake himself in a modern environment that is dominated by digital gadgets, the full effect of Blake’s key ideas of liberty and art were magnified.  Through the process of creating this Vlog, Blake’s letter To the Reverend Dr. John Trusler was greatly explored with a particular focus on the line “The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the Eyes of others only a Green thing that stands in the way” (Blake 471).  Our group enacted out an argument on this very issue in a setting amongst trees which entailed the character of a materialist wanting to chop down a tree for she did not understand that it is something of beauty and spirituality as it breathes life into the world whilst Blake himself stood in strong opposition. By creating a visual and “real-life” scenario revolving around the struggle for individuals to “see through the eye” and in turn the infinite in the world, my understanding of Blake’s complex works has most definitely heightened.

The creation of this documentary also served to expand my creative skills in terms of actually structuring a Vlog itself and making effective decisions on how best to include a multitude of ideas in a short space of time. Overall the process of making this Vlog was both a fun and informative experience.