Katie Bird on Approaches to Videographic Practice

From The Video Essay Podcast by The Video Essay Podcast

May 9, 2025 · 56 min

About this episode

Katie Bird discusses her videographic practice and recent works in an interview with Johannes Binotto.

On today's episode, Katie Bird discusses her work and practice in an interview with Johannes Binotto. Much of their conversation centers on Katie's 2023 desktop documentary, " With a Camera in Hand, I Was Alive ." Katie and Johannes discuss the potentials of videographic practice, filming oneself as a method of videographic criticism, and her work as an independent scholar and industry professional. Other works discussed include, " young (woman) filmmaker(s) " (2023), " Feeling and Thought as They Take Form: Early Steadicam Labor, Technology, and Style, 1974-1985 " (2019), and Katie's research on editing and Gunsmoke. This episode is the eighth in an ongoing collaboration between The Video Essay Podcast and "The Video Essay: Memories, Ecologies, Bodies," a three-year research project on video essays led by Kevin B. Lee, Locarno Film Festival Professor for the Future of Cinema at USI University of Lugano, with Johannes Binotto and Evelyn Kreutzer, and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Learn more at the pod's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Get the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠free newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Music by Ketsa.

People in this episode

Host: Johannes Binotto

Guest: Katie Bird

Topics covered

videographic practice
desktop documentary
independent scholarship
filming oneself
videographic criticism
editing research

Keywords

videographic practice
desktop documentary
Katie Bird
Johannes Binotto
Gunsmoke
editing
independent scholar

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Video Essay Podcast, The Video Essay: Memories, Ecologies, Bodies, Swiss National Science Foundation, USI University of Lugano

Books & works: With a Camera in Hand, I Was Alive, young (woman) filmmaker(s), Feeling and Thought as They Take Form: Early Steadicam Labor, Technology, and Style, 1974-1985, Gunsmoke