WandaVision was a series I eagerly waited for since they first announced it back in 2019. Now, it feels strange to think it has been almost two months since the series finale. Considering the special affection I have for this artifact, one of my main goals ever since I wrote Writing Project # 2 was to share with others my analysis of the series and why I felt it worked so well as a combination between different genres. For my multimodal text, I wanted to share once again my analysis but also pay homage to the unique style of this project by using visuals and audio that could immerse my audience in this world, while I shared with them my analysis on grief and trauma as portrayed in the series. When it comes to differences between my video essay and Writing Project # 2, I believe the focus on scholarly sources stands out as the main differentiator between both projects. While I spent a significant amount of time addressing and responding to the scholarly conversations on emotional trauma, grief, and mental health in the written essay, the audio-visual format let me shift my focus to other areas, such as the conversations surrounding the depiction of these topics in the media. I felt that the written essay allowed me to share my opinions on the show in a more academic setting, and the video essay allowed me to transport my analysis into a more popular one.

Similarly, the audience also played a significant role during the development of my multimodal text since it served as a constant reminder of the things I should or shouldn’t do with my video. For this project, I chose two main audiences that intersect with each other. The thing these two groups have in common is their existing interest in the series, with one group being people who have already watched it, and the second one being people who are interested in watching WandaVision but who have little knowledge of the larger MCU universe to which it belongs. Considering the first group, I knew I could address different aspects of the series that were revealed in later episodes and use scenes and videos from the show that didn’t spoil much if you haven’t watched the series yet. But, if you have seen WandaVision, you are likely to understand those references and “easter eggs” I placed throughout the video. As for the second group, I envision these people as those who watched the trailers and were attracted to this strange mystery-sitcom show that creatively focuses on serious issues. They won’t necessarily understand the significance of certain parts of the video, such as clips showing the twins or Agatha Harkness, within the MCU lore, but they will take with them my analysis on grief and trauma in WandaVision. Additionally, I would not expect the second group to feel lost because I devoted the first part of my video to contextualizing the audience whether they have been following Wanda’s journey since 2015 or just met her a few months ago. I also think this contextualization is essential to share my arguments about the portrayal of these emotions because I need my audience to know the type of trauma this character has experienced and why it has a direct connection with the way she acts in WandaVision.

Furthermore, I did not have much knowledge about the video essay format before beginning to work on this project but, after I did some research, I realized this format was the best way to transmit my vision to my audience. I was lucky enough that there is a wide variety of video essays focusing on movies and TV shows that you can find on the internet, so I wrote down the moves I liked from each of these videos and applied them to my project. Some of these moves include using text on the screen to emphasize specific quotes or comments and the appropriate use of background music to create an atmosphere for my video. When I started to experiment with the latter one, I experienced first-hand the importance of metacommentary since every time I used a new song, the feeling of the video changed drastically. For example, I tried to use the instrumental version of the theme song from episode 2, but it was very light-hearted and fun, so it did not fit the first part of my video where I described Wanda Maximoff’s tragic life. In the end, I chose the end credits song because its dramatic feel went in line with the information I was presenting. Finally, I would describe the style of my video essay as something fluctuating, given that it combines different audios, songs and videos to give each section a unique feeling.

Overall, this was not an easy task, but I very much enjoyed putting this video together. I hope those who have seen the series already will appreciate the short intro I created as well as the use of music to keep the video entertaining; I hope those who have not seen the show yet feel intrigued after watching all of these scenes I used that all feel like they belong to different tv shows, and most importantly, I hope my whole audience takes with them my analysis of WandaVision as well as the arguments I present on behalf of positive representation of mental health in the media.