write a text for a future video...
How wonderful that you’re looking into this opportunity!
We’re always excited to collaborate with researchers, writers, and storytellers of any kind!
What are we looking for?
We are looking for explorations of critical theories or philosophies that are committed to addressing oppression in ALL its forms. We value works that are pro-intersectional and that explore how different injustices are linked and sustained through the lenses of social justice, environmental justice, political economy, political ecology, and others.
We are interested in research from the following fields: Critical Animal Studies (CAS), Radical/Critical Environmental Justice (Radical EJ, CEJ), Critical Disability Studies (CDS), Political Ecology (PE), Critical/Vegan Geographies, Dark/Queer/Critical Pedagogy, Posthumanism, Decoloniality, Speculative Realism (SR), Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO), Ecofeminism, Eco-ability, Gender Studies, Queer Studies, Anarchist Studies, Critical Discourse Studies, Science and Technology Studies (STS), Feminist and Activist Scholarship.
Our main priority is the (very broad) field of critical animal studies and work connecting to animal issues will take precedence.
Who can submit?
Literally anyone! If you're interested in exploring and disseminating new concepts, theoretical developments, as well as research findings related to the above fields/interests and/or other similar philosophical subjects and you want to have your words narrated, illustrated, and/or perhaps animated in a video format, this call is for you!
We encourage anyone who finds it hard to get their knowledge across and collaborate in other circumstances to reach us! From scholar-activists to disabled, neurodivergent, working-class folks, from LGBTQIA+ people and BBIPOC to QTBBIPOC, from people without a university degree to independent researchers, artists, sex workers and folks in precarious situations, as well as anyone else who faces marginalization, send us an email if there's anything we can assist you with, so that you can make your submission.
Just keep in mind that:
- We do not accept texts that are: racist, sexist, (neuro)ableist, transphobic, homophobic and speciesist in any way, or any text that puts marginalized people at even more risk of being marginalized.
- The text/script should, of course, be based on your own original words, and should not be published in other parts or be under review for other publications.
Two places to submit your text...
- Our "dictionary of thinkers & concepts" playlist: In this playlist, we look into authors whose ideas we consider urgent, broad, and radical to stay with. Most videos in this playlist are distributed in 4 parts and usually consists of: an introduction to the author, an examination of one (or more) of their core concepts, a critique from other thinkers and an answer to it, and an explorative ending. Our commitment is to be as truthful to the “world” of the author as we can, without romanticizing them, no matter how big or important their ideas are. That is why we strive to include criticism as often as we can, but only criticism we consider honest and/or constructive, capable of bettering the concepts towards their own goals (at times) or towards animal liberation goals (for example, pushing a concept to be more in line with antispeciesist practice). If you are very familiar with a thinker you think we might be interested in and wish to write an essay about them, this might be the ideal collaboration! For example, some authors we are curious about are: Anna Tsing, Dinesh Wadiwel, Judith Butler, David Nibert, bell hooks, Gloria E. Anzaldúa, Gaytari Spivak, Maria Lugones, Carol J. Adams, Cary Wolfe, Rosi Braidotti, Jason Hribal, Maneesha Deckha, Steven Best, Isabelle Stengers, Vinciane Despret, Giorgio Agamben, and others.
- Our "collaborations" playlist: This playlist is meant to accommodate exchanges between us - learning from each other and experimenting with new subjects and forms! So far, it has explored theory and activist practice, situated knowledges and experiences, collaborative projects and more. It is an intersection between your curiosity & need to tell your story/knowledge & ours.
Pitching your script...
If you haven't yet wrote the whole thing, don't worry! For your proposal, you can send us an email containing a structured outline of the text you plan to write (350 - 650 words) or a preliminary draft, to have an idea of the script and decide whether or not we’ll include it in one of our playlists. We’ll try to answer your email in less than 10 days with an opinion or guidance.
Submitting your script...
- Make sure your text is somewhere between 1000 to 2500 words (preferably around 1500-1800 words).
- Make sure you send us your script as a PDF. or DOC. file to contact@justwondering.io
- Let us know in the email if you wish to record the script by yourself and if you have access to a semi-professional microphone to do so.
For any other general questions, contact us at the above email address.
Tips for writing...
Before we can transform your script into a video, we’ll need to work together on the editing process. To avoid too much back-and-forth editing, we’ve prepared a list of practical tips for writing a text/script that’s going to be narrated and published in a video format with illustrations and/or animations, SFX and music.
- Write as if you are talking or narrating.
- Pay attention to emotion and give it space to manifest with what you are saying.
- Avoid words that can be too hard to pronounce or sentences that are too long.
- Try to convey your message in a way that’s simple to understand, either by analogy and/or metaphor.
- Keep in mind that the script will be illustrated, and that information can be conveyed visually and through sound as well. It is recommended that you make suggestions for these too, so as to have a better grasp on the story/idea you want to tell.
[Optional] Tips for recording...
If you decide to record the text by yourself, please consider the following suggestions, since they will help us edit the audio more easily while we try to make the whole video sound as good as possible at the end.
- Exercise reading the text a few times before recording it.
- Use a pop filter for noise reduction if you have access to one.
- Set the microphone volume to 50% in the settings of your operating system.
- Keep a relatively similar distance from the microphone while recording.
- Try recording it slower, don't rush, leave sufficient space between words and sentences for additional edits.
- Send us a small recording of 1-2 sentences with your voice if you're unsure about the quality of the microphone.
- Send us the final recording(s) as .WAV or .MP3 when it's all done.
- If possible include two recordings of the script so we can put together the best takes in the video. Small mistakes/noises appear all the time while recording so this will be extremely helpful.
Video production...
The video will look and feel similar to other videos in the chosen playlist.
For the ”collaboration” playlist, the author(s) will be credited at the start of the video and at the end.
For the ”dictionary of thinkers & concepts” playlist, authors are credited at the end.
The author(s) bio goes into the video description on youtube. All videos will have some stylistic and thematic variations and the illustrations along with the video edits will always vary to fit the script we receive from you.
We can not guarantee that we’ll start working on the video as soon as the editing of the script is done. However, we’ll make sure to keep you updated when we can start making the video, as well as letting you know when the video is ready, so you can spread it around or use it in learning environments, classrooms, workshop facilitation, conferences and/or any other places where you think it is appropriate.
Publication and timeframe...
We’re pleased to accept your submissions at any time. Please note that we’re a very small collective of three individuals who have been writing, recording, illustrating, animating, editing and collaborating with others to keep this project alive, so the time to review your script can range anywhere between two weeks to two months. The additional editing of the script along with the whole production of the video will also prolong the publication date. Please keep this in mind when you submit.
Remuneration...
We know creative and intellectual work is work, and it should be paid! ❤. However, at the moment, we are unable to properly pay our collaborators (or ourselves for that matter…). We do have a Patreon, a Ko-fi page, and we are applying for grants, so perhaps things will change in the future. If that will be the case, we'll update this section and let you know.
Accessing the video...
Copyright...
All videos published on our channel and website are copyrighted by just wondering.
past collaborators...
Cosetta Veronese - Writing & Narration (watch video here)
Iryna Zamuruieva & Elliot Hurst - Writing & Narration (watch video here)
izabela marin - Writing & Narration (watch video here)
Zane McNeill - Writing & Narration (watch first video & second video)
Hestia Delibas - Research & Writing & Narration (watch video here)
Riley Clare Valentine - Writing & Narration (watch video here)
Grey Armstrong - Writing & Narration (watch video here)
Emrah Irzik - Writing (watch video here)