First of all, when I wrote my earlier post here, I hadn't realised that the OP was about a video on this website; I have not seen it, and my views were not based on it - obviously enough when you are aware that I didn't see it!
But in general: I do not think video is all that good as a learning tool; equally, I once had a Photoshop manual and had to get rid of the thing - I couldn't get anywhere with it, perhaps because it took up from beyond my own knowledge level at that period. For me, and I'm willing to believe it's different for others, the ideal way to learn is one-to-one with somebody simply doing the thing in front of my eyes, letting me try it too, and then helping to iron out my mistakes. In a crowd/classroom situation, I don't see how it would work unless every student had a computer and dedicated teacher, returning it, more or less, to 1+1.
From the point of view of learning/appreciating what makes a photographic mind work, then video is great: I can think of stream-of-consciousness from Sarah Moon as she talks her way over some photographs, going into the anguish, despair, disappointment, fear and then huge joy as something starts to happen; the rapid acceleration from there to the climax of that moment - it's all stuff I know to be genuine because I have lived it and understand her emotions clearly: they are mine. It's wonderful because it lets me see that at least an artist whom I admire absolutely, doesn't just walk into a situation, click once, and wander away with an instant masterpìece. You have to build it, bit by bit. And of course, I'm not writing here about technique - that's a given: it's about maximizing the essence of what's possible between the two people, the model and the photographer. And the funny thing, when I hear her say of a moment when she feels, during a slow shoot, "I don't want to be a photographer anymore," I understand it so well, even as I know that negativity only lasts until the moment the reward hits your eyes, whereupon it becomes the greatest high there is. So yes, Zorki5 is right: it's a wonderful medium for getting into a soul.
Island Dave is also correct in saying that video adds; I suppose, as he suggests, much depends on where the viewer stands, and what he wants to draw from the watching experience. The BBC runs an occasional series "What do artists do all day?" and one such was devoted to Albert Watson doing a shoot (for P1, afaik) on Skye. I've watched it numerous times, not because I'm into landscape (I'm not), but because of Watson. He has something that makes watching easy, and a rewarding experience, regardless of genre, and he ends up with amazing pictures. However, it's funny seeing a pro who has a dedicated "tripod assistant"... How the other micropercent lives!
Rob C
