Abstract
This article examines the phenomenon of the videobook as a new multimodal format at the intersection of literature, digital technologies, and pedagogy. A videobook is defined as a composite work that integrates a video sequence, sound accompaniment (voiceover), subtitles, and visual data (infographics, schemes, charts, diagrams), thereby engaging auditory and visual channels of perception simultaneously that is where it is fundamentally different from the audiobook.
The analysis mainly focuses on the role of the timely videobook in an inclusive environment, particularly for hard-of-hearing and deaf people. Using two projects as case studies – “I See the Meaning” and “Sound” – within which versions of I. A. Krylov’s fable “The Mirror and the Monkey” were created in Russian Sign Language, the authors of the study conduct a detailed examination of the structural components of the videobook format. A comparative analysis is offered of two approaches: an educational approach, incorporating elements of film pedagogy in the “I See the Meaning” project, and an artistic approach, emphasizing performance artistry, in the “Sound” project. The article also presents an extensive classification of key videobook elements, such as subtitles, types of voiceover and images (schemes, charts, diagrams), among others. The authors conclude that the videobook is a complex contemporary genre and an effective instrument for studying literature and cultural codes.
Keywords
Russian Sign Language, videobooks, fables, I. A. Krylov.