A Story About a “Booktalk” March 9, 2009

This has been my first experience developing a booktalk, although I did not actually talk about a book. I decided to make the subject of my talk the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series because there are few things I like more than Buffy. After all, it is a cult classic for good reason. What I had to do was pinpoint the reason for its success.

I found it difficult to envision my talk as a video. I am fairly well practiced at presentations, and I was able to imagine how I would present my talk in person. But on video it seemed to me more like a commercial than anything else. And so, I went about developing a video to sell the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series to today’s teens, who in all likelihood know little or nothing about the show.

I began by researching Buffy online and watching clips of the show on YouTube. I was trying to pin down what made Buffy such a popular show. All my research led to the same conclusion: the best thing about Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the way they talk. As a teen, I learned about sarcasm, irony and wit, not in English class, but by watching Buffy. Watching the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show changed the way I talked. Apparently, I wasn’t alone. In his book Slayer Slang, Michael Adams argues that Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way America speaks.

Once I had understood what teens liked best about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I attempted to build the language into the script for my talk. I looked online for Buffy quotes, and I selected a few of my favourites that still made sense out of the context of their television episodes. Then I wrote up a point form summary of the premise and plot of the show. I put the “slayer slang” and my point form summary together into a script – more or less successfully. Although the script worked out, my acting skills are somewhat lacking. I gave it a shot nonetheless, but my acting skills left me thinking that next time I should try to be more myself. Check it out if you like.

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