I saw this, and it got me wondering. IDK how to code at all, but I love filmmaking and such. And, I have some backburner projects I would love to contribute to this jam. I can get a GF of mine to make a video player, or I can link an Archive .org link, It can be in MP4 format, too. Or ogg video, idk how you want it.

Does this count as a "visual novel?" c-w-c

Since this is a jam about experimenting and pushing boundaries, the answer is yes. I'd expect that your piece shows some engagement with the visual novels as a format and some form of reading element (for instance, one could argue that an opera with subtitles is a visual novel set to auto), but you're pretty much free to do as you please. 

Also, learning a visual novel system like renpy is pretty easy! I do encourage you to play around with it, it's not as intimidating as it might seem. Here's a post (and tutorial) that might inspire you a bit if you choose this route.