Video: Escaping Prison with D&D

"Escaping Prison with Dungeons & Dragons" by Waypoint

All across America, hardened criminals are donning the cloaks of elves and slaying dragons all in orange jumpsuits, under blazing fluorescent lights and behind bars. We meet with two former cellmates in who played D&D together in maximum security prison and how they are now using the game to integrate back into civil society. Read more about how inmates play Tabletop RPGs in prison.

Documentary: Star Wars to Jedi

"From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga" (1983)

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga is a 1983 television documentary special that originally aired on PBS. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the original Star Wars trilogy. The documentary is primarily a look at the making of the film Return of the Jedi, which had been released that year. However it includes considerable material and behind-the-scenes footage from the two previous Star Wars films and an extensive interview with Star Wars creator George Lucas who discusses his influences, his original plans, and the process of creating the saga.

Documentary: Our Star Trek

"Our Star Trek: The Fifty Year Mission" by Chris Tevebaugh

The new documentary short "Our Star Trek: The Fifty Year Mission" focuses on the fan series Star Trek Continues.

"Star Trek - it's iconic, but many do not fully understand what it means to the world.

In the wake of the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek, is Gene Roddenberry's original vision for humanity still alive? Centered around the fan production, 'Star Trek Continues', this documentary film explores some of the people who create Star Trek today and their quest to get it right.

This film is a fan production about a fan production, but possibly about much more than that. The cast and crew of 'Star Trek Continues' facilitate an important discussion about what makes something truly Star Trek.

There are MANY other fantastic Star Trek fan productions out there - I encourage people to go check those out too. Budget limitations forced us to make only one trip and the STC Enterprise happened to be closest to us.

My hope is that this film, in a very small way, will help make sense of what Star Trek means to the world. As the old Vulcan saying, popularized by the late Leonard Nimoy goes, "Live long and prosper"."

Documentary: Minecraft Worlds

"How Minecraft Generates Such HUGE Worlds" by PBS Game/Show

PBS Game/Show host Jamin Warren explores how the immensely popular video game Minecraft creates worlds for players to explore in a recent episode of the series. Warren specifically dives into the game’s procedural generation.

Minecraft is MASSIVELY popular, in part due to its nearly UNLIMITED potential. The world is constantly generated as you venture forth from your starting point, but has anyone ever really asked HOW? How does Minecraft keep generating beautiful places for you to explore?

Documentary: The Sucklord

"The Sucklord" directed by Joey Garfield

The documentary from Joey Garfield centers around "The Sucklord," a guy who makes a living creating crazy custom bootleg toys.  For such a short film, this piece does a great job of sucking you into this man's private little world.  The man is unexpectedly dedicated to his art.

"Joey Garfield spends an afternoon with The Sucklord, talking Star Wars, Gay Rights, and why Super Villains have the upper hand."

Documentary: Enjoy Your Intermission

"Enjoy Your Intermission" Directed by Tansy Michaud & Adam Carboni

"Longtime projectionist, Roger Babcock, has been threading film through the Hi-Way Drive-in's projectors for more than 40 years. However, with Hollywood studios no longer offering film prints of their releases, Roger is faced with an ultimatum: upgrade all four of the Hi-Way's 35mm film projectors to expensive digital systems, or close the gates which have so warmly welcomed moviegoers since 1960... for good."

Documentary: Calligraphy & Lettering

"Calligraphy & Lettering '14" directed by Will Dohrn

Film-maker Will Dohrn has filmed a video of London-based artist and sign painter Ged Palmer demonstrating various lovely calligraphy and lettering techniques.

Documentary: Art of Letterpress

"The Art of Letterpress" by The Folio Society

“The Art of Letterpress” is a brief documentary from The Folio Society demonstrating the craft of master typesetter Stan Lane, who has been creating beautiful volumes like the Letterpress Shakespeare series for a quarter century.  Lane discusses the beauty of the labor-intensive process.

"Stan Lane, a master Typesetter and Printer, talked to us about the process of printing our Letterpress Shakespeare series.

Lane has been setting type for The Folio Society for 25 years and is one of the few craftsmen still skilled in the fine art of letterpress printing. Although labour-intensive, letterpress has a depth and elegance that modern printing cannot replicate."

Documentary: The Art of Letterpress

"The Art of Letterpress" by The Folio Society

"The Art of Letterpress" is a documentary that explores the work of master typesetter and printer Stan Lane, who has been working with the London book publisher for a quarter century, creating beautiful volumes like the Letterpress Shakespeare series. Lane discusses the beauty of the labor-intensive process.

"Stan Lane, a master Typesetter and Printer, talked to us about the process of printing our Letterpress Shakespeare series.

Lane has been setting type for The Folio Society for 25 years and is one of the few craftsmen still skilled in the fine art of letterpress printing. Although labour-intensive, letterpress has a depth and elegance that modern printing cannot replicate."

Documentary: Comic Book Heaven

"Comic Book Heaven" Directed by E.J. McLeavey-Fisher

"Comic Book Heaven" tells the story of Joe Leisner, the lively owner of Comic Book Heaven, a comic book store in Sunnyside, Queens.  Joe’s store has been a fixture in the neighborhood for over sixty years, and he’s ready to retire.

Even if you're not a comic fan, it’s difficult not to be won over by the charm of this documentary.  Leisner is a wonderfully compelling contradiction.  He has trouble throwing things away, but says he won’t miss the shop after it’s closed.  He’s dedicated a bulk of his life to selling comics, but he doesn’t seem to particularly care for them.  He’s gruff and straightforward, but also  sweet and thoughtful.

Documentary: Gamma Wray

"GAMMA WRAY - The painter's journey of William Wray" from Loic Zimmermann

Here's a documentary about former Ren & Stimpy artist, William Wray, who, in recent years, has focused on fine art.

"After his first encounter with William Wray during an art opening in Los Angeles in May 2013, French visual artist Loic Zimmermann felt the need to follow the California based painter and document his artistic process. This inspiring year long journey of an uncompromising artist, takes us from historical downtown LA to the abandoned towns of Salton-Sea and back to the Artists light filled loft in the LA foothills. The filmmaker explores the artists connections with the superhero impersonators he's portraying for his recent series "Fortress of Delusion" as well as technique he uses to achieve his masterful paintings. It is a film that captures the moments of an Artists thoughts, his motivations, and his understanding of the mechanics behind the bridge between representational and abstract imagery within the painted canvas. It is a moving document of a great american painter."

Documentary: From Star Wars to Jedi

"From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga" by Star Wars

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga is a classic documentary about the making of the original Star Wars trilogy. It’s been officially been made available by LucasFilm for viewing in its entirety on YouTube (albeit in 9 parts).

Documentary: What is Bayhem?

"What is Bayhem?" by Tony Zhou

Many movie-goers hate his work with a fiery passion.  Others defend it, claiming that it carries on an age-old tradition of good old-fashioned blockbuster b-movie fun.  Love him or hate him, director Michael Bay is here to stay.  Even James Cameron has admitted that he has “studied [Bay's] films and reverse-engineered his shooting style."

"What Is Bayhem?" is a fan-made documentary that examines the filmmaking style of Bay, comparing Bay's unique style to shots in other movies, both good and bad.  Whether you love or hate him, it’s an interesting exploration of some of the director’s favorite techniques.

"There are filmmakers we love and then there’s Michael Bay. Even if you dislike him (as I do), Bay has something valuable to teach us about visual perception. This is an exploration of “Bayhem” — his style of camera movement, composition and editing that creates something overblown, dynamic and distinct."

Documentary: Restoring Rothko

"Restoring Rothko" by Tate

In the fall of 2012, a vandal approached a painting by Mark Rothko hanging in London's Tate Modern, and scrawled it with graffiti. It took the Tate over nine months of work to successfully restore the painting before it went back on display last week. This video shows the amazing science and craft that went into the job.

"Filmed over 18 months, the story behind the restoration of Mark Rothko's 'Black on Maroon'.

Mark Rothko's 'Black on Maroon' 1958 goes back on public view at Tate Modern on 13 May 2014, following 18 months of intensive work by the Conservation team and colleagues across Tate.

Documentary: Making of the Verge

"The Verge - Making of" from Lightfarm Studios

This stunning image was created by Lightfarm Studios over a period of five weeks using a technique they describe as “seamlessly matte painting over 100 aerial pictures of giant proportions.” The original artwork was inspired by Arthur C. Clarke's excellent Rendezvous with Rama.

"Lightfarm Studios celebrate the launch of their 3rd Studio - Lightfarm Brasil, based in Rio, with "The Verge” a look behind the scenes at the creation of an epic sci-fi image!"

Documentary: Life After Pi

"Life After Pi" by HollywoodEndingMovie

In February of 2013, John Hughes, founder of Rhythm & Hues Studios, regretfully announced that his company was going bankrupt.  With no way to pay his employees, he was forced to lay off hundreds of skilled artists.  Two weeks later, the company won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for its work on Life of Pi.

Life After Pi is a short documentary about Rhythm & Hues Studios that outlines the fundamental issues plaguing the industry today. 

Documentary: The Long Game

"The Long Game Part 1: Why Leonardo DaVinci was no genius" by Delve

The Long Game is a video essay about the pursuit of success and the modern fallacies regaurding artistic success.  The first half of the documentary, posted above, focuses on the career of Leonardo Da Vinci.  The long and short of it is that success comes with persistence, after year of struggle, not overnight.

"Do you ever have that feeling that everyone else is more successful than you?
If you think that's bad - try being Leonardo Da Vinci."

KickStarter: She Makes Comics

"She Makes Comics" by Sequart Research & Literacy Organization

Available for purchase from Etsy. US$

Now is your chance to be drawn by Jill Thompson, Colleen Doran, or Julia Baritz and help fund a documentary about the history of women in comics in the process.  Sequart, the organization that produced the comic documentaries Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods and The Image Revolution has teamed with Respect! Films on a Kickstarter to produce a new film, She Makes Comics.

Video: The Insanity of Stanley Kubrick

"The 10 Most Insane Direction Decisions by Stanley Kubrick" by Renegadecut

Documentary: In Search of Steve Ditko

"In Search of Steve Ditko" by ComicBookTherapy

"In Search of Steve Ditko" is a 2007 BBC Four documentary from the Comics Britannia season that follows Jonathan Ross' attempts to track down comics artist Steve Ditko, best known for his work on  Spider-Man.  The documentary features interviews with industry insiders such as Neil Gaiman, Ralph Macchio, Alan Moore, Mark Millar, and Stan Lee.