Video Essay: The Art of the Gag

"Buster Keaton - The Art of the Gag" by Every Frame a Painting

In his latest video, Every Frame a Painting host Tony Zhou closely examines how Buster Keaton masterfully executed his silent film gags and his influence on modern directors like Wes Anderson.

"Before Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson, before Chuck Jones and Jackie Chan, there was Buster Keaton, one of the founding fathers of visual comedy. And nearly 100 years after he first appeared onscreen, we’re still learning from him."

Video: Mad Max POV

"Driving & Dying: Point-Of-View Shots In Mad Max" by Rishi Kaneria

George Miller established his genius back with the first Mad Max movie.  His use of practical effects and locations has always set his movies apart from other action flicks, but where he shines is his cinematography.  In this video, editor Rishi Kaneria has assembled a supercut of all of the awesome POV shots from the early Mad Maxy films.

"One of the reasons George Miller's action scenes work so well and make so much sense is because they are grounded in the character’s point of view. By doing this he literally puts you into the action using nonverbal visual, almost operatic, storytelling—something Hitchcock would call “pure cinema.""

Video: Mad Max: Center Framed

"Mad Max: Center Framed" by Vashi Nedomansky

Mad Max: Fury Road is a film that's going to be studied by filmmakers for years. George Miller’s action masterpiece just confirms his genius.  Everything from the editing to the framing of the camera was planned meticulously.  This video by editor Vashi Nedomansky offers an overview of Miller's cinematography.  It has a commentary track by cinematographer John Seale, explaining how Miller tried to make sure that the center point of every frame was focused on the action so the audience could always see the essential information they needed to see. Obviously, it worked. No ShakyCam garbage here. Pay attention future (and current) filmmakers. George Miller has a lot to teach you.

"Film Editor Margaret Sixel was given over 480 hours of footage to create MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. The final edit ran 120 minutes and consisted of 2700 individual shots. That's 2700 consecutive decisions that must flow smoothly and immerse the viewer. 2700 decisions that must guide and reveal the story in a clear and concise manner. One bad cut can ruin a moment, a scene or the whole film.

One of the many reasons MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is so successful as an action film is the editing style. By using "Eye Trace" and "Crosshair Framing" techniques during the shooting, the editor could keep the important visual information vital in one spot...the Center of the Frame. Because almost every shot was center framed, comprehending the action requires no hunting of each new shot for the point of interest. The viewer doesn't need 3 or 4 frames to figure out where to look. It's like watching an old hand-drawn flip book whiz by. It's always in the same spot!"

Video: ILM 40th Anniversary

"ILM – Celebrates 40 Years of Creating the Impossible" by ILMVisualFX

2015 marks the 40th anniversary of Industrial Light and Magic, the most revered special effects company in the world. It was famously created by George Lucas in 1975 to help make his movie, Star Wars, and has since gone on to basically create almost every single big special effects movie you've ever seen in a theater. Here's a jaw-dropping, one-minute montage of their 40 year history, up to and including Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

"In 1975 George Lucas formed Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to create the special effects for his space opera Star Wars. Since that time, ILM has contributed to over 300 films in the process earning 15 Academy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects and 28 Scientific and Technical Achievement from the Academy."

Video: Understanding Snowpiercer

"Understanding Art House | Snowpiercer" by Nerdwriter1

In his latest episode of Understanding Art House, Evan Puschak aka The Nerdwriter offers up an incredibly insightful perspective analysis of the science fiction film Snowpiercer, examining the style in which director Bong Joon-Ho addressed both the overt and the obscure societal themes within the story.

It’s quite obvious that Snowpiercer is an allegory of class culture, how tensions innate within it lead to resentment and eventually revolution. Some have criticized the film for being so transparent in this respect, but the genius in director Bong Joon-Ho’s art house sci-fi action film is not in the message as such, but how, through the tools and techniques of filmmaking, he conveys it. For example, it’s understandable, symbolically, why the tail section of the train might not have any windows. For passengers in that section the train is literally the world…Just as the lower classes in society are forced to be concerned almost exclusively with survival, living at the whims of ideologies invented by those of higher cultural standing, but as Curtis and his band reach the front of the train toward the end of the film we notice that those sections are also devoid of Windows

In sauna cars and rave cars and drug cars, the affluent members of the upper-class are just as encouraged as their counterparts to consider the train as the entirety of what there is.

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).

Video: Fix the Horror Movie Genre

"How to Fix the Horror Movie Genre in 10 Steps - Dear Hollywood" by CinemaSins Jeremy

"Finally decided to offer my consulting services to Hollywood, free of charge, on the issue of reviving the horror genre. You might not agree with ALL my suggestions, but you'll agree with enough of them to be questioning your own sanity by the time we're done."

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: Evolution Of Visual Effects

"The Evolution Of Visual Effects" by Jim Casey

"A homage to the great moments that changed visual effects: Took a little while to put together but I think its conveys the evolution of visual effects quite well. I tired to the best of my ability to order these clips chronologically (except for of course the first 3) I will put together a full list if enough people want it."

Documentary: Spielberg Long Shot

"The Spielberg Oner - One Scene, One Shot" by Tony Zhou

Steven Spielberg is, without doubt, one of the most successful directors of all time, whether you're speaking terms of artistic merit or financial terms.  Spielberg has a magical way of telling stories that few other directors have ever been able to match.

There are several components to Spielberg's signature style, including his well-recognized, often discussed close-up on an awe-struck face.  One technique that is often overlooked, however, is the  long take, but it's there in almost every one of his films.  They largely go unnoticed because Spielberg keeps his long shots under five minutes and stealthy.  Tony Zhou noticed, though, and he put together this fantastic video essay discussing these long shots.

"One overlooked aspect of Spielberg is that he's actually a stealth master of the long take. From Duel to Tintin, for forty years, he has sneakily filmed many scenes in a single continuous shot."