Video: What Makes Black Mirror So Dark

"What Makes Black Mirror So Dark" by Nerdwriter1

In this excellent video essay on the incredible dystopian Netflix series Black Mirror, Youtuber Evan Puschak aka The Nerdwriter takes a deep look into how the series effects such a dark tone.  Puschak notes that Aristotle defined tragedy as a “safe place to feel pity and fear in a safe environment” resulting a cathartic response.  Due to the show's unique structure, the audience is never allowed to achieve catharsis and is left with only raw feelings towards each character, making them more relatable.

What Charlie Brooker the intensely smart creator of ‘Black Mirror’ has given us our tragedies that are often senseless in other words tragedies that withhold catharsis. The result I think, is that we end up feeling much closer to these stories. The cathartic appreciation that’s meant to transform our pity and our fear never comes and we’re just left with the pity and the fear. So why do we watch Black Mirror if it robs us of the pleasure often associated with tragedy. I think it’s because this feeling is a truly unique one in TV it’s unlike most other shows.

Video: Everything is a Remix: Fair Use

"Everything is a Remix: Fair Use" by Kirby Ferguson

In this episode of Everything Is a Remix, host Kirby Ferguson explains Fair Use and offers three provocative questions to ask yourself before using copyrighted material.

"I recommend using this three-step test. For each clip you want to use. Number one: Is the clip you are using illustrating a point? …Number two: Is this point clear to the average viewer? And lastly number three: Did you use only the amount that was reasonably appropriate to make your point? …if you can answer yes to all three you have a strong case for Fair Use."

Video: Mr. Robot: The Art of Framing

"Mr. Robot: The Art of Framing" by Karsten Runquist

In another thought-provoking video essays, filmmaker Karsten Runquist considers the unusual framing employed by Sam Esmail in the first season of the television series Mr. Robot.  In particular, he notes that the director's unique perspectives leave audiences room to draw their own conclusions independent of the series' cinematography.

If you haven't seen this series yet, I can't recommend it highly enough.  Watching this video won't spoil this series, but it will give you a good taste of what makes Mr. Robot so special.

"Now the thing about Mr. Robot is, given the fact that the show is like I said, a show about society. Elliott’s emotions and desires while yes, pretty important, aren’t the main focus of the series and when emotions coming from a single character aren’t the main focus and one of conventional framings main purposes is to enhance the emotions of a character there’s no point in using conventional framing."

Video Essay: Superhero Movies Get Old

"Logan: Superhero Movies Get Old" by Nerdwriter1

Vlogger Evan Puschak of The Nerdwriter examines the superhero franchises and how the seemingly permanent infallibility of characters can become tiresome.  Puschak compares the satirical humor of Deadpool and the hopeless desolation of Logan.

"In the end Logan makes the final turn into reaffirmation one last act of sacrificial heroics that reaffirms the myth even after exposing it as inadequate. You know it makes me wonder if this is the limit of superhero movies. It’s unclear whether a film that sought to fully demythologize this myth could ever really get made or if the genre itself is even mature enough to handle such a thing"

Video Essay: Arrival — an Adaptation

"Arrival — Examining an Adaptation" by Lessons from the Screenplay

Arrival was the most intellectually stimulating film to hit theaters of 2016.  Both epic and intimate, soulful and suspenseful, the movie was literary in way so few modern movies are.

In his latest video essay, Michael Tucker of Lessons from the Screenplay examines how Denis Vialleneuve's film departs from Ted Chiang's source material, Story of Your Life, transforming Louise's story from one of predestination into one of choice.

In the short story, Louise's daughter dies in a rock-climbing accident.  In the movie adaptation, she dies from an unpreventable illness.  In an interview on Jeff Goldsmith’s podcast, The Q&A, screenwriter Eric Heisserer explains “I think it’s more profound for me if she has a choice, if she has free will, and can change her future, and yet she chooses to have Hannah.”

The choice is a superb example of how adapting a story for the big screen can actually add depth, rather than gutting it.  Tucker elaborates on Heisserer's deft touch with an analysis of the movie's exposition and editing changed scenes, ultimately resulting in a more powerful narrative.

Video: The Martian VFX Breakdown

"The Martian VFX Breakdown" by mpcvfx

Of of all the Best Picture nominees, The Martian is unquestionably the geekiest, and it's also probably the movie with the widest audience appeal.  It's a dramatic but simple story with a stellar cast.  The real stars of the film are the special effects, though.   

With the Oscar nominations out, studios are beginning to circulate featurettes highlighting the technical complexity of their contenders.  This piece on The Martian separates out the practical effects from the computer generated setpieces.

On the practical side of things, they actually blew up part of the Mars base on set instead of doing it digitally.  On the CG side of things, the reflective visors on the astronauts’ helmets were created entirely in post.  Even the transparent portion of the glass was added digitally. 

Video: Opening Shots Tell Us Everything

"Opening Shots Tell Us Everything" by Now You See It

Opening shots are underrated. I can almost guarantee that your favorite film has an opening shot that gives huge insight into the film's themes, character conflicts, or plot points.  Even though it may be forgotten by the time you’re done watching a movie for the first time, the opening shot of any movie is integral to introducing the audience to the world and/or characters they’re about to watch for a little while. Let's look at four in-depth examples to see just how revealing opening shots are.

Video: Every Best Picture. Ever.

"Every Best Picture. Ever." by Burger Fiction

Take a trip down Oscar history before the 88th Academy Awards with every Best Picture winner.

Video Essay: Exploring the Genre Frontier

"Serenity: Exploring the Genre Frontier" by Digging Deeper

Digging Deeper is a newly launched video channel that offers in-depth analysis on film topics.  In their latest video, they examine how Joss Whedon blends genres together in Serenity to create a very successful film.  In the course of the video, they juxtapose Serenity to old westerns to demonstrate some of the film's influences.

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: How Filmmakers use Color

"How filmmakers manipulate our emotions using color" by The Verge

This video essay takes a look at how color can manipulate our emotions in cinema (or really life in general), and even lays out which colors are used to stir up or convey certain emotions and qualities. This is one of those explanations where if you weren’t privy to this information before, you’ll begin to notice it all the time in not just the movies you watch, but all media around you.

Video Essay: Tech Killing Creativity?

"Is Technology Killing Your Creativity? (Star Wars + Heidegger)" by Wisecrack

Wisecracks‘ 8-Bit Philosophy series explores the musings of Martin Heidegger set against the backdrop of Star Wars to explore how our desire to make things ever more efficient can blind us to the beauty of the world around us.

Video Essay: Horror Movies Today

"The Problem with Horror Movies Today" by Chris Stuckmann

"In an in-depth discussion in the style of his "Analyzed Reviews", Chris Stuckmann talks about what's wrong with horror movies today, and how the audience is contributing to it."

Video Essay: Action Movies Today

"The Problem with Action Movies Today" by Chris Stuckmann

Even if you love action movies, you have to admit that the state of the modern action film is pretty bad these days.  Most people can’t put their finger on it, but all agree that action movies of today just don’t stand compared to the classics from the 70′s, 80′s, and 90′s. So what’s wrong with action movies today? Quite a bit, according to movie buff Chris Stuckmann in this twenty minute video essay.

He brings up a lot of great points, and while many of these should be common sense at this point - Guess what, having a great script is actually very important! - that's clearly not the case. For those of you who are aspiring screenwriters, get ready to take some solid notes

"Chris Stuckmann describes some of his problems with action movie filmmaking today, and provides some possible solutions to fixing them."

Lecture: Style vs Function in The Hobbit

"Style vs Function in The Hobbit" by DBS Film Society

Remember when you saw one of The Hobbit films (which should’ve been only recently) and you thought “there’s something about this that doesn’t really work, but I don’t know what it is”? Well,  Dublin Business School film student Sean Hickey put together this engaging video essay comparing the The Lord of the Rings trilogy with the more recent The Hobbit trilogy.  His  argument in a nutshell is that, between style and substance, substance will always wins.

Video Essay: Hayao Miyazaki

"Hayao Miyazaki- Nature, Culture, & Character" by Zackery Ramos-Taylor

"A closer look at the storytelling techniques of one of Japan's greatest animation directors, Hayao Miyazaki. For non-commercial and educational purposes only."