Meg Shields

Meg has been writing professionally about all things film-related since 2016. She is a Senior Contributor at Film School Rejects as well as a Curator for One Perfect Shot. She has attended international film festivals such as TIFF, Hot Docs, and the Nitrate Picture Show as a member of the press. In her day job as an archivist and records manager, she regularly works with physical media and is committed to ensuring ongoing physical media accessibility in the digital age. You can find more of Meg's work at Cinema Scope, Dead Central, and Nonfics. She has also appeared on a number of film-related podcasts, including All the President's Minutes, Zodiac: Chronicle, Cannes I Kick It?, and Junk Filter. Her work has been shared on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, Business Insider, and CherryPicks. Meg has a B.A. from the University of King's College and a Master of Information degree from the University of Toronto.
Contact Young Ellie Mirror

How They Shot the Impossible Mirror Scene in ‘Contact’

By Meg Shields 

Mirror, mirror on the wall what’s the most mind-boggling blue screen effect of them all?

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire Ocean

The Cinematic Resonances of ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’

By Meg Shields 

Here’s a video that teases out the cinematic resonances between ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ and the work of Jane Campion, Stanley Kubrick, and others.

Inception ending

‘Inception’ and the Phenomenon of Subliminal Influence

By Meg Shields 

Here’s a video essay about why Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’ still has us dreaming big, ten years later.

Hardware Metal Head

Alan Moore on the Call to Action of “Modernist Horror”

By Meg Shields 

Here’s writer Alan Moore with a definition of “Modernist Horror” and a compelling case for why genre film can be a call to action.

Donnie Yen Fight Scene

The Secret to a Great Fight Scene Is Structure

By Meg Shields 

Here’s a video essay on why the best action sequences are structured like stories rather than spectacles.

X Men First Class - Young group

The Most X-Cellent Scene in ‘X-Men: First Class’

By Meg Shields 

There’s a team of video essayists dissecting their favorite scenes from the X-Men films. Here’s one of our favorites: a video on why the attack on Division X scene from ‘X-Men: First Class’ exemplifies the “warm house” archetype.

To Live And Die In LA car chase William Peterson

How They Shot the Wrong-Way Car Chase in ‘To Live and Die in L.A.’

By Meg Shields 

We’re going this way. And by “this way” we mean straight towards the latest entry of “How’d They Do That?” with a break down of the audacious wrong-way car chase.

The House That Jack Built Matt Bruno

The Divine Comedy of ‘The House That Jack Built’

By Meg Shields 

What we’re watching: a video essay explaining why Lars von Trier’s film is one of the funniest of 2018.

Anna Karina Nana

A Tribute to Anna Sten, Anna Karina, and the Doomed Rebel of ‘Nana’

By Meg Shields 

Here’s a tribute to the various iterations of ‘Nana,’ and the two Anna’s who played her best.