“Why is Cats?”
Sneak Peek:
Hey, did you watch the motion picture film/shared nightmare Cats and think to yourself, “How?” Well, good news, here’s a video essay explaining exactly just that.
Essay By:
This video is by culture connoisseur, Hugo Award finalist, and preeminent video essayist Lindsay Ellis. Her long-form video essays represent the top-shelf of the medium. You can check out Ellis’ work on her YouTube channel.
“The Angry Young Man Trope, Explained”
Sneak Peek:
Not all angry young men are created equal, it turns out. This essay does a great job of unpacking how pissed-off, disaffected young men have been portrayed on-screen, from their working-class origins in British media to the racial inequities in the angry young men we listen to and the angry young men we challenge.
Essay By:
This video comes courtesy of The Take (formerly ScreenPrism), a channel dedicated to analyzing film, television, and pop culture. You can check out their YouTube account here. You can also follow them on Twitter here.
“Parasite vs. Sunset Boulevard – The Disillusionment Arc”
Sneak Peek:
The similarities between Parasite and Sunset Boulevard might not be immediately apparent, but that’s why this video essay exists. Plus, we get to learn about the difference between “positive change” character arcs and “disillusionment” character arcs.
Essay By:
This video comes courtesy of Lessons From The Screenplay, the consistently insightful video essay channel created and run by Michael Tucker. You can check out Lessons From The Screenplay’s YouTube channel here. And you can follow Tucker on Twitter here.
“The Real Futuristic Art and Locations Kubrick Found for A Clockwork Orange”
Sneak Peek:
Stanley Kubrick made A Clockwork Orange on a budget. And one way of cutting costs was shooting on location. So it fell to Kubrick to find futuristic-feeling architecture, set dressing, and interior design that already existed. This essay tells the story of how he went about doing that.
Essay By:
Brooklyn-based CinemaTyler has been providing some of the most in-depth analyses of auteur-driven cinema on YouTube for some time now. You can check out their YouTube account here. CinemaTyler’s scholarship on Stanley Kubrick, particularly 2001: A Space Odyssey, is noteworthy, and absolutely worth seeking out.
“How Edgar Wright Uses Sound“
Sneak Peek:
Few directors are as bold and upfront about sound design as Edgar Wright. For him, sound isn’t an afterthought, it’s an important part of his style as a director and what ultimately drives the edit. This video essay breaks down how Wright goes about designing his film’s unique approach to sound.
Essay By:
This video essay comes courtesy of The Discarded Image, a video series created by Julian Palmer. You can check out The Discarded Image’s video essays here.
Related Topics: 2020 Rewind, video essay
