This video by History Buffs dives into historical background and historical accuracy of Micheal Mann’s 1992 Last of the Mohicans. This video has a very topic that most of the other video essays I’ve looked at, where it takes a much more narrowness and focuses far less on the actual story and cinematic elements. The video has a clear narrator but interestingly portrays his as an animated character which I found pretty interesting. It also uses a lot of other historical documentaries and films in order to use as content and depict past events. Some of the maps and diagrams that are used are also pretty visually impressive. The video highlights some inaccuracies such as the idea that the militia could up and leave at any point or Hawkeye being able to load a musket while at a full run as being impossible and unrealistic. However, the movie does a great job of creating a powerful and well grounded piece of historical fiction that is accurate to the content of the film but has fictional characters and storylines.
The video is having some copyright claim issues so you may need to navigate to Youtube in order to Watch. I’m really proud of how my final project turned out. Starting from just examining a few scenes and sparked by a Youtube comment I read on Sean’s Monologue to Will, I decided to focus on the simplicity of Good Will Hunting. It is incredible to me how few of the main tricks and attention grabbing tactics that the film has, yet is still such an incredible movie to watch because of phenomenal acting, and writing. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon fully deserved the stardom and credits that came their way after this film because they did an incredible job. For my film, I used the trailer that I’d shot earlier to orient the viewer to the film and present my thesis and the proceeded to break it downing each of the separate subtopics to back up my argument. As a filmmaker, I think this film should show that creating beautiful and captivating cinema is available to everyone and that you need not be hamstrung by fear and believe in what you can accomplish.
Using one of the video essays that I had responded to in my video commentaries, I felt that the authors while on the right track could have gone deeper and grounded their argument in a different framework. In my revised version I have cleaned up the lip flap, rearranged my introduction, made more clear distinctions between my own words and the video essay I’m responding to, and overall cleaned up the appearance and audio quality of my video essay. I really am proud of the chart I created as well as my inclusion of outside sources that I felt helped to enhance my argument. It was a challenge making a video essay in this format with a film that was so dialogue heavy but I feel like I worked around it well to make a final project I am happy with.
While not the first one to play on the classic ending of The Usual Suspects, I think that the screen recording style where I was “investigating” the film itself was pretty funny and a good idea to explore in this video. Yes, I did spell Kobayashi as Kobashi the entire time but we’ll just ignore that part. Overall, I think I did a really good job matching the vibe of the film and the suspense that is created by the reveal. Plus, I do believe that the question of whether or not Soze is really Verbal is pretty cool, especially since Verbal is the main narrator and we learn is completed unreliable, it is plausible that Kobayashi is someone completely different, maybe even Soze (or Kobashi).
For my Epigraph I wanted to find a quote that sealed with the theme of mystery and concealment that Verbal so brilliantly pulls off in The Usual Suspects. I recalled that in the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene he had a chapter talking about the advantages of hiding your motives and intentions. I then was able to find this passage and copy and pasted it into Google docs where I chopped it into shorter sections to be read individually. I then chose to use the scene where we see Verbal transform into Soze; for I feel it highlights this quality the best and didn’t require any additional editing. The finish product to me, almost comes off as one of the short form “edits” you might see on Tik Tok or Instagram Shorts but with a much darker twist as Kaise Soze shoots down his enemies.
While the Usual Suspects is more thought of as a mystery or action thriller, it also has some incredibly funny one liners. With my deformation, because I feel that highlight lends to something slightly less serious, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite lines that add a sense of levity to a movie about murdering witnesses. One of the most tricky elements was trying to balance the different vocal levels so that you can hear each of the voices enough but none are too strong and drown out the others. One of the cool facts I learned was that Benicia Del Toro actually came up with the voice for Fenster when he learned his character was going to die early and did very little to the overall plot.
This Video by Just an Observation dives into the qualities and character traits that make Gustavo (Gus) Fring such a captivating character in the story Breaking Bad. Importantly, while in many ways the villain, Gus is someone who you can find yourself rooting for. He too, has someone to answer to and people he’s afraid of. He has good and aspirational qualities, he’s polite, calculated, caring, passionate. The audience is able to resonate and appreciate his backstory and what has shaped him to what he is. Yet he also is very much split in his personalities, hiding the ruthless crime boss underneath the warm exterior of the Chicken Man, who donates to charities and supports the police. He hides in plain sight and analyzes each and every opportunity and situation meticulously, always being in total control. It is only until he meets Walt, who is somewhat rash and impatient, while equally cunning that Gus is taken off his game. Interestingly, his relationship with Walt, the main protagonist, who also has some anti hero characteristics (gotta love grey, multifaceted, realistic characters), is mixed as they both need each other and learn from each other while competing for control in their relationship.
This Video essay is broken up into a chapter format which for a 20 minute video I think is a good strategy. The voice over is good, even though it feels clearly written previously and not like a live, concurrent conversation, The back round use of video is good but sometimes I’d wish the narrator would slow down and let the video and it’s audio do the talking for him. The use of text I thought was a good level where it wasn’t overused and helped to illustrate the necessary points.
In the mid 2010’s a number of shows circled around fantasy, medieval worlds. The popularity of Game of Thrones, led to other inspired shows such as Vikings. Yet, one that has received a fraction of the praise and mass fandom of these, but is every bit as entertaining and impressive is the BBC and then Netflix’s Last Kingdom, based on a series of books by Bernard Cornwell. The Last Kingdom beautiful demonstrates a blend of historical fiction, following Untried of Bebanburg, a born Saxon and raised Dane as he attempts to establish independence and reputation in the pursuit of retaking his birthright.
This video essay by JustACritic, uses VoiceOver and video from the film in order to try to prove the thesis that The Last Kingdom is underrated. This video essay feels very much like a very conventional essay that is turned into video format. Mainly the video is just background and the VoiceOver sounds like a written out 5 paragraph essay more than anything else. The one deviation from this is the mashup used about a minute in which feels very much like a hype video or highlights you would see in a tie Tok promoting a show (makes sense considering the thesis of the piece).
This video essay by Life is a Story examine the complex narratives and morals inside the 2011 film Moneyball. Moneyball follows the story of Billy Beane, the GM of the 2002 Oakland Athletics and his quest to utilize unconventional, statistical data to attempt to will the underfunded club past their wealthy contenders to the World Series. While Beane’s new methods were successful in helping to generate a strong team and push them to the longest consecutive streak of wins in MLB history, the 2002 Athletics were defeated in the second round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Twins. However, Moneyball is about more than simply the results. The film speaks volume about what to appreciate in failure, that by helping others and caring deeply about our relationships, and attacking challenging circumstances with new points of view, the score at the end may not tell the whole story. All of this is anchored by the sport: one where only one team wins and hall of famers only get a hit a third of the time and so much comes down to dumb luck. Its also rationalized through Brad Pitt’s portrayal of Billy Beane, a formerly bust of a high prospect who is traumatized by his own insufficiencies as a player and the ways in which the scouts misevaluated him.
In this Video essay, almost everything is done through the use of VoiceOver. However, this VoiceOver is extremely well polished- both written and spoken. It offers insight into the story and a deeper understanding rather than simply re-narrating the plot. The video uses film from the video the entire time and does a great job connecting this on screen footage to the VoiceOver being spoken. It also uses the audio from the film when it is helpful.
In the Lord of the Rings The Two Towers and Return of the King, one of the most impressive performances is from Andy Serkis as Gollum. This video essay by Just An Observation goes into detail as to why his performance is so captivating to the audience. First and foremost was Serkis’s commitment to role. From having to drink a special gollum juice for what the voice did to his throat or throwing his body around and contorting his face to mimic a non human creature. He also develops a two sided character with split personalities; the ring crazed abusive Gollum tormenting Sméagol. Watching his two personalities converse with each other is incredibly intriguing for what is essentially a monologue. His character provides stakes to the story demonstrating the abusive corruption of the ring and highlighting what Frodo could become if they fail. The CGI work is also incredibly realistic, whilst still otherworld, especially for being created in the early 2000’s and far outshined that of the early Harry Potter film and other films of the time.
In this Video essay the main component is the VoiceOver which is the main way through which we hear the film. The film used a lot of imagery from the film, which corelates well if not always feeling 100% necessary. There also a few moments of interview and audio from the film included but I felt myself hoping they would continue them slightly and not cut them so short. There also was one use of text to highlights the sub points and reasons for the the thesis.
This video essay by Joseph Marchioness promotes the Netflix original drama Narcos, detailing Pablo Escobar’s rise to power in the Colombian drug trade and the eventual manhunt leading to his death. The acting in this show is incredible; Wagner Moura masterfully brings the tyrannical yet charismatic nature of Pablo Escobar to life. Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook also kill it as the two main protagonists and DEA agents attempting to catch Escobar. The first scene of the show grabs you by the belt buckle and shows you what’s to come while leave you craving for your next hit. The use of some many Spanish speaking actors, the musical selection, and the shooting conducted in Colombia really brings the setting of the 80’s in Colombia to life. A series of historical lectures by Holbrook’s character Steve Murphy also help to ground the context of the time 30 years in the future. All of this brings this story to life and makes the show feel gritty but emotional and multifaceted at the same time.
This video essay doesn’t blow me away in any of its use of elements. Mainly, it features Joseph looking straight into the camera and talking about the show. I think it could have used more of the onscreen depiction of the film, more direct sound from the movie, and more text. There was no interplay between what little was shown and the subject in question. However, I do think the monologue was decent, it just gets stale when there’s no breaks and the author is speaking at full speed at the entire time.
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson wonderfully blends a children’s movie about group of talking animals with a number of complex and sophisticated dilemmas. The plot centers around Mr. Fox essentially underwing going a midlife crisis and his desire to revert back to his thieving past in order to find meaning in his world once more. Yet, the film repeatedly becomes silly, with an array of comic jokes that keep the tone light and fun, despite these deeper meanings. Its style of examining wild animals with very humanlike characteristics is certainly not solely unique, but I believe it helped to inspire others such as Zootopia that would follow in the coming years. Shot with stop motion 2009, it stills looks visually pleasing and detailed in an era now where almost everything is fully animated.
This video essay by Meeptop is only entirely conducted through a singular male Voiceover. However, the Voiceover was compelling and entertaining enough to mostly keep me interested. There is minimal interplay between the images on screen and the actual subject being spoken (with a few exceptions) and I felt one could essentially absorb the ideas while solely listening. The video almost entirely came from the film itself, though the one section featuring the behind the scenes footage was neat. There was no use of text in the video essay.
If you’re anything like me you’re probably sick of watching TV Shows and Movies with so called drama that once you’re a half hour into you can perfectly predict the entire plot lines. The good guys are all going to win and the bad guys are all going to lose. There’s no repercussions, hard moral decisions, true danger with the protection of plot armor. In this video by Will Schroder, he examines one of the most popular and prevalent examples of the contrary- HBO’s Game of Thrones (Thrones) based on A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.
Martin in his writing repeatedly keeps his audience guessing, hitting them with surprises and masterfully stretching tension to a breaking point. Examples such as The Red Wedding, or Ned Stark’s death where a solution seems to have been found that will save the perceived protagonist, only for them to be stockily murdered. It goes strictly against the conventional narrative sequence and because it is so gritty and different to what else you’ve seen- it gets you. The audience is constantly alert and on their toes and has to remember that no one is safe.
Similarly, Game of Thrones operates very well in a level of grey where characters are neither truly horrible or perfect. The Lannisters, while cruel, care deeply for their family, a trait that we all appreciate and is the driving force often behind some of their worst actions. Meanwhile, good natured characters, such as the Starks, often have imperfections or are let down by their kindness. Catelyn treats Jon horribly, Ned is unable to seize power for himself or Renly so places his faith in Littlefinger, leading to his death. Robb falls in love and breaks his promise to the Frey’s igniting their plot to kill him. This complexity, especially in a genre that is typically cookie cutter in its characters, adds incredibly depth and deep moral questions and true societal issues to what on the surface seems like just another fantasy story. The ever presence role of death, just like in the real world, grounds the importance of everything we do have in this world; because it is finite. As Syrio Forel says ” We cannot beat the god of death, but simply say ‘not today.'”
Gus Fring- The Perfect Villain
This Video essay is broken up into a chapter format which for a 20 minute video I think is a good strategy. The voice over is good, even though it feels clearly written previously and not like a live, concurrent conversation, The back round use of video is good but sometimes I’d wish the narrator would slow down and let the video and it’s audio do the talking for him. The use of text I thought was a good level where it wasn’t overused and helped to illustrate the necessary points.