How Spotlight Dramatizes Good Journalism
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 พ.ย. 2019
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SOURCES
The Image of the Journalist in Silent Film, 1890 to 1929
ijpc.uscannenberg.org/journal/...
David Simon on Spotlight
www.vulture.com/2015/11/david...
Hoard Good, "Outcasts : the image of journalists in contemporary film"
archive.org/details/outcastsi...
Richard Brody, "Newspaper Movies"
www.newyorker.com/culture/ric...
Bill Kovach, Tom Rosenstiel, "The Elements Of Journalism"
ethanzuckerman.com/reading/ele...
Jordan Orlando, "William Goldman Turned Reporters into Heroes in “All the President’s Men”
www.newyorker.com/culture/cul...
MUSIC
Chill Wave Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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I am a journalist, and most everyone i know in the profession agrees that spotlight is a pretty accurate portrayal of the reality of journalism. The work is slow sometimes, but it builds on itself.
@Laura Siegman I just want to tell you how much I admire those in your profession. I know it's become a vastly underappreciated and in some places, extremely dangerous one - but the world depends on you and others to provide the rest of us with information that power often would rather us not know. It is also a vital resource for local stories of interest and concern. Thank you - you have my applause.
@Hu Kares You can state your opinion (I agree with you), but don't assume that because this person is a journalist that they are the type you're referring to.
@Hu Kares That is an incredibly ignorant thing to say
@Hu Kares Oh piss off, trash.
Hu Kares You’re embarrassing yourself.
Spotlight isn’t just a film, it’s a memorial. Investigative journalism was a luxury that could only be paid for by the local advertising monopolies newspapers used to have.
that's interesting. Is that related to why nowadays a lot of media and news outlets have garnered a reputation for being corporate owned click bait merchants instead of the old investigative gumshoe like stereotypes al la All the President's Men?
@@orangedalmatian They lost the monopoly with the internet. Which lost paper sales. In turn webiste like youtube or blog summerise the days news better and faster than reading a webside or paper. So they ended up loosing clicks through advertisement.
In the end they had to fall back on clickbait headlines to draw people in. As they couldnt resist the clicks.
I also like Truth (2015). It's also a story about journalism, but it's about the failure in journalism. Sometimes, people can learn more from failure than success.
@@cloudincus4052 Here's the part I'm still trying to grasp. If newspapers (or any news outlet for that matter) spent the time and resources on investigative journalism, why couldn't they deliver that information through the internet/web/social/email deliveries? They could still sell the advertising they need on those platforms to survive rather than focusing on subscriptions. Did it just not tap out in profits? Because it's obvious we still need our reputable watchdogs.
Teri Conklin Ads don’t provide the same amount of revenue that newspapers and local ads do. With newspapers, typically you had subscription services, coffee houses, libraries, or restaurants purchasing subscriptions as well. That’s a lot of revenue that ads just can’t replace since clicks only provide cents on the dollar compared to a $5 or more monthly subscription, on top of the ad revenue. That’s what ultimately killed most of print journalism, especially local newspapers.
The big thing that always astounded me in that movie is how everybody works together so seamlessly. There's no interpersonal conflict designed to artificially raise the stakes. The work itself is enough.
I know that was really satisfying. No weird rivalries or office romances to distract from the real work.
Such an accurate observation! :)
Yes! I also really enjoyed how this film did not need any added drama and was still so engaging and interesting. I do appreciate the drama-filled films as well, but Spotlight is true drama at its very best.
imagine if Discovery channel directed the movie....puke
What about the cat fight/screaming match Keaton and Ruffalo have about timeline? That didn't look like affection to me
How do you tell a story about telling a story about telling a story?
You make Adaptation (2002)
@@plaham7288 You beat me to it.
@colson kuliopulos fuck. I was thinking of Being John Malkovich
Ask Kiarostami
Ask James Franco.
this is one of the few oscar winners that i enjoy rewatching. all the characters seem so real. the way all the pieces of the story fall into place. how mark ruffallo's anger slowly buidls up. the way micheal keaton realises his only flaws. calm and composite demeanor of the new editor throughout the movie.... it's all so captivating.. it feels like the best episode of some actual reality TV show
Spotlight was outstanding, and even though it got awards, I still feel like it's underrated.
there hasnt been any talk about spotlight in the recent days. It isnt remembered as it should be
Yeah, it's such a fantastic movie. Emotional, great acting, an important story. But I never hear it being talked about. I've recommended it to friends and they all loved it, but it's a really heavy movie that a lot of people don't want to just dive into I guess.
I don't think it's underrated, rather it's overlooked.
Spot on. Viewers are quick to forget films that are "undramatic".
Street Hierarchy
I think the subject matter is the reason why it’s not widely talked about. It’s difficult to stomach the hard truth of child abuse. While the movie was excellent it’s still really sad that this happened and became a film in the first place.
I think the reason this film works is because it doesn't shy away from showing the hard work, but rather makes that the main focus. The obstable for the main characters isn't any singular evil antagonist (although there certainly is opposition). One of their main obstacles is the requirement of a high standard of work that is carried out ethically.
This film like motivated me into studying harder for my exams. And since boring revision was my greatest challenge at the time, the fact that thier biggest challenge was disciplined research was actually quite relatable. Very human and real.
In a way, they were fighting an evil antagonist, which was the system. It's even constructed in a way that this system, through individual components, worked as a single organism with a purpose diametrically opposed to the journalist's goal. Hide the truth vs reveal it. And this notion of the team as heroes (that's also why a lot of shots are wide shots that capture the team instead of a member of the team) trying to defeat evil, makes it in a very realistic manner a hero movie. Real heroes with proper superpowers. Their superpowers forced me to write the previous line and made a hell of a difference worldwide.
@Desh Desh, yes! I really enjoyed your viewpoint on this. And I agree, I love seeing movies where the focus is on the reality of the situation. It really has to be done right to be engaging and Spotlight is such an amazing example of that.
Alexis Papageorgiou, I didn’t notice how they often frame the characters together to show their strength as a team and how that is reminiscent of the teams of superheroes we often see in movies. Great observation and analysis! There are so many examples of great filmmaking and attention to detail in Spotlight.
A movie that's also about investigative journalism is the underrated David Fincher film Zodiac. That also has Mark Ruffallo.
It also depicts the other side: how a righteous crusade can turn into an obsession, which in the end is fruitless
I don't think Zodiac is underrated, rather it's overlooked. It was critically acclaimed when it came out. But not enough people have seen it
Thought about Zodiac too! Another good one.
Love, love love that movie. Zodiac is incomparable to anything really out there. Mark Ruffalo and all involved gave outstanding performances. Say what you want about Fincher, this movie was indulgent for him and I loved the results.
Zodiac appreciation train here, I love it. Great and indeed overlooked movie.
"This isn't a knock on the people who work on these things..." Cut to Rachel McAdams knocking. Brilliant!
That was some *hard-hitting* symbolism right there.
The devil.... and the details....... 💖
It’s classic montage, you link what you say with what you see but yes brilliant :P
Here’s another detail. He says it’s the other way around and the scene was also the other way around of knocking (not from first person point of view)
I liked that, too.
My favorite movie of the decade. I love that you went into the understated nature of Spotlight; there are no big cinematic flourishes (what I *usually* love), just pure storytelling. The one truly remarkable visual motif is the use of churches in basically every outdoor shot in the whole movie. It gives the church an ominous, omnipresent feel as looms in the background of whatever scene is playing out.
One rare moment where the cinematography draws attention to itself is a long take that tracks Brian D'Arcy James from his house to someone on his list, making the audience really feel the connective tissue of how close a suspected pedophile lives to his family. Little flourishes like that pop out more in a movie that's so understated.
Spotlight is one of my favorite movies. it's such an understated movie but everything about it was so important.
Bliss Clair agreed entirely
Rachel McAdams is so underrated
Sadly she's a victim of her poor choice in the movies she does
Oso 11 I agree
@@dantdt4693 I agree, she has pick some bummers, but I still watch anything she's in. I think she picks movies that challenge her, instead of just being the cute on on film, and she certainly IS that.
@@jeffrogers3782 Exactly!! that's what i like about her as well, and even if the movie is mediocre, she would still give an amazing performance in it.
I am a journalist. You really hit the nail on the head about this -- journalism is wonderful, but it can be slow, full of data, full of papers on top of papers to sort through and a million phone calls. You said it perfectly, the work is sober, the workers meticulous, and I truly love this video for how you combed through us just as I love Spotlight for being real about us. Thanks for spotlighting us :)
I've seen Spotlight more than ten times since I saw it in 2016. What makes it my favourite is because of two things: 1. I grew up in Catholic Ireland. Never had I ever heard of the Church abuse scandal. That's how hush hush the community still is here. Especially if you grow up in a small town. Priest's being anything other than untouchable beings? didn't exist. It changed my thinking and perspective on life for good. 2. I finished the film with a newfound respect for investigative journalism. I had never really learned much of the career, despite being a reader of many articles and Spotlight showed me how the day-in-day-out efforts of many journalists go unnoticed.
The soundtrack on the film contributed soo much to it being unforgivably exceptional than other investigative/reporting movies,. This movie is one of my favorite movies ever
I'm a writer/editor and I work to this soundtrack a lot
Besides the muted colors and set design, the film has an essemble cast and their respective star-powers just dissolve.
I guess what 'The Post' lacked was the sense of sincerity.
I feel like that's casting. When you have a broad institution that your main characters feel like a natural part of, even though they're the focus of the story and the audience knows they're movie stars, that's the work of a good casting director.
Agreed! Never have I referred to Spotlight as the “Mark Ruffalo or Rachel McAdams newspaper movie” to this day I still call it Spotlight . Which in a way is good because when I rewatched it with my family they were surprised to see how many great actors were in it.
Peter Frank : 💯
@@bennettsnyder315 They casted stars that are very comfortable being character actors (Schrieber, Tucci, Ruffalo, McAdams), a former megastar (Keaton), and then threw in a well-respected theatre veteran (D'Arcy). There's no one here who needs to be given star treatment. The story stays the centre, never the role or actor.
This is one of my favourite Oscar winning films .
u hav bad taste
@@timchildsmovies Thanks for letting me know Tim !
Same here, i watch it atleast once a year.
Sorry but why?...This movie is not something you watch twice because you liked the movie this movie has not comedy action....it feels boring .no offense this movie is a masterpiece.
I was watching the Oscars that night and pulling for it. I cheered like my team won the Super Bowl when they said it.
6:14
Yo, I DIED when Meryl Streep said, "Let's go.". 😂 😂 😂 😂
I relate to this as an architect. The work is dull most days, so much minutia and details to constantly check on and correct. But it tells a story too, the momentum builds and so much is learned through the unique process in any project. Every architect is committed to it for life and experience is the only teacher and understand the continuity of a places, people, and issues.
you say “thank you so much for watching”
and i think “thank you so much for creating”
As a reporter of more than a decade now, I have to say...dude, you get it. You nailed it. Spotlight captures the tedium, frustration, and overall purpose in spite of all of that to do high quality, meaningful reporting. Keep spreading the good word!
Zodiac is one of my favorites in terms of this genre of dramatizing journalists. Robert Downey and Jake Gyllenhaal are phenomenal in that flick.
Please make a video about the korean movie "Parasite". I'm eager to know your take on that
yees pleas. i liked the movie but i think it is not very "deep"
it has to be released on VOD / blu-ray first
Few people have seen it. Wait until it comes out on DVD, so we can download it and watch it before the video essay. The same applies to Joker and other new films. Most people are located outside of the US and EU, where cinemas only screen shitty blockbusters. I personally can't even afford the DVDs, so torrents have saved me (especially considering I'm a film student)...
@@Albanez39 👍
@@PixeLabor saying parasite is not deep is like saying water is not wet
That last line!! 😭😭 "But journalists do that all the time..." ahhh!! My writer heart is full!! Being a journalist requires a lot of patience, hardwork and the ability to send your message in the briefest but most concise way possible (depending on the field, but still...).
I watched this movie recently and really didn't expect that much, but I ended up thoroughly impressed.
As a survivor of child sexual abuse another thing I didn't expect from this movie was how it affected me emotionally and most importantly *when* it affected me emotionally. It wasn't the victims crying while telling their stories or anything like that, it was after the movie ended, when they showed all the locations in the world where catholic church related child sexual abuse scandals have been uncovered.
Rows and rows of states and towns in countries all around the world. The sheer amount of trauma and long lasting effects attached to all that... Honestly it was as if the cumulative effect of all the pain, suffering and confusion those children went through (just like I did) really hit me and as it went on, I started to cry.
One of my favourite movies. I think it gets overlooked because it is not a stylized movie.
As much as I loved The Big Short, Room, and Mad Max: Fury Road, Spotlight truly deserved its Best Picture Oscar win in my opinion. Damn good year for movies. Lol
It’s so important that we live in a country where this story is allowed to be told
Spotlight ignited my desire to be a journalist- the years since have made me realise that journalism in the old sense is dead
@@jon8004 lmao
Evan's ability to see the reasoning in things is unparalleled. Once he has said it it becomes so obvious.
Now someone needs to tell the story of Nerdwriter telling the story of how Spotlight tells the story of investigative journalism
Outstanding film. I watch it over and over again.
Thank you so much for highlighting this movie. I remember reading the reports when the ripple effect came to Albany. I’m so thankful McCarthy honored both the reporters and the victims with this tribute. As others have commented, it is a memorial.
Thank you for this. I watched Spotlight over 10 times now and it's still good every time I watch it. Glad to see there are so many people who appreciate it.
You guys really hit the nail on the head with this one - I've seen this film at least 3 times and just as reporters are supposed to be objective and stand outside the story - evidence and facts are King - the majority of the film is told in the same way.
This is why Mark Ruffalo's outburst, Rachel McAdams' scene where she talks to her grandmother and Michael Keaton at the school are all so poignant and striking. The film doesn't shy away how hard this was for the reporters, both personally and professionally, yet they conducted themselves so honorably in the struggle against such a powerful institution that it was brilliant to watch.
Another person commented on the sincerity of the film which was lacking in The Post, and I really agree. The casting here was stellar and your analysis was awesome. Great job!
Beautiful summation. And that movie still makes me cry, not just for it's subject matter, but for how well the film was put together.
I've always wanted to be a journalist and watching this movie just intensified that dream. I can't wait to do the kind of important work these journalists have done.
Love how you sprinkled the Spotlight soundtrack in the background while showing other films. Really ties it all together.
Hey first of all thanks for the another video, i was waiting someone to talk about this movie, because the way story was captured in this movie is just amazing. The movie feels so natural that , it gives us the idea that this is something happening in our neighborhood. It's so simple and very serious in its own way. Specially the last shot .
Not only did you feature an excellent film, but you also have the requisite amount of credit to investigative journalism.
Spotlight is a really, really well done film and well worth the Oscar is got. Also, OMG I’m so glad someone called out the almost ridiculously done The Post. Every second scene in that movie is a slow push-in close up of a character. But of course it will get nominated because Spielberg/Streep/Hanks.
Also, 5:21 why the pixelation??
YES to more Spotlight video essays!
I truly believe it has been taken for granted by most post-Best Picture win. There is so much to unpack in this amazing miracle of journalistic filmmaking. It's a complete film, a perfectly calibrated one, both an ode to journalism and a rallying cry for victims and survivors of the abuses done by Catholic priests as well as victim of other sex crimes.
I enjoyed that ‘knock’ line and matching scene. Well done.
Saw this in my notifications, watched the movie, then came back. This is one of my favorite channels.
The way you described the movie made me appreciate it more. I thought it was an interesting story since im doing a research paper on it, however i thought the movie itself was so uninteresting to watch because there was nothing outstanding that caught my eye, in fact i remember thinking how ugly those khaki pants looked on Rachel and on everyone else. It was just sad to watch, however, I was very interested in the story nonethelesss. I knew it was purposely made that way but you just made me appreciate it more because i didn’t t think that making the characters boring and how the color scheme was very calculated so they were able to put the “spotlight” on the actual story. That’s amazing.
Great video as usual. Just a head's up that your Patreon link doesn't seem to be working (at least not for me). I searched the platform and was still able to bring up your page that way...
Super inspiring as always!
Every time you publish a video, I'm reminded of how influential you've been in my own content creation!
Keep doing your excellent job!
Omg I would die to see The Canvas and Nerdwriter collab!
Although not the focus of the movie, i love how it portrays the fact that documents and information are the key to discover, uncover and denounce thw wrongs of great instituitions. As an archivist, the ignorance of the general population of that fact always blow my mind. The most important lesson learn through this movie, to me, is that anyone could have discovered what theses journalists have, but they were the only ones who decided to go and do it.
Just finished and wow what a rollercoaster. Cried a lot at the end, because, obviously, this happened and is still happening
It was sn experience of a lifetime for me...never thought I would appreciate a movie about true nature of journalism.
I was about the make a comment about The Post, the you showed the clip.
I always thought that movie was too safe for Spielberg and kinda formulaic. Great cast, though.
"Spotlight' along with 'The Big Short' is one of the most impressive movies I've seen in the last 10-15 years.
I learn something in every one of your videos, Nerdwriter1 is truly the best video essay channel on TH-cam.
Man, from the bottom of my heart, I frigging love this channel!
watching this movie in my journalism class next week, perfect timing on my recommends part
And distilling that complex and nuanced message in 8 minutes and 29 seconds is also impressive :)
A relevant ad!
Also a shout out to your sponsor for giving you full creative control
What an amazing dinner guest you would make because of your excellent story telling and in depth explanations of all different forms of art we consume and enjoy. Having a long history of family members being in the newsprint business (ink stained wretches) it has sadly become a shadow of what it once was.
I've been eagerly checking your channel for the last week. So happy to see another upload.
I loved Spotlight so much!!! One of my favourite films. So powerful
I like the way you set out your position re. Amazon at the end of that. Not simply transparency - confirming that you aren't just implementing a marketing strategy
I'm a writer who wrote about (mostly) Indonesian short film; which is not something mass people would read. It's still consider as a nieche as most people see film just an entertainment while we want to focus more about the issue and subject. It's sad sometimes but I love what I'm doing right now and Spotlight is my go-to film whenever I need an emotional support. It's not only showed a good journalism, it focused on writing process would be. Our articles might be won't as impactful as what the Spotlight team did, but it's a nice reminder to produce a high quality piece of article. Finally you talk about this film as it deserve, thank you!
Better Call Saul does a great job in portraying the mundane and boring in a very entertaining way. It doesn't glamorize it and you understand the tedium and monotony of some of the things the characters do. Like the scene where Jimmy stays up all night putting together paper shreds, or calling through a list of clients, it really hits home how boring their work can be. However it's done in a way that keeps you engaged because you know it's progress, albeit slow.
I loved this analysis! Spotlight is one of my favorite films of all time.
i saw this video on Monday and thats when i heard about Spotlight for the first time and decided to check it out. now rewatching the video.
Interesting that you made this video, as journalism as a profession has arguably never had it's reputation more tainted in the history of the profession than it has now.
Seeing as you mentioned David Simon, Season 5 of The Wire comes to mind with this topic - I think it does an excellent job depicting a newspaper office too.
the rewatchability of this movie is amazing
Love Spotlight. Love The Post. Love Sweet Smell of Success. Love Ace in the Hole. LOVED this video. Can’t wait for The Report. And also going to check out most of the other films mentioned here. Any I should start with that I haven’t listed?
We watched this movie in our previous semester for a Media Law and Ethics class. Man! what can I say, for someone who studying Journalism and found it boring instantly made me re-think and made me appreciate my course.
Evan, stop being such a legend. Impeccable writing, as always, man!
05:22 Unrelated, but why are half the people there censored/pixelated?
I was about to ask the same thing. It's the scene near the beginning of the film where Robbie (Michael Keaton) is giving a speech for a retiring colleague (about 3 and a half minutes in to the movie). The main guy pixelated is Ben Bradlee played by John Slattery, with everyone else having their back to the camera. Wondering if it's just a production error for NW and nothing more.
Santiago Cavanagh i think it’s to show the dominant shades of color per so and so many pixels, showing that the color tone is muted as he says in that moment
I was wondering that same thing.
Paused the video and scrolled down to see if this was addressed. It's exactly half the screen, so could be equally an error or used to show the palette. If the latter, I don't think pixelation is even necessary and if it is, seems out of place to only apply it to half the frame.
To highlight the color palette.
I got scared because I hadn’t seen ur videos pop up lately! Glad u posted again!
thank you for making a video on my favourite film
Absolutely love this movie & The Report as well. Two fantastic movies.
And love ur movie & tv show analysis.
Excellent video. So much nuance to movies about journalism.
You forgot to mention Michael Mann's "The insider".
Yes
That is an underrated gem from the Mann.
Brilliant film.
I believe it has the one of the best use of tracking shot this decade. The shot means something, that monsters can live just by the street
I'm 4.5 minutes in, and there's hardly any talk about Spotlight itself. Great video essay.
I really liked this movie. Hope to see more of these slow paced in depth ones.
Hope to see more movies on journalism in general.
5:36 I see what you did there with the knock and I liked it!
This was a great analysis.
I looked it up - I'm going to watch The Report tonight at the IFC Center here in Manhattan!!
Thank you!
UPDATE: It was a great movie. I reccomend it.
Spotlight is one of the best movies ever made. I watch it every year and it gets better each time.
I'm really touched by how the fillmmaker is really devoted in portraying an issue as genuine as it can. No wonder it became a great film.
I greatly enjoy and appreciate your channel and most all of your videos. Thoughtful and thought-provoking content is rare and much appreciated. Thank you! (PS - Have not seen this, yet...ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN is one of my all time favorites! So it is definitely on the upcoming watch list!)
In my first year of journalism school my professor made us watch this movie in class.
i only watched this movie, because it was so randomly chosen as best film at the oscars. then i actually watched it completely out of intrigue. omg, this is literally the best movie i've seen in the last 20yrs, maybe more, it is that damn good.
I have watched spotlight at least 10x now. I truly never have watched a movie this many times but this truly is a masterpiece. I'm blown away by this movie time and time again.
This movie and "true Story" are for me amazing movies about journalists and the whole work behind. Love your video
Glad you're putting out some good stuff.Thanks.
Liev Schreiber was overlooked in this movie. His performance was outstanding and understated and brilliant.
With every great video that you make like this, I get to watch another great movie that I wasn't aware of. :)
I absolutely love this movie. It’s the type of film I can watch in any mood & love every second. Ruffalo really killed it.
Great video and a great account of the elements of not only investigative journalism but movies about journalism! I’m also a huge Spotlight fan which makes this especially compelling. That said, it might also be interesting to make a video about the death of investigative journalism - as I see so little of it today - as most of what passes for journalism today is simply pushing an agenda without regard to the facts.
The grounded feel of the movie with few points of escalation like Mark Ruffalo's outburst makes the movie all the more humane.
I hope "Official Secrets" get attention like "Spotlight" too, that movie so underrated
It's a good movie, but not outstanding.
I'm an investigative journalist and I love this episode! I work for TV news where things are different and changing. We spend so much time in After Effects trying to make things flashy to get the information across in a way that keeps people's attention. We still try and be militant about how we portray things. We are not allowed to use music in our investigative pieces because it "manipulates the viewer." We're not allowed to stage shots or stylize the footage too much. It's very difficult to tell a long form investigative piece without using stylized production techniques.
I think the best picture win for this movie was well deserved
I watched this for the first time only a few days ago so the timing is perfect
Thanks for this awesome video. I think I'm going to have to watch Spotlight now.