He's right and wrong at the same time IMO. Amazing video, but, those two shots are not necessarily wrong or fake. If you know the dogs are coming, then the camera should? follow them and end with the reaction of the policeman. And the door to the broken car. It's designed to focus the attention on the actor and his surprise. If you put a Bale or whatever coming out that door that changes things a bit doesn't it. I found most of his analysis great though. Inspiring ...
I am film student learning how to direct I watch this video more than 50 times in deferent time everytime I watched I understood more, All I am trying to say you can’t test the knowledge that this video teaches you, I really appreciate the creator if this 4 years university knowledge in less than fifteen minutes I promise I will make shoutouts on big stage as I am your student, Thanks again
Thank you very much! Good luck with your studies and make sure you don't take anything for granted - particularly the hard work and stomaches of your cast and crew. No joke, treat them well and feed them well and they'll love you forever. Same with dogs.
This was truly an excellent exposition on the art of Directing. Clint Eastwood's simplicity is brilliant and Spielberg's synchronization of the camera movement and actor blocking always pulls the viewer to exactly where he wants you to be. As a martial arts enthusiast, I must say I HATE the quick cut, shaky cam, close up fight scenes. They show us nothing. Thanks Dan Fox for a fine piece of work.
Zsht I enjoy Abrams more as a writer than a director because I don't think he has yet figured out how to match his powerful characters with a shot that is just as powerful.
daniel Moulton This is a poor response to criticism. You don't need to be as good as someone else to be able to criticise what they're doing. Isn't that the point of giving the highest ranking jobs only to select well trained professionals? They're supposed to be able to do it better than everyone else, and we're supposed to hold them to a high standard, because that's the point of their being put in that position to do that job. To put it another way, we don't need to be hatted chefs to criticise a bad meal, or politicians to criticise the decisions of the president.
Yep. JJ Abrams can tell a good story, but this is a BIG reason why he hasn't been able to become a great storyteller. It's still early in his career and he's only directed 5 movies so far. So, we'll see. He'll probably improve somewhat. But he certainly has potential.
Excellent and to the point-this video on blocking was more instructive than entire hour-long "masterclasses" by established directors! Kudos to you Mr. Fox and thank you!
Excellent! I cracked up at the Taken 2 and the guy on the left walking into the light in Snowpiercer. Great stuff. You've earned one more subscriber sir!
Amazing video. I think this video should be shown at film school when teachers are trying to teach their student how to direct a movie. Nice Man! Keep up the good work.
I love this video, although I do disagree with how you explained shaky cam in Snowpiercer. The shaky cam in Snowpiecer serves to highlight the chaotic nature of the fight scenes, as opposed to Chris Evan’s character’s fight scene towards the end, where you see him in a much more composed state than you would in the shaky cam fight scene. But overall, lovely video, and makes me more interested in directing than ever.
Great points , I agree every great film has a flow throughout the film . Many of the greats understand this . I really apreciate your analysis! Keep it up
Merry Christ-mas, Dan Fox. A hearty well done for this essay. What we found most entertaining was the manner of your presentation. All too often one finds the odd essay presented in a grave manner as to sound un-agreeable to the palate. Cicero would have been pleased with your method. Well done, sir.
Dan you're awesome, you shed light on the true art of composition and blocking. I will never understand how filmmakers can be happy shooting 20-30 cuts on an action scene.....yes I'm talking to you TAKEN2! haha, more videos please Dan....Dan the man!:)
It is a matter of perception; if you as the director want a fight to feel like"i don't know exactly what the hell all happened , but in 10 seconds the opponent was on the floor" then make fast and chaotic cuts. If in contrast you want to emanate the feeling "I am a martial arts specialist , I am always in control and all moves are in slow motion for me, I exactly knew how to block and hit the opponent.. in 10 seconds" then you want more long shots, more overview, more control. It is a choice. Not a mistake.
I get that argument, but its also the same kind of logic that deifies every decision a director makes and says there's no bad decision any director can ever make. Sure art is subjective, but a film like TAKEN 2 is literally using that technique to hide its lack of stuntwork even more than it is trying to show its frenzy of energy and flurry of punches
That video is awesome for my learning experience! Thank you for showing me completely new aspects to look at when watching movies! Great editing and explaining.
Thank you so much for this. You have opened up my Direction mind once again. This gentle reminder to be a conscious director in shot choice is a great need. Regards Maro Zimbabwean film Director
Great analysis on how to view Mise en Scene or, said here, composition and blocking. Great examples. I do not know about all the claims. Though it will get you thinking!
First off let me say this is down right brilliant. Dan I love lessing to ya. Your ideas are clear and comments very smart. With that said. Something to keep in mind when talking about GoG is it was in 3D. Things that look dull and flat in 2D suddenly pop out in 3. Once you add 3D to a shot placing something in the center of the screen does not become such a sin. In fact it gives the Audience room for their eyes to wonder around the scene. What I call soaking up scenery. Depth of field a real must have in 2D makes the audience feel trapped. and confined in 3D, as is if there head was strap to the chair. This can be a real problem in today market. It can be a lot like slow transitioning from driving on right side of the road to the the left. Movies that did really well at the box off sudden fall flat at home. This is why 3D took off so fast and has now faltered. It reminds me of the day of 4x3. People would go to the movies love every minute then come home and watch the same movie and scream what are these black bars on the top and bottom of my screen.! It is a new technology. Is takes time for people to get used to the change. Something to think about. Thanks again love the videos Dan. Please make more. I for one will be watching.
I'm going to have to flat out disagree with you on the scenes from SnowPiercer. The first fight scene is as choppy and hectic as it is to emphasis the panic and desperation of the risk being undertaken. While the second scene is much more tense and fearful. If that first fight scene were filmed in the style of the second, the feeling would be all wrong and the scene would project the proper feeling.
Yeah I agree with you. This was the first video I made and after bugging those around me with a few different drafts, I decided to just upload it and get it over with. This is one of maybe.. 2 or 3 things in this video I disagree with myself after spending time away from it, all because I didn't bother to put in more effort to iron out awkward or less-nuanced phrases/observations. Thanks for watching anyway Dave!
Dan, you are wrong, in that your observations about SnowPiercer were right the first time. Overly kinetic camera work combined with choppy editing seems to be the go-to style for high action scenes today (fights/car chases). Call it the lazy Paul Greengrass effect. A great example of a creatively blocked fight scene, as well as a masterful tracking shot, is Old Boy hammer fight scene (both Korean and Hollywood remake). Your videos are great. Please keep making them.
@@danfox4969 I agree with your first take on that shot. I don't need a shaky camera getting in the way of the hectic action it portrays. You shake the camera when you're, subconsciously most likely, overcompensating your scene, because you don't really believe the action will hold on its own, or because you're rushed or for whatever reason. And, IMO, no cut is needed from start to finish in that shot. He runs to kill a man. Woo starts open and closes in on the action as you'd expect, but the cuts cut the scene. They break it apart.
Take into consideration that the editor has some input and might use more cuts than originally desired. Sometimes you do multiple angles when you aren't quite sure of your final desired result , but doesn't mean you would want to use all of them in one action.
JJ is mechanics over art. I love watching Jaws! The one block that didnt work howwver, was when the boat was heading to sea and the camera was in the jaw window.
Stephen Spielberg. Sadly underrated as one of the greatest Hollywood directors, probably because his shots are so seamless that they don't draw attention to his masterful creativity.
This is great. Fantastic analysis. Make me want to create! Comics, movies... stories. Well done Dan Fox. Keep it up, and make a Patreon campaign maybe? If you need any animation, let me know. :)
Hi Dan.... can't thank you enough for this wonderful video with such great analysis... However, I would just like to point out something... that all of you amazing guys, be it you or Tony Zhou or Now you see it or many others, there is so much eagerness to talk about films like Jaws, Snowpiercer, Hitcock's movies, Goodfellas, Blade runner, Godfather, Matrix, Bong Joon Ho, Takashi Miike, and apart from this brand of films, just Breathless (deconstructed film language), Kurosawa (who also excelled in technique), and In the mood for love (talk of cinematography, and it can't be ignored) and sometimes Tarkovsky (the polar end of high-brow films)... and then, you guys dissect the technique as to how it aids the kind of physical factors like storytelling or pace or directing attention or getting more thrill or how to make movie scarier. But great cinema, as I see it, is not just about engagement but also involvement... as to how a director evokes not only attention but emotion..... Directors like Bergman, Satyajit Ray, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Majid Majidi, Fellini, Wenders, Herzog, Kim ki Duk, Bresson, Michael Haneke or even American directors like Cassavetes or Jarmusch, and their films are not just rare topics but also rarely referenced in most of the film form analysis videos..... like in this video, I find it strange that there is no mention of Sven Nykvist, and the powerful compositions in Persona, or when the kids are playing hide and seek in Pather Panchali, the wonderful blocking of that scene, or the last staircase scene of Cassavetes' Faces or the first scene in Werckmeister Harmoniak.... why some films send a chill down the spine, others make your eyes wet, while some get you melancholic for several hours or days after watching the film... what is it in the characterization of a character that makes him apple of the eye of the masses.... I wouldn't give this advice to someone like Cinefix (hope they aren't listening), because they and their lists are totally steeped in the factory studio system of Hollywood... but guys like you, Tony Zhou, Nerdwriter, Channel Criswell are a real hope, and great teachers for aspiring film-makers like me.... love and regards, Vijeta
Thanks Vijeta, that was a really nice comment. It's hard to find the right balance on directors for videos like this. On one hand the goal is inform people about filmmaking techniques, so those directors and examples are great ones to use. But they (unfortunately) aren't as well known as more mainstream filmmakers like your Scorsese's, Nolan's, Tarantino's and so on. I'd love to make a video just on the work of Hiroshi Teshigahara, but the issue there is; hardly anyone will have heard of him, so I'll only a small percentage of views. And since I only have 8k subscribers right now, the best way to expose people to someone like him would be to slide his work into another video for now. That's my current approach. I don't even know if that'll work, or if I'm completely wrong. I imagine that'll probably change as I make more videos. As for breaking down what makes scenes/characters resonate emotionally - That's a genuinely good idea for a video essay. It's also a massive topic as well. I've covered a little bit of that in another video essay on charm that I did, but I'll have to think more on that. Cheers
I understand your predicament because as an emerging film-maker, I face it myself :) yes, you are right that Teshigahara, Imamura, Mira Nair, Sembene, Schlondorf, Zhangke, Cassavetes are not so popular, and I agree that it's not wise to touch them for now.... But the famous films of masters like Bergman (Persona), Satyajit Ray (Pather Panchali), Fellini (Eight half and La Strada), Sica (Bicycle thieves), Kurosawa (Seven Samurai), Chaplin (Great dictator), Lang (Metropolis), Truffaut (400 blows) are almost like an obligation to watch for any aspiring film-maker, film school student and cinephiles across the world.... of course, even their fan following is a small percentage compared to that of Nolan, Tarantino, Spielberg etc, but firstly, this small percentage is also a very huge number, and a much more dedicated and loyal fan following... and secondly, since nobody is doing much work on them, you wouldn't get your views and subs snatched by other channels and could carve a niche for yourself..... also, we could add to this the popular new-age masters, like Lars Von Trier, Wong Kar Wai, Kim Ki Duk, David Lynch... but I am no expert... just an advice which may also prove to be wrong.... in any case, I am looking forward to more videos from you.... Had already watched the charm video, also watched the Star Trek one just now, mighty good stuff.... whatever you work on, but keep working.... cheers....
You know your stuff well, man. But your comment towards CineFix is quite snobby, they do know their films and don't just stick to talking about mainstream Hollywood. But, I'm definitely going to take consideration in discovering the works of some of the directors you've mentioned. Thank you :)
3:58 'The camera motivates the action, rather than the action motivating the camera...which is why it looks fake'- Brilliantly put!
He's right and wrong at the same time IMO. Amazing video, but, those two shots are not necessarily wrong or fake. If you know the dogs are coming, then the camera should? follow them and end with the reaction of the policeman. And the door to the broken car. It's designed to focus the attention on the actor and his surprise. If you put a Bale or whatever coming out that door that changes things a bit doesn't it. I found most of his analysis great though. Inspiring ...
I am film student learning how to direct I watch this video more than 50 times in deferent time everytime I watched I understood more,
All I am trying to say you can’t test the knowledge that this video teaches you,
I really appreciate the creator if this 4 years university knowledge in less than fifteen minutes
I promise I will make shoutouts on big stage as I am your student,
Thanks again
Thank you very much! Good luck with your studies and make sure you don't take anything for granted - particularly the hard work and stomaches of your cast and crew. No joke, treat them well and feed them well and they'll love you forever. Same with dogs.
This was truly an excellent exposition on the art of Directing. Clint Eastwood's simplicity is brilliant and Spielberg's synchronization of the camera movement and actor blocking always pulls the viewer to exactly where he wants you to be. As a martial arts enthusiast, I must say I HATE the quick cut, shaky cam, close up fight scenes. They show us nothing. Thanks Dan Fox for a fine piece of work.
+Paul Campanella Thanks Paul! I'm glad you liked it.
'Slick with nothing gained' perfectly sums up JJ Abrams directing.
Such an impatient director who doesn't know how to tell a story through the lens.
I'd like to see you do a better job
Zsht I enjoy Abrams more as a writer than a director because I don't think he has yet figured out how to match his powerful characters with a shot that is just as powerful.
daniel Moulton This is a poor response to criticism. You don't need to be as good as someone else to be able to criticise what they're doing. Isn't that the point of giving the highest ranking jobs only to select well trained professionals? They're supposed to be able to do it better than everyone else, and we're supposed to hold them to a high standard, because that's the point of their being put in that position to do that job.
To put it another way, we don't need to be hatted chefs to criticise a bad meal, or politicians to criticise the decisions of the president.
Yep. JJ Abrams can tell a good story, but this is a BIG reason why he hasn't been able to become a great storyteller. It's still early in his career and he's only directed 5 movies so far. So, we'll see. He'll probably improve somewhat.
But he certainly has potential.
Directors need to know DP work as well as Editing...
"...Camera is motivating the action rather than the action motivating the camera." Very important line!
Dude, this was great!
+KriscoartProductions Hey man, I have a channel just like this, perhaps you like to check it out??
So so so so great! Great humor, great voice, great comparisons. Brilliant!!!!!
Excellent and to the point-this video on blocking was more instructive than entire hour-long "masterclasses" by established directors! Kudos to you Mr. Fox and thank you!
This is a criminally under viewed video. Great work!
Great video dude! Well put together and really interesting
i'm working on a short film myself and I must say this insipired me to change many of my shots. thank you dan for that well-spoken video :)
One of the best videos about directing on the net,thank you!
Excellent! I cracked up at the Taken 2 and the guy on the left walking into the light in Snowpiercer. Great stuff. You've earned one more subscriber sir!
Great juxtaposition of what works and what doesn't. I am a huge Steven Spielberg fan so this was especially fun to watch.
Thanks for taking the time to share Dan - BRILLIANT Stuff!!!
I love that closing credit. Clever.
Hugely helpful please make more as an aspiring filmmaker and mainly a director the composition part was something I didn't even think about thanks
+Dan Fox Wow man this was really great. I wish you had continued to make more videos.
It really shows when a director takes his time with the material in hands! This is an amazing video! Thanks a lot!
+Ivan José Hurtado Barón Thanks mate!
Amazing video. I think this video should be shown at film school when teachers are trying to teach their student how to direct a movie. Nice Man! Keep up the good work.
I love this video, although I do disagree with how you explained shaky cam in Snowpiercer. The shaky cam in Snowpiecer serves to highlight the chaotic nature of the fight scenes, as opposed to Chris Evan’s character’s fight scene towards the end, where you see him in a much more composed state than you would in the shaky cam fight scene.
But overall, lovely video, and makes me more interested in directing than ever.
Great points , I agree every great film has a flow throughout the film . Many of the greats understand this . I really apreciate your analysis! Keep it up
Great, great video essay. Exactly the kind I'm looking for.
Merry Christ-mas, Dan Fox. A hearty well done for this essay. What we found most entertaining was the manner of your presentation. All too often one finds the odd essay presented in a grave manner as to sound un-agreeable to the palate. Cicero would have been pleased with your method. Well done, sir.
Dan you're awesome, you shed light on the true art of composition and blocking. I will never understand how filmmakers can be happy shooting 20-30 cuts on an action scene.....yes I'm talking to you TAKEN2! haha, more videos please Dan....Dan the man!:)
It is a matter of perception; if you as the director want a fight to feel like"i don't know exactly what the hell all happened , but in 10 seconds the opponent was on the floor" then make fast and chaotic cuts. If in contrast you want to emanate the feeling "I am a martial arts specialist , I am always in control and all moves are in slow motion for me, I exactly knew how to block and hit the opponent.. in 10 seconds" then you want more long shots, more overview, more control.
It is a choice. Not a mistake.
I get that argument, but its also the same kind of logic that deifies every decision a director makes and says there's no bad decision any director can ever make. Sure art is subjective, but a film like TAKEN 2 is literally using that technique to hide its lack of stuntwork even more than it is trying to show its frenzy of energy and flurry of punches
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
Love your avatar!
Cheers VDSW!
This was a brilliant video! Thanks a lot for this.
really helpful in understanding many aspects of filming, especially about composition, thank you so much
You make me want to watch even more films thanks :)
+z Haxeu Thanks mate!
That video is awesome for my learning experience! Thank you for showing me completely new aspects to look at when watching movies! Great editing and explaining.
Great, great video. Thank you for uploading!
You made me so inspired:)) Thank you very much! You are doing amazing creations!!!
Nice work! I hope you continue with more of these.
Murphington Cheers!
This is amazing! Thank you so much for making this video
Hi there, I also have a couple of video's about filmmaking, perhaps you would like to check it out? Cheers
Good video man! I love the comparisons
Marvelous,marvelous piece of work.
Art Vandaley Thanks mate
Liked the little jab at "Taken 2" in the credits
WOW you are brilliant in your presentation!
Fanatic video and humor. Wish I met you sooner.
What a way to learn directing so informative thanks mate
Best video on the topic I've seen so far.
you deserve more subscribers, much better than everyframeapainting, nerdwriter, and much much better than channel criswell.
You make such amazing videos! You taught me so much in this one. Please keep on making such great content. I definitely subscribe!
This Breakdown was brilliant
Wow I loved this I'll be checking out what more you got
Great channel Dan!
Thank you so much for this. You have opened up my Direction mind once again. This gentle reminder to be a conscious director in shot choice is a great need.
Regards
Maro
Zimbabwean film Director
superb teaching, truly excellent !
Great analysis on how to view Mise en Scene or, said here, composition and blocking. Great examples. I do not know about all the claims. Though it will get you thinking!
Awesome info!!! Cant wait for more.
With the separated head the video become pouring jokes out of nowhere. Loving it.
Great presentation brother
Cheers!
Dan...You are the man!!! I hope you continue to make more : )
+George Michael Bluth Thanks George Michael. I'm still sorry about that banana stand fire
Excellent study! Thank you.
First off let me say this is down right brilliant. Dan I love lessing to ya. Your ideas are clear and comments very smart. With that said. Something to keep in mind when talking about GoG is it was in 3D. Things that look dull and flat in 2D suddenly pop out in 3. Once you add 3D to a shot placing something in the center of the screen does not become such a sin. In fact it gives the Audience room for their eyes to wonder around the scene. What I call soaking up scenery. Depth of field a real must have in 2D makes the audience feel trapped. and confined in 3D, as is if there head was strap to the chair. This can be a real problem in today market. It can be a lot like slow transitioning from driving on right side of the road to the the left. Movies that did really well at the box off sudden fall flat at home. This is why 3D took off so fast and has now faltered. It reminds me of the day of 4x3. People would go to the movies love every minute then come home and watch the same movie and scream what are these black bars on the top and bottom of my screen.! It is a new technology. Is takes time for people to get used to the change. Something to think about. Thanks again love the videos Dan. Please make more. I for one will be watching.
loved it! one of the best essays I ever saw!
What a lovely video! Especially loved your advice at the very end. Thanks for this, Dan - It's one of the best filmmaking "how-to's" out there 🤘
Watched it again. This is great. Never gets old :)
@7:31 I had to stop the video to laugh. That line about the cameraman was hilarious. Well done young man lol
I'm going to have to flat out disagree with you on the scenes from SnowPiercer. The first fight scene is as choppy and hectic as it is to emphasis the panic and desperation of the risk being undertaken. While the second scene is much more tense and fearful. If that first fight scene were filmed in the style of the second, the feeling would be all wrong and the scene would project the proper feeling.
Yeah I agree with you. This was the first video I made and after bugging those around me with a few different drafts, I decided to just upload it and get it over with. This is one of maybe.. 2 or 3 things in this video I disagree with myself after spending time away from it, all because I didn't bother to put in more effort to iron out awkward or less-nuanced phrases/observations. Thanks for watching anyway Dave!
I can definitely commend you on putting this together. Certainly better than anything I've put out in the world! Will definitely watch more! cheers!
Cheers Dave!
Dan, you are wrong, in that your observations about SnowPiercer were right the first time. Overly kinetic camera work combined with choppy editing seems to be the go-to style for high action scenes today (fights/car chases). Call it the lazy Paul Greengrass effect. A great example of a creatively blocked fight scene, as well as a masterful tracking shot, is Old Boy hammer fight scene (both Korean and Hollywood remake). Your videos are great. Please keep making them.
@@danfox4969 I agree with your first take on that shot. I don't need a shaky camera getting in the way of the hectic action it portrays. You shake the camera when you're, subconsciously most likely, overcompensating your scene, because you don't really believe the action will hold on its own, or because you're rushed or for whatever reason. And, IMO, no cut is needed from start to finish in that shot. He runs to kill a man. Woo starts open and closes in on the action as you'd expect, but the cuts cut the scene. They break it apart.
Amazing! Thank you for putting this together.
Thanks Javier! Glad you enjoyed it.
At minute 11:50 ish theres a hot of Ben Mendelsohn, what movie is that from?
Amazing work!
Amazing! Definitely subscribed!
Brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant
Just subbed, keep up the good work man!
Take into consideration that the editor has some input and might use more cuts than originally desired. Sometimes you do multiple angles when you aren't quite sure of your final desired result , but doesn't mean you would want to use all of them in one action.
Thanks a lot for this video.
You have an awesome page mate!
Well done - bravo. And thank you.
That was incredibly helpful! Keep up with the good work!
this is yeoman's work, much appreciated
This was an excellent video.
thank you for the advice and detailed explanations x
GREAT JOB SIR!
Amazing!!!!! Well done!!!!!
Very informative video. Thank you.
This is outstanding.
Fantastic. Thanks so much for this.
Great work!! kee it up.
more videos like this please!
omg i learn so much only in 1 video. thx!!!
WOW!!!! GREAT ANALYSIS!!!! GREAT ANALYSIS!!!! :)
awesome work!
Awesome video, sir.
***** Thanks Martin.
Thanks! Great work!
Awesome Work, Please keep on More :)
Very inspiring.. Thank you very much!
7:12 that was really clever. That character switch had the right line.
Excellent, thank you.
Great Breakdown and advice, thanks!
JJ is mechanics over art. I love watching Jaws! The one block that didnt work howwver, was when the boat was heading to sea and the camera was in the jaw window.
Stephen Spielberg. Sadly underrated as one of the greatest Hollywood directors, probably because his shots are so seamless that they don't draw attention to his masterful creativity.
This is great. Fantastic analysis. Make me want to create! Comics, movies... stories. Well done Dan Fox. Keep it up, and make a Patreon campaign maybe? If you need any animation, let me know. :)
Awesome sir, video.
Wow! That was awesome! Especially the old guy ruining the shot on the left. :D
Amazingly explained, thanks!
thank you for such a wonderful video :)
Hi Dan.... can't thank you enough for this wonderful video with such great analysis... However, I would just like to point out something... that all of you amazing guys, be it you or Tony Zhou or Now you see it or many others, there is so much eagerness to talk about films like Jaws, Snowpiercer, Hitcock's movies, Goodfellas, Blade runner, Godfather, Matrix, Bong Joon Ho, Takashi Miike, and apart from this brand of films, just Breathless (deconstructed film language), Kurosawa (who also excelled in technique), and In the mood for love (talk of cinematography, and it can't be ignored) and sometimes Tarkovsky (the polar end of high-brow films)...
and then, you guys dissect the technique as to how it aids the kind of physical factors like storytelling or pace or directing attention or getting more thrill or how to make movie scarier. But great cinema, as I see it, is not just about engagement but also involvement... as to how a director evokes not only attention but emotion..... Directors like Bergman, Satyajit Ray, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Majid Majidi, Fellini, Wenders, Herzog, Kim ki Duk, Bresson, Michael Haneke or even American directors like Cassavetes or Jarmusch, and their films are not just rare topics but also rarely referenced in most of the film form analysis videos.....
like in this video, I find it strange that there is no mention of Sven Nykvist, and the powerful compositions in Persona, or when the kids are playing hide and seek in Pather Panchali, the wonderful blocking of that scene, or the last staircase scene of Cassavetes' Faces or the first scene in Werckmeister Harmoniak.... why some films send a chill down the spine, others make your eyes wet, while some get you melancholic for several hours or days after watching the film... what is it in the characterization of a character that makes him apple of the eye of the masses....
I wouldn't give this advice to someone like Cinefix (hope they aren't listening), because they and their lists are totally steeped in the factory studio system of Hollywood... but guys like you, Tony Zhou, Nerdwriter, Channel Criswell are a real hope, and great teachers for aspiring film-makers like me.... love and regards, Vijeta
Thanks Vijeta, that was a really nice comment. It's hard to find the right balance on directors for videos like this. On one hand the goal is inform people about filmmaking techniques, so those directors and examples are great ones to use. But they (unfortunately) aren't as well known as more mainstream filmmakers like your Scorsese's, Nolan's, Tarantino's and so on. I'd love to make a video just on the work of Hiroshi Teshigahara, but the issue there is; hardly anyone will have heard of him, so I'll only a small percentage of views. And since I only have 8k subscribers right now, the best way to expose people to someone like him would be to slide his work into another video for now.
That's my current approach. I don't even know if that'll work, or if I'm completely wrong. I imagine that'll probably change as I make more videos.
As for breaking down what makes scenes/characters resonate emotionally - That's a genuinely good idea for a video essay. It's also a massive topic as well. I've covered a little bit of that in another video essay on charm that I did, but I'll have to think more on that. Cheers
I understand your predicament because as an emerging film-maker, I face it myself :)
yes, you are right that Teshigahara, Imamura, Mira Nair, Sembene, Schlondorf, Zhangke, Cassavetes are not so popular, and I agree that it's not wise to touch them for now....
But the famous films of masters like Bergman (Persona), Satyajit Ray (Pather Panchali), Fellini (Eight half and La Strada), Sica (Bicycle thieves), Kurosawa (Seven Samurai), Chaplin (Great dictator), Lang (Metropolis), Truffaut (400 blows) are almost like an obligation to watch for any aspiring film-maker, film school student and cinephiles across the world.... of course, even their fan following is a small percentage compared to that of Nolan, Tarantino, Spielberg etc, but firstly, this small percentage is also a very huge number, and a much more dedicated and loyal fan following... and secondly, since nobody is doing much work on them, you wouldn't get your views and subs snatched by other channels and could carve a niche for yourself..... also, we could add to this the popular new-age masters, like Lars Von Trier, Wong Kar Wai, Kim Ki Duk, David Lynch...
but I am no expert... just an advice which may also prove to be wrong.... in any case, I am looking forward to more videos from you.... Had already watched the charm video, also watched the Star Trek one just now, mighty good stuff.... whatever you work on, but keep working.... cheers....
You know your stuff well, man. But your comment towards CineFix is quite snobby, they do know their films and don't just stick to talking about mainstream Hollywood. But, I'm definitely going to take consideration in discovering the works of some of the directors you've mentioned. Thank you :)
Great essay. You should have more subs!