Some Video Essays to Tide You Over
TMFS MIA
I know it’s been a long while since I’ve posted my last video, and for that I apologize. It’s due to perfectly normal combination of life events and poor time management on my part. My mom’s been in town for a couple of weeks, culminating in her sponsoring my daughter for confirmation, which was very exciting.
Prior to and concurrent with that, I’ve been accepted into the Motion Picture Institute’s Screenwriting Workshop. During the ten-week program, I and my fellow screenwriters write a short film, while also giving notes on each others’ scripts. That ends this week, and I have to turn in my screenplay by Thursday.
If the good people at MPI like my script, I may be invited to move on to their Short Film Lab, where I’ll actually get to direct the film.
And during all that excitement, I have still been working on my next video essay, a follow up to the April Fool’s video:
While you’re waiting for me to get my stuff in order, here’s a couple other video essays you’ll probably enjoy…
Smooth Moves
Moviewise is one of my favorite new(ish) film YouTubers. His observations are precise, and his concepts are original. This video, for example, offers a great way to conceptualize camera movement, not in terms of equipment (dolly in, boom up), but in terms of the actual content of the frame—
Following vs Seeking is the perfect way to describe how the audience, rather than the crew, experiences a shot. I do have a quibble with some of the other terminology he coins, however.
"COAT" is terrible for a number of reasons. First, "Center Of ATtention"? That's not how anagrams work.
Second, coats exist. Ironically, nearly every example shot in the video features a character wearing some kind of coat. It's just too common an item of wardrobe to also be a useful term on set. “Where’s the coat?” “Right here…”
Third, anagrams aside, "center" is confusing when discussing composition and staging. The "COAT" is not always, or even often, in the center of the frame.
But most importantly, there's already a word for this--"subject." Following vs Seeking is slightly different than Motivated vs Unmotivated, and thus merit new terminology. But don't invent a new term when a perfectly serviceable one already exists. You know, like I accidentally did—
This applies equally to another term Moviewise tried to coin—the "nothing" shot. While I agree this kind of shot is often a crutch directors use to add energy to otherwise lifeless staging, it's still not "nothing." On most sets, this kind of move will be called a "slow drift," "floating camera," or "Mickey Rooney" (i.e. a little creep).
Semantic quibbles aside, most directors and cinematographers should consider the Following/Seeking dynamic when framing shots. What do you think?
Very Verisimilitudinous
It's common knowledge in Hollywood that lawyers don't like legal films (except My Cousin Vinney), doctors hate medical shows (except Scrubs), and cops won’t even watch police procedurals (no exceptions).
Well, you can add priests1 to that list...
Everyone knows two businesses: their business and show business. And that means show people only understand the one business—which is why they're so prone to navel-gazing, and also why they're so apt to get other professions wrong. If you’ve ever seen your job depicted in a movie or show, you’ll know almost immediately that the actors, writers, and directors have no idea how it’s really done.
All of this is related to yet another video essay I'm working on, this time about verisimilitude. There's more to it than that, but you'll have to wait until I complete my video to find out. If you want to see that and other Too Much Film School videos, which I promise are coming soon, you should subscribe!