The Best of Too Much Film School

A Year in Review

TMFS has had a surge of new subscribers, so as we wrap up the year, I thought it might be a good time to re-introduce myself.

As the self-deprecating title of this endeavor implies, I hold two degrees in film: a bachelor’s from USC and a master’s from CSUN. I also worked in film and TV for over two decades, climbing the ladder from PA to director.

Me, directing Melanie Friedrich in my first feature, Other Halves.

The impetus for this project was to teach people the things that aren’t taught in school; further, to correct the mistakes that are taught. I don’t think film degrees are particularly useful or impressive. In fact, they can be counter-productive.

And thus I make video essays (and regular essays) about film history and practice. I don’t write reviews; I prefer film appreciation to film criticism, which is why I occasionally screen films with

Casey

. We met at USC, and collectively, we have way too much film school.

If you’re new to TMFS, here’s a round-up of my favorite videos and articles that you might have missed.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Too Much Film School was originally conceived as a YouTube channel, with Substack intended to be a a supplement. Due to various real-life factors, that's kind of reversed in the last few months. I plank to pick up the pace again soon, but for now, here's some of my favorite video essays of the past year

Falling Up

You ever see a character on the ceiling and wonder, How did the filmmakers do that? The answer is my longest and most detailed video essay, on the history and practice of turning set upside down. It spans the silent era all the way to the present—

There were a lot of shots I liked but couldn't include, so I made a montage of my favorite upside scenes—

The Death of the Death of the Author

One thing that annoys me is people deliberately misinterpreting movies to make some sort of unrelated point. So, I made this April fools video with the dumbest fan theory I could think of—

I later followed it up with a serious discussion of what's wrong with the Death of the Author theory—

And just for fun, here's a bunch of Quentin Tarantino’s personal fan theories—

Old-Fashioned Essays

Although I haven't made as many video essays as I intended to this year, I picked up the slack with old-fashioned text essays.

How Much is “Too Much” Film School?

Sometimes I like to really dig into a very narrow topic, such as a shot, a cut, or even a single line of dialogue.

Two Shots I'm Proud Of

Crossing the Line Twice

Overanalyzing a Single Line from "Die Hard"

The AI Revolution

AI is a hot topic right now, so I dove in twice. First on the fictional depictions of AI, then on the real-world uses in Hollywood.

Aliens and Artificial Intelligence

Artificial (Un)intelligence

Challenging Film

I didn't dislike Zone of Interest; I just merely thought it was a little safe—

Propaganda and the Banality of "Zone of Interest"

Turns out, my opinion created enough controversy to merit a response piece—

Self-Reflection & Cinema Nazis

Last and Least

And speaking of responding to unreasonable people, here's a few articles that were born out of pettiness. I still think you’ll find them interesting, though.

Folk Film History

I Watched a Three-And-a-Half Hour Defense of the Star Wars Special Editions

People Who Complain About Media Illiteracy are Just the Worst