Learning the Art of Film from Visual Essays

Studying in Film School gives you insight into the cinema’s masterpieces and its hidden interpretations. The lectures on film history are usually boring, if not illustrated with curated clips. But we live in a digital century and you can appreciate the masterpieces instantly. Waiting in the shopping queue, sitting in the subway or maybe even between the shots – you can explore variety of topics on-line on the smartphone (though High-Res screen is recommended). Let's take a look on Stanley Kubrick’s One-Point Perspective:

Kubrick // One-Point Perspective from kogonada on Vimeo.

In 2016 Berlinale Talents hosted the world’s famous video essayists: Kogonada and Kevin B. Lee. The third one, Tony Zhou, was not present, however his works and craft were mentioned often. Maybe it’s just the coincidence, but the three visual essayists has Asian roots. In their works they discover hidden messages in the works of the masters, which might surprise even the long-time filmmakers. 

The Career of Paul Thomas Anderson in Five Shots (excerpts) from Kevin B. Lee on Vimeo.

Due to possibility of visualizing the material with reworked clips, you could actually see the filmmaker’s mind present in each shot. Beside Alfred Hitchcock or Paul Thomas Anderson, even Michael Bay was taken into account:

Drive (2011) - The Quadrant System from Tony Zhou on Vimeo.

Try out also the Nerdwriter’s channel:

And it is just an appetizer :-) 

In Poland worth recommending are Marcin Lukanski’ videos. He can not only capture some of the greatest shots, but also interestingly narrate the video with his radio-voice. Some of his works looks like actually being ripped from others, but how often can you watch a highly informative material in Polish?

To really become a filmmaker means not only to watch the recent films. You should watch what came before. Investigate and know everything about it, that’s where your emphasis will be coming from. Go to explore and become like a scholar. Most contemporary filmmakers have a strong roots with the past. You have to learn from film.

You can find the round table with Kogonada and Kevin B. Lee here:

IN REFERENCE TO: VISUAL ESSAYS