Every Frame a Painting
Season 2
Every Frame a Painting is dedicated to the analysis of film form.
Where to Watch Season 2
10 Episodes
- The Bad Sleep Well (1960) - The Geometry of a Scene
E1The Bad Sleep Well (1960) - The Geometry of a SceneOne of Akira Kurosawa’s many gifts was staging scenes in ways that were bold, simple and visual. I’m working on a longer essay about him and this piece didn’t make the cut, so I’m releasing it as a short standalone video. - Drive (2011) - The Quadrant System
E2Drive (2011) - The Quadrant SystemOne of the many pleasures of Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” (2011) is that the shots feel both tightly composed and weirdly unpredictable. Even though most of the images follow a simple quadrant system, Refn puts plenty of subtle touches within the frame. - Akira Kurosawa - Composing Movement
E3Akira Kurosawa - Composing MovementCan movement tell a story? Sure, if you’re as gifted as Akira Kurosawa. More than any other filmmaker, he had an innate understanding of movement and how to capture it onscreen. Join me today in studying the master, possibly the greatest composer of motion in film history. - F For Fake (1973) - How to Structure a Video Essay
E4F For Fake (1973) - How to Structure a Video EssayIf you want to make video essays, there’s no better film to study than Orson Welles’ 1973 masterpiece, F for Fake. There are a million lessons to take away from it, but today, let’s see what it has to teach us about structure. NO SPOILERS. - Chuck Jones - The Evolution of an Artist
E7Chuck Jones - The Evolution of an ArtistIf you grew up watching Looney Tunes, then you know Chuck Jones, one of all-time masters of visual comedy. Normally I would talk about his ingenious framing and timing, but not today. Instead, I’d like to explore the evolution of his sensibilities as an artist. - Vancouver Never Plays Itself
E8Vancouver Never Plays ItselfPerhaps no other city has been as thoroughly hidden from modern filmmaking as Vancouver, my hometown. Today, it’s the third biggest film production city in North America, behind Los Angeles and New York. And yet for all the movies and TV shows that are shot there, we hardly ever see the city itself. So today, let’s focus less on the movies and more on the city in the background. - Buster Keaton - The Art of the Gag
E9Buster Keaton - The Art of the GagBefore Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson, before Chuck Jones and Jackie Chan, there was Buster Keaton, one of the founding fathers of visual comedy. And nearly 100 years after he first appeared onscreen, we’re still learning from him. Today, i’d like to talk about the artistry (and the thinking) behind his gags. - Memories of Murder (2003) - Ensemble Staging
E10Memories of Murder (2003) - Ensemble StagingHow do you emphasize to the audience that something is important? Well, you could always cut to a close-up, but how about something subtler? Today I consider ensemble staging — a style of filmmaking that directs the audience exactly where to look, without ever seeming to do so at all. NO SPOILERS. Eight Ways to Get the Audience to Look at a Character: 1) Let Them Speak 2) Make Them Brighter or Bring Them Closer 3) Let Them Move (Especially Hands or Eyes) 4) Put Them in the Center of Frame 5) Turn Them Towards the Lens 6) Separate Them from the Group 7) Isolate Them by Moving the Camera 8) Have Other People Look at Them
