Awesome Filmmaking

We’ve seen lots of video essays about filmmaking over the years, but this is the first one we’ve seen about animal actors. Alex Boucher put together this great video about dogs in movies, how they are cast, and how they work with their trainers to convey emotion and turn in wonderful performances. Be sure to check out Alex’s full dog cinema list.

Technology has gotten to the point where you can buy a full HD camera that fits on your keychain. Filmmaker Isaac Carlton picked up one of these tiny cameras from Amazon to see if he could shoot an entire short film using it. This fun behind-the-scenes video explains how he created the film, but if you want to cut to the case, here’s the 3-minute movie.

Every Frame a Painting is back. The world is healing. Or not; they’re doing only a limited series, after all. But we’ll take it. Without much fanfare, YouTube’s OG film essay channel launches straight into the history, strengths, and weaknesses of the sustained two-shot – a film perspective where two characters stay in a single scene for a long time.

The earliest movies were filmed in black and white. Then, in the 1930s, the first color movies appeared. Cameron from NationSquid explains how Technicolor created the illusion of color using a prism to split red, green, and blue images onto three black and white film strips and then developed them with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black dyes.

With Barbie and Oppenheimer hitting theaters on the same release day, the unlikely duo has become the meme power couple of summer 2023. Artist Steven Richter went one step further and imagined the two movies as one in his hilariously warped, very short film. The best part is watching how he made it.

Before the 2000s, models, and miniatures were commonplace in moviemaking. But with the advent of CGI, it’s become something of a lost art. Vox sat down with expert prop and modelmaker Simon Weisse to learn about the renaissance brewing with filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, John Favreau, and master of miniatures Wes Anderson.

As of today, it’s been 37 years since Back to the Future premiered. Movie fan and world traveler Matthias Schwarzer headed to Los Angeles, California, on a mission to find some of the movie’s original filming locations and see how they have changed over the years. We love how the McFly’s house looks pretty much the same.

These days, many visual effects are produced using computer animation. Artist and filmmaker Markus Rothkranz looks back at some low-budget practical effects he created in the 1980s and 1990s. The tricks include miniatures, multiplane backgrounds, mirrors, and set pieces made from everyday objects.

Today, movie studios have powerful computers dedicated to creating visual effects. But in the early days of motion pictures, special effects had to be created practically, in-camera, or via editing. Film Riot looks back at classics like Metropolis and The Wizard of Oz to see how they pulled off their memorable illusions.

(PG-13: Language) Creative writing requires persistence and a willingness to accept failure far more than success. J. Marcelo Borromeo of 101 Things I Learned About Fiction from Film created this video essay on the challenges and rewards of writing, told using footage from the films of Wes Anderson. (Thanks, Rob!)

We used to watch TV shows and movies at home and understand the voices perfectly. But lately, we’ve had to turn the subtitles on much more often. At first, we thought maybe our hearing was just going, but Vox explains how changes in audio tech, acting styles, and filmmaking have made dialogue less intelligible.

There are many ways you can shoot an action sequence, from doing stunts on location to working in front of a green screen in a studio. SoKrispyMedia shows us how they shot a convincing action sequence using CGI backgrounds and the same kind of virtual production technology they use to make The Mandalorian.

Steven Spielberg’s latest is basically his own autobiography, as told through the eyes of a boy growing up in the 1950s who falls in love with the cinema and starts making his own home movies. The star-studded cast includes Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, and Judd Hirsch. In theaters 11.24.22.

Foley artists create sound effects for TV shows, movies, and video games. Sanaa Kelley and Monique Reymond are two of the industry’s best and brightest. This video from Insider shows us how they produce sounds for SpongeBob SquarePants, Kung Fu Panda, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and more.

The late Ray Harryhausen is beloved for his groundbreaking visual effects work in movies like Jason and the Argonauts. The Royal Ocean Film Society delves into Harryhausen’s mastery of stop-motion animation and how he combined it with live-action film footage to bring humans and creatures together on screen.

When Hollywood needs to record a blood-curdling scream for a movie or TV show, they turn to voice professionals like Ashley Peldon. In this episode of 60 Second Docs, Ashley talks about the various kinds of screams she can produce, and what it takes to be a Scream Artist.