Video Playlists

A curated list of moving image works. Do you have suggestions for videos that should be on this list? Please let me know using this contact form. Links to videos often change, so you may need to search for alternative sources. If you find a broken link, please let me know. — David Tamés

Playlist 1. personal visions and adverts

Meshes of the Afternoon(Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943, 16mm, B&W, silent), view on Kanopy (requires subscription, Northeastern students have access); after watching the film, take a look at Notes on Maya Deren providing some context for interpreting the work, but see the film fresh before reading this
Lamp (Spike Jonze, Crispin Porter + Bogusky agency, 2002) demonstrates effective use of a wide range of cinematic language conventions
Lamp 2 (Mark Zibert, Rethink Canada agency, 2018), a remake of Lamp that reflects changes in the culture between 2002 and 2018
Watchtowers of Turkey (Leonardo Dalessandri, 2014, 3:34); Related reading: “Watchtower of Turkey” a stunning piece of cinematic editing and sound design

Playlist 2. experimental documentary, adverts, performance

The Above (Kirsten Johnson, 2015, 8:22), experimental documentary
Volkswagen: Milky Way, (dir. Dayton/Faris; agency: Arnold Boston, Music: Nick Drake “Pink Moon," 2006), commercial, think about the cinematic metaphors at work in this piece
Please Consider #6: Skype (michelle ellsworth, 2011), performance, even though this was made many years ago, replace "skype" with "zoom" and it's totally up to date!

Playlist 3. lighting and cinematic storytelling

Cinematic lighting explained – Basics, tutorial and ultra-mobile lighting kit – Epic Episode #9; this overview of lighting from Media Division provides a good summary of lighting fundamentals and how to achieve cinematic lighting with modest gear
Bao by Pixar — a short animated film; notice how the cinematic lighting techniques discussed in the first video are applied in this video, which is one of the factors that contribute to the cinematic style of the work; see also this article (New York Times). Note: unofficial copies get uploaded and taken down regularly, Bao can be purchased legally for $2.99 on YouTube and other services.

Playlist 4. sound

Recording Sound on Location (Lizi Hesling, CADARN Learning), provides a good overview of location sound recording, recommended for additional coverage of location sound recording
The Foley Artist (Oliver Holms, 2015, short film), many of the sounds we hear in fiction films are not made by the actual objects we see on the screen, many of the sounds in cinema are the work of foley artists
Justin Boyd: Sound and Time (Mark Lee Walley and Angela Guerra Walley, 2013, short documentary), sound is half the picture and often stands on its own, this is not only a short documentary about sound, but it provides a good example of a very well crafted short documentary with good b-roll footage that brings the story alive, a good example to draw upon for your micro-documentary projects
Door Into the Dark (May Abdalla and Amy Rose, 2014), a trailer for an immersive documentary installation, consider how sound is used in this work
UCLA Post Production: How To Wrap A Cable (David McKenna), a demonstration of the mechanics of wrapping a cable with the “Over-Under" method, It’s important to wrap all cables properly and you'll be expected to wrap the cables we use in the workshop using this technique, so practice a little bit before the workshop

Playlist 5. essay films

199. Elements of the Essay Film by Kevin B. Lee, this video explores how essay films use sounds, images, words, and editing differently than other forms of cinema.
Poetry will be made by everyone, an excerpt from Chris Marker's Sans Soleil (1983), an essay film that reflects on the characteristics of human memory, and how our recollections are always fraught with uncertainty and fabrication, See also first few minutes of Sans Soleil (1983) here: Sans Soleil - The First Minute.

Playlist 6, part 1. narrative/fiction techniques

The 180 Degree Rule in Film (and How to Break The Line) is a short video that covers one of the most important rules to establish continuity in a scene (note: this video was made by StudioBinder to promote their products, and yet, it does a good job introducing the concepts)
Creative Match Cut Examples & Editing Techniques for Your Next Shoot offers some tips that will help you create more cohesive sequences (note: this video was made by StudioBinder to promote their products, and yet, it does a good job introducing the concepts)
Guerrilla Filmmaking: How We Shot a Short Film in Two Hours (Shutterstock Tutorials), where he says, "Black magic cinema camera," pretend he said, "Sony a7iii available from the Media Center."
10 Common Mistakes New Filmmakers Make & How to Avoid Them (Film Riot) is essential wisdom that applies to fiction and documentary work.
10 Types of Shots Every Filmmaker Should Know (Shutterstock Tutorials), a good overview of key shots. Review Michael Wohl's essay, The Language of Film (2008), for a more detailed explanation of the various types of shots in a scene.

Playlist 6, part 2. narrative/fiction works

Splitscreen: A Love Story, directed by James Griffiths quite some time ago, was shot entirely on a Nokia N8 mobile phone, demonstrating that a strong concept, along with good composition, exposure, and basic technical craft, is more important than technical perfection or fancy equipment.
A Ninja Pays Half My Rent (Steven Tsuchida, 2003), This is an example of a well-crafted labor-of-love project by Steven Tsuchida who lives in Los Angeles and works in television and film production. It is also a good example of an efficient coverage strategy, excellent editing, and perfect writing for a short narrative. Played many festivals and won several awards when it was first released and has stood the test of time as an excellent example.
Other, a short film written by and featuring Vanessa Baden Kelly and directed by Xavier Burgin about a black woman who struggles with her feelings as she navigates white spaces in the aftermath of the white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, an example of fiction based on contemporary social reality.
The Black Hole (Phil Sampson and Olly Williams, 2008) is a story about a sleep-deprived office worker who discovers a black hole that can duplicate anything, leading to unexpected consequences. Never let anyone say you need a big budget or special creative resources to make an effective narrative work. Creativity flourishes under tight constraints. This video provides a clear premise and precise execution.

Playlist 7. editing

Top 5 Most Common Problems with Student Films (This Guy Edits)
5 Things Film Editors Literally Do - According To Science (This Guy Edits), this series of videos (which are highly recommended) is based on Karen Pearlman's book Cutting Rhythms - Intuitive Film Editing, which I also highly recommend.
The Kuleshov Effect is SO WRONG! (This Guy Edits), Dr. Karen Pearlman suggests that the most important editing concept needs a new name.

Playlist 8. additional topics

Why Lens Choice Matters In Cinematography | Focal Lengths (In Depth Cinema, 2020)
The Difference Between Anamorphic And Spherical Lenses Explained (In Depth Cinema, 2020)
Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement — Every Camera Movement Technique Explained (StudioBinder)

Playlist 9. student work

Black of Space (Gabriel Reid, 2020), a personal essay responding to the political context of 2020. Nominated for a Newburyport Documentary Film Festival Young Emerging Showcase (YES) Award in September 2021. Produced in ARTD2380 Video Basics.
Wanderlust (Alli Kramer, Trevor Hewitt, Erica Hink, 2016), a response to the prompt: produce a film with the theme of “Lust” with every shot a split screen in the style of Wes Anderson. This was part of a student-generated class project in which the students created three lists of “obstructions” (theme, cinematic grammar, director) and then randomly assigned a trio of obstructions to each team, inspired by The Five Obstructions (Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth, 2003). Produced in ARTD2380 Video Basics.
Art of the March (Emily Gordon, Ellie LaCourt, and Connor Lewis, 2018, 6:05), after the 2017 Women's March in Boston, professors collected 6,000 protest signs, creating a living archive that reflects a unique political moment. Winner of the “Best Short, Mass Reality Check” award at the Salem Film Festival, 2018, and the “Outstanding Work Award” at the Marblehead Festival of Arts, 2018. Produced in ARTD3480 Video: Sound+Image.
Pumpkin Head (Fares Bourote, 2022, 5:00) short narrative, term project for ARTD3480 Video: Sound+Image.