Age of The Nerd
Welcome to Weekend Watch, where we highlight some of the best nerd-related videos released throughout the week. Whether it be short films, behind the scenes videos, video essays, the only requirement is that they are about–in some shape of form–our favorite movies and TV shows!
In this edition of Weekend Watch, we highlight the on-point “Honest Trailer” for ‘Get Out‘, take a look at an “anatomy of a scene” for ‘I, Tonya‘ with director Craig Gillespie, and check out a nifty video essay that explains conventional 3-act structure using Marvel’s ‘The Avengers‘. Plus, we have a video that details Steven Spielberg‘s Top 10 Rules for Success, along with a in-depth discussion with Rian Johnson about ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘. So without further adieu, let’s jump right in!
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/JZoO1Ftj-bM”]First up, we have the Honest Trailer for writer/director Jordan Peele‘s debut feature, ‘Get Out‘. Screen Junkies always give a pretty fair assessment of a given movie, and this is certainly the case with ‘Get Out’. In fact, it’s pretty much on point–as it was one of the best genre entries of 2017–and it’s multiple oscar nominations only further prove the film’s worthiness in this respect.
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/hrKu1CEKLbo”]Next, this breezy “Anatomy of a Scene” commentary by director Craig Gillespie (via New York Times) showcases not only the oscar-nominated performance of Margot Robbie in ‘I,Tonya‘, but the amazingly-shot skating scenes in the film as well. This particular scene comes late in the first act, and is really the first time that we see Tonya on the ice in the film, but Gillespie offers a nice commentary despite the limited amount of time.
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/j56WPBaiPYQ”]This great video essay details how you define an “act” in a given story using the example of Joss Whedon‘s ‘The Avengers‘. If you’re unfamiliar with Michael’s work on Lessons From the Screenplay, they always produce great content, but this video in particular serves as an exploration of 3-act storytelling structure in the wake of David Fincher‘s comments saying that modern blockbusters are “Lassoed and hogtied” by the aforementioned format. Even if you’re familiar with storytelling structure, this video serves as a great example of how blockbusters employ the format as a whole.
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/ydHOvxPnpwA”]Up next, watch a video that details Steven Spielberg‘s Top 10 Rules for succeeding as a filmmaker. The video (via Evan Carmichael) shows that success in the film industry doesn’t come overnight. Just like anything in life, it takes hard work and persistence to achieve success, especially as a filmmaker. By this point Steven Spielberg has been making movies for nearly 5 decades, so I think that it’s smart to listen to these tips from a filmmaker who helped to change the game in hollywood, thus launching the legendary filmmaker’s career.
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/4xW6woTAof0″]Finally, we have an over 70-minute Q&A in which Writer/Director Rian Johnson discusses his latest effort, ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘. The Q&A, which was hosted by Collider, goes into a wide range of topics that include everything from the writing process to the completion of the film, sharing his favorite stories form the set, while also answering a number of questions from fans in attendance. It a great Q&A that encompasses pretty much every aspect of making the film, but it also serves as a great companion to his comments on the more devisive aspects of the film.
