Crash Course
What is Theater? Crash Course Theater #1
For thousands of years, the dramatic arts played an important role in civilization. The first episode of Crash Course Theater, a high-quality video series, defines and gives a brief overview of the topic. From explaining the difference...
Crash Course
Roman Theater with Plautus, Terence, and Seneca: Crash Course Theater #6
Thank you, Greek and Roman theater, for providing the dramatic arts with a host of stock characters. A video about Roman theater, the sixth in the Crash Course Theater series, begins by introducing the character types found on stage in...
Crash Course
Greek Comedy, Satyrs, and Aristophanes: Crash Course Theater #4
What better way to tell a story than with actors dressed like horses? Information about satyr plays and other aspects of Greek comedy makes up the fourth video in the Crash Course Theater series. The discussion includes references to...
Crash Course
German Expressionism: Crash Course Film History #7
The seventh episode in the a film history playlist takes a close look at the rise and fall of German cinema of the post-World War I period. The narrator uses The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and its expressionistic use of mise-en-scene to...
Crash Course
The Limey
Steven Soderbergh's The Limey may seem like a strange choice for one of the top ten films in a playlist on film criticism. The narrator makes clear that the story is a simple tale of revenge, but it is Soderbergh's filmmaking...
Crash Course
Apocalypse Now
A heart attack, threats of suicide, drug-fueled parties, typhoons, over 250 hours of film footage, two years of editing, Academy, Palme d'Or, and Golden Globe awards. It's time to discuss Apocalypse Now! The narrator of this...
Crash Course
Lost in Translation
The narrator of a film criticism episode on Sofia Coppola's bittersweet Lost In Translation asks viewers to consider the many aspects of relationships that Coppola suggests are lost in translation.
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Pan's Labyrinth
Guillermo del Toro's beautiful and bloody Pan's Labyrinth, a fantasy adventure/political drama, is the focus of the ninth episode of a film criticism playlist. The narrator looks at the film through two interpretative lenses: as a story...
Crash Course
Do the Right Thing
Did Mookie do the right thing? Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing, which discusses race violence and community, leaves viewers to decide. The cogent analysis of a film criticism video examines not only Lee's filmmaking techniques...
Crash Course
In the Mood for Love
English-speaking viewers don't need to read the subtitles to understand Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood For Love. The colors, the music, and the framing of the shots so beautifully express the emotions of the characters that dialogue, in any...
Crash Course
Where Are My Children
Lois Weber's ground breaking Where Are My Children is the focus of a film criticism video that explores not only Weber's treatment of the subject of abortion but also the techniques she developed to enhance the impact of her tale.
Crash Course
Selma
The 2014 film Selma is the focus of a film criticism video. The narrator examines how director Ava DuVernay brought to the screen the story of the voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama and how she uses...
Crash Course
Aliens
A playlist on film analysis and criticism continues with an analysis of James Cameron's 1986 sci-fi action classic Aliens, as well as why it is deserving of a place on a list of great films.
Crash Course
Citizen Kane
What's your favorite movie? Citizen Kane (1941) leads off a playlist on film criticism playlist that examines films that hold up due to their historical context and/or quality and deserve a spot on a best films list.
Crash Course
Marketing
If you've ever been convinced to see a movie because of a compelling trailer, intriguing poster, or positive review, you have the film marketing industry to thank! Learn more about the ways marketing executives attract audiences to...
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Grip and Electric
Gorgeous cinematography is the result of painstaking, detail-oriented work by many different departments of a film production. An informative video shines a light on the grip and electric departments, the ways they use filters, gels, and...
Crash Course
The Director
Who's the most important person on a film set? The legendary actor? The influential producer? The head electrician? Or the person who needs to understand the roles of all three? A Crash Course video on film production focuses...
Crash Course
Producers
Everyone knows that films have producers, but not everyone knows exactly what a producer does. An informative video explains what an executive producer, line producer, senior producer do, who can end up with an honorary producer credit,...
Crash Course
The Filmmaker's Army
The movies and television shows we enjoy always look effortlessly professional, but the truth is, the work involved in film production is anything but effortless. A thorough video on film production explains the departments below the...
Crash Course
Pitching and Pre-Production
Do you have a brilliant idea for a movie? Where does it take place? Who should star in it? Who will want to see it? Filmmakers must consider these questions and more as they pitch their film ideas. Explore the art of pitching a film, as...
Crash Course
Screenplays
The biggest blockbuster of the year, the funniest romantic comedy, and the most emotional independent film all started in the same way: on the page. Young filmmakers learn about the role of the screenplay, as well as important parts of...
Crash Course
Experimental and Documentary Films
Some of the boldest films in history have been documentaries or experimental films. Explore non-narrative cinema and its avant-garde techniques with a short video about a creative faction in film history. Additionally, the video...
Crash Course
World Cinema Part Two
Explore the rich history of African, Middle Eastern, and South American cinema with a video summary of the most prominent filmmakers from these regions in the 20th and 21st centuries. It discusses Egyptian filmmakers Asmaa El-Bakry and...
Crash Course
World Cinema Part One
Hollywood is the place to go if you want to make movies—right? Not necessarily. A fascinating video about the history of 20th century Asian cinema discusses the reflections of Japanese culture in the works of directors Yasujiro Ozu,...