I find film analysis strangely lacking on Youtube nowadays. Most reviewers seem so focused on the story of a film that they leave little to no discussion of the actual visual composition or craft. Writing is an invaluable element of film, but it's still only one portion of a film. I blame this trend on the proliferation of channels in the vein of the Nostalgia Critic and CinemaSins. While those people can be thematically insightful in some instances, their "analysis" usually revolves around pointing out plot holes and making jokes around those plot holes. This is a shame, as Youtube, a video platform, seems like the perfect place to analyze visual composition and directorial techniques.
Thankfully Tony Zhou seems to have realized the potential of Youtube as a platform for film analysis, as evident by this recent viral video he made regarding Michael Bay's filmmaking technique.
What strikes me about this analysis is just how proffesional it is. While most Youtube reviewers would immediately go on some profanity laden tirade about how shitty Michael Bay is, Zhou does something way more devastating: he cooly pieces apart Bay's style. Utilizing interviews with Bay, his entire filmography since Bad Boys, and an advanced knowledge of film theory and visual composition, Zhou shows why audiences gravitate towards Bay's films, while also effectively what's so wrong about it. It's an effective video essay that definitely led me to check out more of his videos. This one that analyzes the comdies of Edgar Wright is probably my favorite!
So check out Tony Zhou's channel Every Frame A Painting right now! It's the place to go for the most intelligent form of film analysis currently on Youtube! Hopefully, more people decide to follow in his footsteps!
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