Bonus video: 9-1-1 Video talkback + Q&A!
Added 2024-10-24 16:38:48 +0000 UTCHere's a little bonus video for ya where I share some insights from the 9-1-1 video creation process, plus answer the questions you asked on my last post. Hear me discuss my abandoned ideas for the video, share my favorite horror movies just in time for Halloween, and explore whether the medium really IS the message.
Sorry if anyone missed the call for questions! For the record, you're always welcome to ask questions in the comments of these posts and I'll answer within reason!
Thanks so much for the love on the 9-1-1 vid, it's maybe my fastest-growing video ever. The children yearn for 9-1-1 deep dives.
And if you haven't already heard, I recently started a 9-1-1 rewatch podcast with my YouTube buddy Ryan Kearns. We posted our first episode last week and the second goes up tomorrow. Check it out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/first-respodcast-a-9-1-1-watch-along/id1774956085
https://open.spotify.com/show/7hTRbpRh5zSiBI10YTBZIr?si=b3300f87230846df
https://rss.com/podcasts/first-respodcast
And stay tuned for Dante's Cove! I have a video covering the first season shot and ready to go, so I'm hoping to have it edited before the end of the month so that you can enjoy its gothic gay ambience while it's still spooky season.
Comments
i know its been like 2 months since i left this comment, but i just got to season 7 and the basketball scene is a direct rip-off of top gun which not only confirms my theory it also introduces some interesting parallels?? like both eddie and tommy were introduced via top gun references, both of them framed as the iceman to buck's maverick etc etc. im mostly focusing in on it because season 6 and 7 have been so awful, the top gun reference was the first bit of joy ive had watching this show in weeks hahaha (also, yes you absolutely should watch top gun!! its a little outdated, but i think it holds up okay, and the sequel is really great too. i especially love the lighting and stuff, its a really pretty film)
uneasy and uncertain
2025-01-23 16:21:55 +0000 UTCHaha I've never seen Top Gun but maybe this is my sign to finally watch...
Jane Mulcahy
2024-11-14 04:17:14 +0000 UTCto add to the 'movie references' section in your notes, i think the 'you can have my back anytime' bit with eddie and buck in s2 is a top gun reference? its not identical but its so similar to the 'bullshit, you can be mine' bit which i feel like would prompt a really funny defence of that scene like 'its not gay its just a reference' because the scene referenced is also incredibly homoerotic haha also on that note, a lot of the buck and eddie stuff in s2/3 feel very maverick and iceman to me, eddie/iceman introduced as cold, repressed and shirtless, buck/maverick being very loyal very reckless very bisexual, their initial hostility leading way to a weirly intense bond, eddie being framed as a replacement for buck's ex / iceman framed as a replacement for goose (not an ex, but you get the point, both had just lost important people in their lives) idk im rambling haha i doubt it was intentional, theres just a lot of similarities there not to mention the 'two hot men in a high intensity situation with so much toxic masculinity and homoeroticism' of it all - maybe im seeing things though, im a toxic old man shipper to my core its terminal
uneasy and uncertain
2024-11-14 01:17:02 +0000 UTCAh man, it really seems like you had so many things working against you for your film. I do always think about how the financial threshold for making even an extremely cheap movie is so, so high; I've never really understood how people do it, and it's such a bummer that there weren't more resources allocated for you by your university/program. Regardless, glad to hear that you're still into the screenwriting aspect, and I'm definitely hoping for some Speedway Junky content!
Jill A
2024-11-06 20:05:54 +0000 UTCI remember when disney would release seasonal games on there website for halloween and christmas miss that. Also my fav game was that suit life of zach and cody game when they had really big heads and you had the grab fruit and the elevator one
W
2024-11-04 17:13:09 +0000 UTCoh wow this is great thank you so much! i haven’t seen any of these before so i’ll definitely check them out!
Lee Cheeseman
2024-11-02 19:32:05 +0000 UTCGood question! I tried to rack my brain for some that might be good examples of this, if you haven't seen them already: The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) one person who understood the importance of film as a medium was Orson Welles and this is my favorite film of his that I've seen Rear Window (1954) since it's basically a study in the use of the frame Soy Cuba (1964) a Soviet-Cuban propaganda film that's unbelievably beautifully made lol Blazing Saddles (1974) yes I'm recommending Blazing Saddles. not only one of the funniest movies ever but also the whole thing is basically a nonstop lampoon of Hollywood in various forms so especially by the end it's doing these rather daring things technically and visually to accomplish that Cinema Paradiso (1988) isn't particularly unconventional in its presentation but is all about the love of film, particularly as a literal physical medium so maybe it's worth mentioning lol Do the Right Thing (1989) by Spike Lee is a classic and does so much visually/aurally to transport you to its setting and atmosphere Hackers (1995) don't laugh but this is genuinely such a bonkers movie in terms of editing, visuals, and music and is so purely of its time that it feels like a movie that couldn't possibly work in any other medium. I adore Hackers Run Lola Run (1998) is a great example of how much editing and perspective can contribute to storytelling in da movies In the Mood for Love (2000) bc of its visual style + music + nonlinear narrative I also LOVE Pedro Almodovar and his films are highly visually stylized and often include interesting structure/editing, my faves are Talk to Her (2002), Bad Education (2004), and Pain and Glory (2019) I feel like anything David Lynch might be good? I'm a big fan of Blue Velvet (1986) and Wild at Heart (1990) Ken Russell too while we're at it! He has plenty of non-horror movies Also I'm a big sucker for classic movie musicals and I think a lot of them were actually super innovative in terms of filmmaking so here are some of those that I think apply: Love Me Tonight (1932) 42nd Street (1933) Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) It's Always Fair Weather (1955) Sorry if this is an overwhelming list... Explore as much or as little as you'd like!
Jane Mulcahy
2024-11-02 18:08:59 +0000 UTCAAAA WAIT YOU ACTUALLY ANSWERED MY QUESTION I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT. i can’t believe i sent it in while you were editing, i’m gonna choose to believe that means i’m like fucking psychic or something. thank you for your answer though! you’re actually so right in assuming that i don’t watch a lot of movies and that probably contributes to a self fulfilling prophecy where i don’t think movies are good cuz i just haven’t seen enough of them. the idea that film gets you the closest to seeing the world through another persons eyes is also really cool and i’d never considered that before! i really like your perspective on medium as a whole as well! if i could trouble you one final time, do you have any recommendations for movies you think make full use of their medium? i know you mentioned possibly in michigan but does anything else come to mind? (preferably not horror because while i have a deep respect for the genre i am also Deeply Afraid). alright, that’s it, i hope you’re having a good day whenever it is you’re reading this :)
Lee Cheeseman
2024-11-02 04:43:19 +0000 UTCAnd to answer your second question, first off thank you!! Those old videos make me cringe a little but I always appreciate when people like them warts and all. Honestly these days I do kind of try to avoid videos that focus on just one obscure movie, because in my experience they don't seem to perform as well. I think it's hard to get people to click on something unfamiliar like that. Cynical I know, but on the other hand maybe it means those would work better as Patreon-exclusive vids? I also must say I don't find myself watching as many bottom of the barrel shit movies as I did a few years ago. Maybe because it's very rare to find a true hidden gem. But maybe I'm just losing my sense of adventure. I have been harboring a new favorite bad movie called Speedway Junky for the last few months, but I still don't know if I'd like to make that into a main channel or Patreon video. But I definitely want to cover it at some point.
Jane Mulcahy
2024-11-01 23:03:44 +0000 UTCSorry I didn't see this until now!! Thanks for your commiseration. Unfortunately, the film just did not end up at all how I wanted. We had a lot of things go wrong. I made the mistake of writing a script that involved a live animal, only to gradually learn that sourcing an animal for a film, let alone a no-budget student film, is functionally impossible (it was a cat, not an emu or something, so I guess I made the mistake of assuming it wouldn't be that hard to find someone or some service that could loan us a cat. Boy was I wrong!) So the script had to keep changing to accommodate our lack of something originally very central to the story. I also went to a school that did not allocate any funds for our short films. Everything had to be out of pocket, so we were barely working with any resources to begin with. I don't mean to blame it all on outside circumstances, I know it's possible to make something good with no money, but tbh it really does put a strain and lots of limitations on what you can do. I'm consistently frustrated when I see student films go far or win awards when it's very clear to me that the film in question had a huge budget to work with. Also, and this is the pettiest thing, but since this was a student project, I wasn't in full control of who I worked with, and I ended up with a DP who had no idea what he was doing. I can't complain too much because I myself don't know much about camera, but then again that's why I chose not to be a DP! This was a guy who assured us he had everything prepared and knew exactly what to do and then showed up on day 1 with no shotlist and didn't even know basic stuff like setting the aperture or white balance. So most of the film just looked horrendous. Grainy, out of focus, poor lighting. That was probably what plagued me most about it. It just did not look presentable at all. And the shoot had been so stressful for me that to see that everything we'd gotten was basically worthless was crushing. My teacher wasn't overly critical of the film, but in general he had this very over the top energetic 'grindset' type of approach to everything, and I became extremely burnt out trying to follow his advice. That was really what made me swear off directing, at least for now. He made it seem like if you wanted to be in film you had to be hustling all the time, taking PA and runner jobs constantly to 'climb the ladder', working crazy hours for no pay. I just hated that. I was introverted and nervous about a lot of things, and he made me feel like that meant I wasn't cut out for it. I didn't get into filmmaking to be James Cameron or whatever, I just wanted to make cool stuff. But after that year I totally lost my initial creative drive and got this feeling like I would never ever be capable of practically making films. I still want to write screenplays but I don't even know where to start getting back into directing. Sorry for this long ass comment but that's the full picture!
Jane Mulcahy
2024-11-01 22:52:48 +0000 UTCThank you so much for responding! I haven't gotten to the Alex beating a guy nearly to death seasons, but I do know about it, which has definitely colored how I see him. Like how could I possibly believe that he's genuinely becoming a better person when I know what's coming up? I guess I'll just have live with my seething hatred of Derek, or find someone who does really like him to convince me. I think it's made worse by the fact that I do actually enjoy Meredith as a character a lot, especially in the early seasons. I like her pathetic wet cat energy. When she becomes less pathetic I find her less fun to watch. Plus the lightning in a bottle that is Meredith and Cristina's relationship, which I really really love and is the primary reason I started watching the show.
Naomi Bronner
2024-11-01 18:46:12 +0000 UTCI haven't read it but I've heard about it! I should probably check it out
Jane Mulcahy
2024-10-31 00:23:29 +0000 UTCSorry I didn't get a notification for this comment for some reason! Idk the next time I'll do a Q&A so I'll answer you here. I definitely get you. Tbh Alex became one of my least favorite characters as I got into the later seasons. Don't know how much of the show you've watched, but omg what he does to DeLuca at one point turned me against him forever. A violent, emotionally stupid person who Jo should've run from immediately!! Not to mention the way he leaves the show... As for Derek, I can't say I hate him passionately or anything, but I wouldn't be one to make a case for him. I think if I have any baseline appreciation for him it's just because I like Patrick Dempsey, and also maybe since Meredith isn't always my favorite character either? But definitely from an objective pov he can be pretty bad. I remember being especially frustrated with him when he leaves to work in another state and Meredith understandably suspects him of cheating (he's acting ridiculously suspicious) and I could be misremembering but I think he kinda gets mad at her for suspecting? Or somehow otherwise doesn't handle it compassionately enough imo. So yeah I feel you! I think maybe my fav relationship of Mer's was with Dr. Riggs later in the show? But that doesn't work out sadly. I don't completely hate Derek but I am not his #1 fan.
Jane Mulcahy
2024-10-31 00:22:05 +0000 UTCHi Jane! Unfortunately when I read your post mentioning that you were going to do a Q&A, I thought, "oh cool!" and then missed the part immediately after where you said that we could post questions lol. I did have 2 questions, but also just wanted to share some support. I'm was sad to hear about your depression summer/that you made a film that you ultimately weren't happy with. It's the worst feeling when you're passionate about something and it doesn't turn out how you wanted. I guess I was curious to know how you came to that conclusion - was it a professor that you made you feel that way? Or more just that you personally weren't proud of it in the end? If it was only the latter, I think it's very common for good artists to not feel happy with their work (not that it makes it feel any better). If it was also the former, I will only say that I think that it is incredibly hard to be objective when you are critiquing art, even for professors/instructors, and that biases very often slip in there. All just to say, I hope you don't get too discouraged, and that you continue to make film and hone your craft; I bet you have a real talent for it given your obvious passion for film. Second, I just wanted to throw out some random love for your Teen Star Academy video; it never fails to make me laugh. I've legitimately watched it maybe 4 or 5 times, and I think it's criminal that it doesn't have more views. You're so funny, both in the script and in your editing. Do you think you'll ever make more videos of that nature? I, at least, would love more! And if not, that's too bad... let's take a picture for facebook!
Jill A
2024-10-27 20:28:13 +0000 UTCI love the flash game trip you took down memory lane in the middle of this video. Have you read The Final Girl Support Group? I really enjoyed it! It inspired me to read another by the same author, Horrorstor. It's made me wary of entering an Ikea since then lmfao.
andie bansil
2024-10-26 23:35:05 +0000 UTCBelated q&a question if you ever decide to answer another one of these: I've been rewatching Grey's Anatomy for fun recently, and I've come to the conclusion that I kind of hate almost all of the men on that show. Like different degrees of hatred for different men, obviously. Like with Alex, I'll enjoy him for a few episodes and then he'll do or say something absolutely abhorrent and I'll be reminded just what a violent jackass he is. But my big one (besides the ones that everyone hates) is Derek. He's just so consistently awful to Meredith in the early seasons but the show keeps telling you what a perfect man he is, how great he is, how any woman would be lucky to be with him etc. so that if Meredith actually reacts badly to him being terrible to her she's framed as the fuck-up for not knowing how to be loved by such a great guy or some shit and I just really hate it. So my question, and there is a question here I promise, is how do you feel about Derek? And if you do actually like him, please convince me! I want to be able to enjoy him and hating him is genuinely like hindering my rewatch because I'm angry when he's on screen. So I want someone to make a convincing case for him.
Naomi Bronner
2024-10-26 21:53:04 +0000 UTCIncredibly, I managed to forget something despite the length of my original comment: I’m unbelievably hyped for the idea of a video comparing movies about the summer of 1816. Haunted Girl Summer. Goth Girl Summer. Whatever Happened at The Villa Diodati. If you ever get around to it, I will be incredibly seated.
Air Stratus
2024-10-25 14:32:50 +0000 UTCFair enough
Finn
2024-10-25 02:00:15 +0000 UTCIt's true that it's wildly flawed but tbh I don't think I have it in me. I found the movie exhausting and picking through it sounds miserable. It had ideological flaws but not in the clear-cut or fun way that I like, more like you're being subjected to the senile ravings of some woman-hating old man who's being radicalized by twitter or something
Jane Mulcahy
2024-10-25 01:12:27 +0000 UTCMy introduction to gaming also began with flash games, specifically the "Papa's" games wherein you have to run various food restaurants. The children yearn for fast food retail I guess. I saw your Megalopolis review on letterboxd; I haven't watched it, but everything I've heard about it makes it sound like a Ready Player One/Atlas Shrugged hybrid. Good fodder for a Deep👏Ideological👏Flaws👏 review maybe?
Finn
2024-10-25 00:38:31 +0000 UTCHello Mary Lou is one of my favourites too!!! Impeccable taste
Lavender
2024-10-24 22:20:08 +0000 UTCI think I've only ever seen the first half or so? Which I don't remember very well. I'll have to give it another try this Halloween season!
Jane Mulcahy
2024-10-24 20:30:39 +0000 UTCWhere do you stand on Prom Night III: The Last Kiss? A lot of people seem to hate it, but I think it has a certain oddball charm.
Steven Clark
2024-10-24 19:20:34 +0000 UTCAlso, couldn’t agree more with the perspective on the medium shaping and contextualizing how a story is conveyed. I think Megalopolis is actually a pretty good example of a movie struggling with a medium identity-crisis and failing to take advantage of film’s strengths as it poorly mimics theatre. Even without the pervasive misogyny.
Air Stratus
2024-10-24 17:55:03 +0000 UTCBonkers coincidence that we had almost the exact same experience with Emerson— I was accepted into their journalism program and offered about the same package as you, but even with that, the cost was way too steep. I always get excited when you bring up Night of the Comet. I love remembering that the uzis line was improvised. I did get startled by the unexpected Lair of The White Worm mention. I felt crazy the other day trying to tell my roommates about it after I made the mistake of casually mentioning the inexplicable way it would air on TV despite a woman straight up wearing a strap center-frame. Maybe no one signing the licensing agreements knew what that was. Fright Night makes me wonder about the apparent trend of Kids Seeking Assistance and Guidance from Horror Hosts, considering the Teen Wolf episode. And the Alvin and The Chipmunks Werewolf Movie, if I’m being honest. To your point about what you can and can’t do re: hannibal shipping, I occasionally remember a classmate from college who spent the majority of our Post-Colonial Literature course writing out ideas for incorrect hannibal quotes, largely sourced from yu-gi-oh abridged. People engage with media in all kinds of ways. Also, if you’re interested in playing some more of the old flash games, Li Speaks has a pretty approachable video called It’s Time for You to Play Flash Games Again that runs through the different available methods, including the extension you mentioned.
Air Stratus
2024-10-24 17:49:22 +0000 UTC
