Video essayists don’t usually retire; most just stop working. When Tony Chou and Taylor Ramos announced the end of their respected channels, movie buffs on the Internet were surprised and even disappointed. Every frame is a painting In 2016, Zhou and Ramos returned to YouTube. We at Open Culture have featured their analysis of everything from the work of filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Jackie Chan, and Michael Bay to the influence of classical art on famous shots, to the thoughts and feelings of editors, and the use of Vancouver in film. And now, nearly eight years after they last posted such a video essay, Zhou and Ramos are back on YouTube.
new Every frame is a painting video Explaining the techniques for sustained two-shots, As IndieWire’s Sarah Shachat writes:“In less than six minutes, it illustrates the technical and industrial trends that have more or less fallen in love with filmmakers, as well as its usefulness in modern filmmaking as a showcase for the chemistry between two actors. This is standard. Zhou, who narrates the series, can’t help but feel like an unseen character in the essay, and also the film school TA we all wish we had.” It goes on to incorporate footage from Zhou and Ramos’ own short film, “The Second,” to approach a filmmaking challenge more directly, in which “they have to change coverage plans for an exterior scene when light is being lost.”
As the name suggests, a two-shot has two actors, and the sustained two-shot continues uninterrupted throughout their conversation. Two-shots are less common in modern films, Chou explains, because they were made in an era when “film was expensive, so filmmakers rehearsed more and saved takes.” Nowadays, “digital has become cheaper, so people don’t pick one angle to shoot, they shoot a scene from as many angles as possible,” and then reassemble it from the fragments in the editing room. Acting styles have also changed from the old Hollywood days, with “gestures and moving around” adding to the visual interest of two-shots.
Yet today’s filmmakers ignore the power of this abandoned form at their peril: “The sustained two-shot is a composition that best suits two actors playing off each other, and no amount of editing can recreate this feeling.” And in fact, this is just one of the most effective elements of 20th-century cinema that is becoming increasingly difficult to replicate in the near-infinite options offered by digital tools and media. Here’s hoping that Chow and Ramos cover these various elements. Every frame is a paintingThe film will mark the limited-screen comeback of the duo, and will also serve as a springboard for their own narrative filmmaking careers.
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salute Every frame is a painting: Check out all 28 episodes of this well-crafted (and complete) video essay series about film
Based in Seoul, Colin MaOnershall Writing and broadcastingHe has written papers on cities, languages, and cultures, and his projects include the Substack newsletter. Books about cities And books A city without a state: Walking through 21st-century Los Angeles. Follow us on Twitter CollinhamOnershall or Facebook.
