Lost the Plot

Giving top-tier notes will make you a SENSATION at the function. You will have other writers clamoring for your attention. But when the script is actually in front of you, it's easy to overthink everything. Just remember, it is not as hard as it seems. You got this. 🌐Request notes on your story: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹Bonus videos on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive\ ᯤ Spotify feed: https://open.spotify.com/show/24AHrJ6b1yA0V2WIfXt8KK?si=9f65d151f19c4485 📸 My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josh_from_xboxlive/ 🟠🟢🔵 My Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/vaeP CHAPTERS 0:00 You don't have to be that serious 1:28 1 Wait to be Asked 2:14 2 Know thy Theory 3:33 3 Ditch thy Theory 4:10 4 Yes And 5:52 5 Read Slowly 8:04 6 Be nice 9:55 7 Never Lie 12:52 8 Diagnose but don't Prescribe 14:49 9 Both Trees and Forest 16:18 10 Don't Beat Around the Bush #writing #writingcommunity #writingtips Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Consider buying me a coffee on my patreon, or dropping a like and a comment to support me! Love ya. Some ideas for upcoming videos: - Comparing First Acts of Gladiator 1 and 2 - How Romance Works in Star Wars - The Art of Giving Notes- Actually Joseph Campbell Was Right. - Is it true that there NO RULES to writing? - No Seriously. Storytelling is Magic. - The One Thing All Artists Must Master - The Case For and Against Flashbacks - Allegory (bad) vs Symbolism (good) - The Challenge of Depicting Gods in Media - Writers Need to Understand Evil 🌐Request notes on your story: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹Bonus videos on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive\ ᯤ Spotify feed: https://open.spotify.com/show/24AHrJ6b1yA0V2WIfXt8KK?si=9f65d151f19c4485 📸 My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josh_from_xboxlive/ 🟠🟢🔵 My Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/vaeP CHAPTERS: 0:00 Introduction 1:03 What does the Mask Represent? 3:16 Quick Recapitulation 4:07 The Freudian Reading 6:55 Low Key Enter Loki 8:36 Archetype Possession 10:56 The Initiatory Reading 13:51 To Think Mythically... #themask #videoessay #mythology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I barely scratched the surface on the "gender" aspect ("the active" as masculine, etc) and could easily do an entire video on that subject and the "Heroine's Journey." As always, THERE IS SO MUCH THAT CAN BE SAID... Please note: Marie-Louise von Franz in her book "The Feminine in Fairy Tales" complicates and questions the Freudian idea that "the ego is the hero of every story." It's obviously not so simple... 🌐Request notes on your story: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹Bonus videos on Patreon:   / josh_from_xbolive  \ 🎙️My film podcast: https://linktr.ee/haventseenpod 📸 My Instagram:   / josh_from_xboxlive   🟠🟢🔵 My Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/vaeP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do Carmella from Sopranos and Padmé have in common? They are both married to evil men. But are they victims of that evil? Or are they enablers of it? Big think. ▶️⁠Find me on youtube⁠ 🌐⁠Request story notes⁠  ✍️Check out my writing 📹⁠Bonus videos here⁠  🎙️⁠My podcast⁠  ᯤ ⁠Spotify feed for my videos ⁠  📸 ⁠My Instagram⁠  🟠🟢🔵 ⁠My Letterboxd⁠ #starwars #writing #villain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writers! What is your relationship to music? Do you listen to music while writing? While daydreaming for new stories? Do you have a type of music you listen to while writing? Any particular playlists or artists? How do you view the relationship of storytelling to music? This video was absolutely MAULED by the copyright police. It is blocked in some countries and (like many of my videos) is not monetized. I humbly ask you to check out my patreon and consider supporting me there in exchange for bonus videos (and eternal love). Link below. Huge shoutout and thank you to my patrons, especially James, ya'll rock! I love you all! Happy writing! 🌐Request notes on your story: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹Bonus videos on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive\ 🎙️My film podcast: https://linktr.ee/haventseenpod ᯤ Spotify feed: https://open.spotify.com/show/24AHrJ6b1yA0V2WIfXt8KK?si=9f65d151f19c4485 📸 My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josh_from_xboxlive/ 🟠🟢🔵 My Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/vaeP MUSIC USED IN THIS VIDEO: https://youtu.be/VfxRiBn32Fs?si=4ooPzfYMivk-EjlK https://youtu.be/Of-iP_VL7Bg?si=NGVx_PN-LWJYIOGx https://youtu.be/PL_SBGwG3Yk?si=Jru21tQSLcSNSFiI https://youtu.be/d1Wp5PWZ20w?si=vZbgenh35FqvlhO5 https://youtu.be/rg-TGaNKqhk?si=Bzu4evoz668j-F1Y https://youtu.be/Hl_4W5sBSRk?si=1BLUlUHYZYoJ-j81 https://youtu.be/ex2iwmIXd5A?si=W5KTG7COrpFS3RB4 https://youtu.be/ri8zLrQFuGg?si=LAxrb45tOoM7H0cF https://youtu.be/jo4sf2wT0wU?si=enNCaU0wLeJOrrcK https://youtu.be/t0KUzIZggIs?si=pD4rsiwjO9y5iaI8 https://youtu.be/4RaR210hglo?si=E9GPAD_axaYOp0Nv https://youtu.be/IImakFsEHL8?si=wyG7zHXw5I4qrOs_ https://youtu.be/Y9iDOt2WbjY?si=ctWaMjxqyg_qydSJ https://youtu.be/BeR6wG3b8ck?si=sBLqqBqVikSjCkTQ https://youtu.be/LjONJzpDa2E?si=Ap1U3DKp247_4x-1 https://youtu.be/qrmUN-fZT2w?si=OfAbUon3S4TT5WBM CHAPTERS: 00:00 Prelude 00:32 Part 1: Narrative Beats 18:02 Part 2: Music and Meaning 41:06 Part 3: Temporal Philosophies 53:16 Part 4: Bringing it Home Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This comes from a place of love. The trend I name "insecure horror" is not something I despise, just something I've noticed. Many filmmakers working in this style are immensely talented. The truth is, we live in insecure times, and hey, I’m insecure too, and that's why it would mean a lot to me if you gave me a 5 star review! In return I will do nothing. I realize this is not a fair exchange, but hey, we live in the age of content, and as weird as that is, there is also an emancipatory potential there, in the sense that *we are all voting for the reality we want to share.* Sharing my videos, commenting, and subscribing will, in a very concrete way, help position me in a place where I can actually get my career as a writer off the ground, so I could actually deliver you films along the lines discussed here (Enlightened Fantasy, Sacred Horror, etc) and not just make videos about them. As always your support is massively appreciated! One footnote: Striking this balance between terrorism on one extreme, and parody on the other, is not merely a matter of going back and forth between the extremes enough times (which seems to be the strategy of the filmmakers that come out of that comedy-to-horror pipeline [Peele, Cregger]), Rather, it’s about merging these two strains into a unity, which makes the comedy serve the story, and help the audience stay invested, and willing to suspend their disbelief. Also: braindead shlock is fun, all I'm saying is let’s not kid ourselves and pretend it’s great. ▶️⁠Find me on youtube⁠ 🌐⁠Request story notes⁠  ✍️Check out my writing 📹⁠Bonus videos here⁠  🎙️⁠My podcast⁠  📸 ⁠My Instagram⁠  🟠🟢🔵 ⁠My Letterboxd⁠ CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 03:47 Chapter 1: the Other 12:33 Chapter 2: Elevated and Post-Elevated 31:50 Chapter 3: The Sacred and the Insecure 45:24 Chapter 4: Genre Trouble 50:51 Chapter 5: How to Scare 54:41 Chapter 6: Do Not Fear the Reaper #videoessay #filmmaking #horror Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you in a creative rut? Struggling with writer's block? Feeling hopeless, aimless, and out of sorts? This video essay about the history of human creativity might be just the thing to inspire you. Whenever I feel stuck, these are the ideas I play around with to get back in the fight. I am many things, but I am not a historian, an anthropologist, or an academic of any stripe. I do not recommend quoting me when it comes to the nitty gritty. I'm a big picture ideas guy. Some notes: 1. I believe "Tungus" is the language-family, rather than a name for the people themselves. 2. There is certainly some oversimplification going on in the deep history. I don't mention how the Neanderthals and early homo sapiens co-mingled after being separated for who knows how long, and that the Neanderthals were likely the first cave artists. This may complicate the historical trajectory I put forward here, or it may not. I'm not sure. 3. For a more secular discussion of "proper" vs "improper" art, I highly suggest reading R.G. Collingwood's "The Principles of Art." 4. A comprehensive "Reading List" for this video is on my patreon, available for free members. No need to pay me anything to see it: https://www.patreon.com/c/Josh_from_xbolive CHAPTERS: 0:00 A Niche Topic? 2:58 Are you Experienced? 12:52 On the Origins of Culture 20:48 Pet Friendly 29:04 22nd Century Medicine Men 38:55 The Work of Art in the Age of Aquarius 49:40 To the Shaman of Tomorrow... Music: https://youtu.be/erpCTV_gGos?si=VjPAJHalgAlnHZBI https://youtu.be/TqgoPhQ2rCA?si=nI-2qJLE4r2XiUfd https://youtu.be/zIXjWIHcFk0?si=Nfn1kh_30KcO3Ikc https://youtu.be/oMG0qAG8aDo?si=KGKpGUUVF6_RIFs7 https://youtu.be/8ONivM0ij90?si=vd7KY2j9Wx6foG03 https://youtu.be/bPelyxgvTv8?si=ZCKcwEncA2728fF3 https://youtu.be/Uz7wcL1VbX0?si=IvGKOdLb9z_hzmeH The Terence McKenna lecture can be found here: https://youtu.be/JzIUNQ9HxzU?si=-ORWIN6W1kMwW76e Videos like this take a long time to research and edit. Consider supporting me on patreon to help me make videos more often. Thanks so much to everyone supporting me on there! I hope to make more exclusive content for you guys soon! https://www.patreon.com/c/Josh_from_xbolive ▶️⁠Find me on youtube⁠ 🌐⁠Request story notes⁠  ✍️Check out my writing 📹⁠Bonus videos here⁠  🎙️⁠My podcast⁠  ᯤ ⁠Spotify feed for my videos ⁠  📸 ⁠My Instagram⁠  🟠🟢🔵 ⁠My Letterboxd⁠ #videoessay #shaman #history #art Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Youtube is flooded with videos about Rings of Power and the Acolyte, but I think what we're seeing right now in Fantasy is part of a bigger trend. This video charts the history and ideology of "Elevated Fantasy" and how we can course-correct with "Enlightened Fantasy." As a writer of fantasy, this video is close to my heart. I didn't make this explicit in the video, but I consider this a kind of manifesto for my own creative efforts going forward. If you'd like to see more videos on fantasy, writing, outlining, etc, please let me know! Check out my podcast. We have an episode where we talk about the best of 80s "Sword and Sorcery" films! https://linktr.ee/haventseenpod Most of my videos are not monetized so check out my patreon, where you can find bonus content:   / josh_from_xbolive   Also check out the God of War creator ranting about something similar:    • God Of War Creator HATES NEW KRATOS   CHAPTERS 0:00 The Fantasy Itch 1:48 What is Elevated? 8:35 What is Fantasy? 12:46 The Mythospectrum 18:30 The Origin of Consciousness 24:43 Clashes of the Titans 28:37 Enlightened Fantasy 34:42 To the Fantasy Writer... ▶️⁠Find me on youtube⁠ 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here:   / josh_from_xbolive   🎙️Here's my podcast: https://linktr.ee/haventseenpod #videoessay #theacolyte #ringsofpower #fantasy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a departure from the normal content on this channel. This is a highly personal video--a video 7 years in the making. Please keep an open mind. Iasos was the herald of the rising sun. His logo (a silhouette of himself holding up his flute) resembles the Page of Swords. He was the forerunner of the Age of Aquarius. He came to tell us that a new day was dawning. Listen to his music to get a glimpse of what this new age has in store. 1975 is a very early time to be doing this. As a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and a composer, he is unbelievably talented. But what's more, he broke new spiritual territory. I claim this is the full realization of the hippy dream. The psychedelic movement wasn't simply about "sex, drugs, and rock and roll," it was (as Camille Paglia often points out) a ubiquitous search for a new, decentralized, spiritual paradigm. Iasos fulfilled this promise and pushed psychedelic music forward. He reminds me a lot of George Lucas. Their works are sincere and yet grandiose, emotionally honest, lacking one shred of irony. And they’re not even the “figure” responsible for it all. They are humble. George Lucas often hired other people to help; writers, directors, animators. And it’s “Inter-Dimensional Music” *through* Iasos, not *by* Iasos. This humility extends into the love both artists spread for the tradition they inherit. Both know, love, and understand their artistic forefathers. Iasos was given this music. He was entrusted with it, and he made it available for all of humanity. Some of his music is eternal, like the music of spheres. It’s a huge blessing that we live in a time when you can find this music for free here on youtube. Do yourself a favour and go listen to it. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Once Upon a Time... 0:47 The New Classicism 2:45 The Opposite of Killing 7:52 Making Meaning 11:52 A Parting Gift #newage #music #iasos #videoessay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breaking the 180-degree rule doesn't simply create an interesting cinematic affect, it also permits the filmmakers to express theme sublingually, using cinematic form itself. We need to learn rules--not to follow them blindly, nor to break them willy-nilly--but to understand exactly what these rules express. #filmmaking #filmstudies #cinematography #directing #editing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writing a logline is not just something to do moments before submitting to a writing contest. Writing a logline is actually an amazing exercise that will improve your script immeasurably. So many writers start with a first draft, and THEN write a logline, only to THEN realize the focus of their script... Save yourself the trouble and start with a solid logline. 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d #writingtips #screenwriting #loglines Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are so many people on the internet giving excellent writing advice, so I thought I'd help bring balance to the Force by giving some bad writing advice. You can thank me later. Or don't. That's fine too. You can leave a hateful comment, if you want. That's cool. It doesn't hurt my feelings at all when you do that. In fact, it fills me with a burning desire to make more videos when you say "Stop making videos," so go ahead and drop a "Stop making videos," if you like this video, thanks. 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome. 0:08 1. No Rules. 0:41 2. Save the Cat. 2:24 3. Show Don't Tell. 3:03 3. Likeable Protagonist. 4:03 4. Show Don't Tell (again). 4:50 5. Don't Edit While Writing. 6:06 6. Categorize Yourself. 7:15 7. Write What You Know. #writingtips #writing #writingskills Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This was my very first video---and it shows! Please excuse the quality. Adventure Time is deeper than it seems. In this essay, we'll see how the show matures over 10 seasons, how its serialized elements come to dominate its procedural ones, how it tells a symbolically-rich story with emotional gravity, and how its whimsy outlasts death. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 0:45 Cosmogony 1:21 Timelessness 2:17 The Characters 7:20 Whimsy and War 11:16 Dropping Torches #adventuretime #videoessay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of what I'm saying only applies to screenwriting, but most of it applies to all forms of writing. None of this is up for debate. Absolutely everything I say here is the gospel truth and if your own intuition tells you otherwise, then you should believe me without question and tell your intuition to shut the flip up..,.... On OPPOSITE DAY! 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d #writingcommunity #screenwriting #johnlocke Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are you? Jedi or Sith? Do you choose the right-hand path or the left-hand path? Do you serve the world within or the world within-and-without? Life is an MMORPG. Choose your faction. I have seen the argument that “balance” is a *temporary* thing, that it's "balance not Balance," etc, but that's unsatisfying storytelling. Why would you want there to be six films revolving around an ancient prophecy in an old galaxy... a teleology, a single moment, a punctuation mark in history, if you will... a single moment in which one individual person takes an unexpected action and restores Balance (not balance) to the galaxy--a Balance that had been lacking for many many millennia!--but then… only a few years after that... it’s out of balance again, for the exact same reasons, and some new person (who was not prophecied), just shows up and fixes it. And after that, this new person--not Luke Skywalker, the man who saved darth vader's soul!--gets to have her own Jedi Order with her own philosophy. What is her philosophy, though? Is it as "light-sided" as Luke's? or is it drunk with Disneyvision? What did Rey learn throughout these films? What did she learn from Luke, or Leia, or from anybody? What is Rey gonna teach her students? "Just be innately powerful." The word for this is "hogwash," people. Luke was killed off by the Mouse so the Mouse could control the future of the most popular depiction of magic ever made. Yes, the idea that *both* Anakin and Rey restore balance makes no sense. What do we mean by "balance" in that case? It means "destroying the Sith," I guess, but either Anakin ended the legacy of the Sith, or Rey did. They can't both have done it. A legacy is only destroyed once, unless you bring it back from the dead... You've heard of necrophilia? This is Necrocinephilia, even worse. Yes, the idea that “Balance was restored, but it's temporary,” makes Anakin's story less significant. Much less so, it would mean it's *not* about the destruction of the Sith, or the Rise and Fall of the Empire. That would mean the climax of Return of the Jedi is *not* a teleological moment, not a cosmic Event that the history of the galaxy had been leading to, it was not the mythic Moment of Apotheosis--the evolution of the galaxy as a whole, not just one man. No, this is not how sequels work. This is how remakes work. Sequels do not hit “reset” and make all the characters regress to their un-evolved selves. Sequels do not magically restage the same conflict again--with the exact same villain, mind you! Sequels at the very least get new villains. They build upon the previous films, turn the accomplishments of the first film into the curses of the second. Sequels complicate, they push forward, they break away from, they get bigger, sure, but they should get more specific, more nuanced, more charged, more emotional. Yes, I want Difference and not just Repetition. Yes, I’m willing to fight about this. My good friend Venator's Class (https://youtu.be/fXDej2rn1Cw?si=oD0UICxNfgEQ3Zt2) and also this guy Thor Skywalker (https://youtu.be/qEP-2sqDtfc?si=5C3J3vuQvNL8Br3s) have gone over a lot of this before. It's not a new argument to say (Balance is not about having "Equal number of Sith and Jedi" but rather having no Sith at all, because the Jedi seek balance), but I've never heard anyone connect the Force with the tradition of "Magic" more generally, nor with indigenous "magic systems" here on planet earth. "Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force." - Lao Tzu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

▶️⁠Find me on youtube⁠ 🌐⁠Request story notes⁠  ✍️Check out my writing 📹⁠Bonus videos here⁠  🎙️⁠My podcast⁠  ᯤ ⁠Spotify feed for my videos ⁠  📸 ⁠My Instagram⁠  🟠🟢🔵 ⁠My Letterboxd⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does Dr Alan Grant have an arc? Yes. He Does. An exceptionally moving and layered one that's easy to miss amid all the prehistoric violence. Let's take a closer look at the original Jurassic Park (1993) and see what's really going on here on the surface, below the surface, and way below the surface... NOTE: I re-edited and re-uploaded this video something like 60 times to appease the youtube censors. I'm sorry for the horrific, ugly border on the whole thing, but it was the only way to salvage all the work I had done and get this online. Hope you can forgive me. #jurassicpark #videoessay #stevenspielberg #writing Hey, so making these video essays is crazy time-consuming. Since I often use licensed music, I cannot monetize these videos. And since time is money, I'm literally losing money by making these videos... So, if you want to support me, consider becoming a patron! https://patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Storytellers are shamans--at least they should be. The mythic role of the writer is all but forgotten in our world of ready-made "content," and it's time we remember the importance of this vocation. This video essay argues that the Hero's Journey as developed by Joseph Campbell via Carl Jung is the same thing as the Tarot. By reference to the Ra Material, aka the Law of One, I develop a modular writing system that allows writers to confer with their muses while providing a familiar structure. CHAPTERS 0:00 ​Writing Systems and Joseph Campbell 4:07 ​Archetypes and Carl Jung 8:43 ​The Tarot and the Law of One 11:01 ​The System Itself 18:18 ​The True Hero 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d A version of this essay was originally published on Auguries and Alchemy. #tarot #writingtips #carljung #josephcampbell #newage #videoessay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Getting notes on your writing can be very emotional. Just remember: it's easier to critique something than to write something good! You can trust me on that: I'm a professional critiquer. Congratulate yourself on getting this far, and celebrate the milestones. And no matter how harsh the notes are, GET BACK IN THE SADLE AND KEEP WRITING! And please check out my website below and request notes from me. Let's make your next draft the best draft. ▶️⁠Find me on youtube⁠ 🌐⁠Request story notes⁠  ✍️Check out my writing 📹⁠Bonus videos here⁠  🎙️⁠My podcast⁠  ᯤ ⁠Spotify feed for my videos ⁠  📸 ⁠My Instagram⁠  🟠🟢🔵 ⁠My Letterboxd⁠ The soundtrack is this: https://youtu.be/oiCV8J8Irwk?si=8g2s4_ORRB7jiH7V #booktube #literature #writing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Quick one for the writers out there. ▶️Find me on youtube 🌐Request story notes ✍️Check out my writing 📹Bonus videos here 🎙️My podcast ᯤ Spotify feed for my videos 📸 My Instagram 🟠🟢🔵 My Letterboxd Wishing you all the very best on your writing journey! I wish you all inspiration, motivation, and focus! #writing #writingtips #writingcommunity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do vampires represent for you? Lemme know. I tried to get metaphysical and ended up getting political, but hey, maybe that's something to think about. Is there a politics without metaphysics? And is there a metaphysics without a theology? Are we doomed to re-invent religion over and over? Is the human being an innately religious animal? Maybe think about considering to check out my patreon https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive Check out my letterboxd or die www.letterboxd.com/jeshuam/ #videoessay #vampires #witcher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's much talk about Characters Arcs™ nowadays, but I think we're in danger of missing the point. The purpose is to make an interesting character, and to make their journey Truthful. We can't teach writers how to have a Truth worth expressing. You can only teach them how to express it. So, if you're struggling to give your character a meaningful arc, then don't go to video essays like this. Go into your journals, your memories, your dreams. We can only help you learn the craft; we can't give you a vision, and that's what really matters. Thanks for watching! Check out my new podcast Haven't Seen It here: https://linktr.ee/haventseenpod I have several videos on character arcs, so check out my playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLJbg07THRRduzHAhgNduRVXxiqsEJsQh If you want even more in depth discussion on arcs, then check out my Galaxy Quest deep dive on my patreon, available here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive This video is not monetized, so consider buying me a coffee on patreon. Thanks! xoxoxo Find me on: Letterboxd: www.letterboxd.com/jeshuam/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/josh_from_xboxlive CHAPTERS: 0:00 What is a Story? 2:10 Internal Change 4:52 The Miraculous Arc 6:22 The Gradient Arc 7:14 The Turning Point Arc 8:30 The Relationship Arc 10:12 The Didactic Arc 11:26 The U-Turn Arc 15:09 The Truth About Character Arcs #writing #screenwriting #starwars Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I don't delve into detail. I hope by showing you the broad strokes of Rey's potential arc, you can imagine the rest and see how this might have become an emotionally-involving, character-centric trilogy, focused on the protagonist's inner change. I also didn't want to rewrite the entire trilogy. My aim was to use all the elements which are already on the page. Basically, you could re-write the 3rd act of the 3rd film in the sequel trilogy and even that would make a huge difference. With a solid understanding of arcs and structure, it isn't hard to re-arrange any story to be more impactful and powerful. It goes without saying that this is merely my opinion, but I'd like to hear yours. What would you have changed? How do you think Rey's arc might have been made more emotionally involving? 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d #riseofskywalker #starwars #rey #character #writing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Just let people enjoy things," the toxic positivists cry. But what if I enjoy Not Letting People Enjoy Things? What if ENJOYMENT is a political factor, and hating is a political praxis? What if Hate is how I make the world worth loving? What if I Love Hate? Much love to everyone who watches this. 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d #videoessay #haters #riseofskywalker #jurassicworld #indianajones #newage #sethspeaks #janeroberts #rianjohnson #jjabrams #kathleenkennedy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes. He does. A very tragic and complex one. The prequel trilogy seems silly at first glance, which is precisely why its protagonist's arc works so well. Its tragedy contrasts so intensely with the trilogy's initial whimsy. Anakin's transformation throughout the prequel trilogy is a tour de force of writing, and writers can learn a lot by looking a little deeper at these films. ▶️ Find me on YouTube 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here:   / josh_from_xbolive   🎙️Here's my other podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgK...#anakinskywalker #prequeltrilogy #videoessay #starwars #character Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking for quality, challenging, and fun content about the hidden layers of film, tv, and novels? Look no further. ▶️Find me on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@josh_from_xboxlive 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I love when my fave authors are fans of my fave authors. More Ursula K. Le Guin content on the way, but in the meantime check out HER ORIGIN STORY: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LOLZ8jiEl3k . I will also be doing some Murakami content, and who knows who else. Any authors you'd like me to talk about? 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d The soundtrack is this: https://youtu.be/A9unKAUbpgQ?si=oVz8J5SrFrCcjkie #booktube #literature #writing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d CHAPTERS: 0:00 Seven Critiques. 0:46 1. He Produces Generic Writing. 1:26 2. He Imposes His Theory. 3:00 3. He Picks Cherries. 3:55 4. He Promotes Individualism. 6:44 5. He is Dangerous. 14:40 6. He is Being Challenged. 16:39 7. Meaning is Dangerous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Star Wars Sequel trilogy has been a wonderful success. They have inspired a generation of video essayists to dig deep and learn what exactly about the original six films touched us so much. These six films are deeper and smarter than even their biggest fans are willing to admit. The greatest strengths of these films are not the special effects and the action, but the writing. 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d #starwars #videoessay #writingtips #archetypes #ringtheory #hegel #dialectics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We don't often think of pop cinema having themes. But, until very recently, the people who make pop cinema think very hard about their themes. In this second episode of WHAT IS STAR WARS? we'll talk about how the themes of Star Wars relate to character, worldbuilding, and the spectrum from mythological to the sociological. P.s. I will never get over the opening shot of A New Hope. 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d #starwars #georgelucas #writingtips #worldbuilding #exposition #videoessay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Klimo's Ring Theory is a seminal piece of writing that every SW fan should read, but I can't help thinking that the big picture is still more complex than he acknowledges. Star Wars is a rich saga, and it's amazing that there are still more things to be said about it. This video got way longer than I expected, so I won't let its description get too long... Hope you enjoy the video! P.S. Regarding why I label the Prequel Trilogy the "Antithetical" Trilogy: it doesn't really matter which is which. The point is that the "Thesis" and the "Antithesis" exist in antithetical relationship to each other. Whichever one we see as "Thesis" vs "Antithesis" just depends on your point of view. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 06:29 Star Wars Dialectics 08:27 What is a Dialectic? 10:51 Within the Original Trilogy 15:20 Within the Prequel Trilogy 19:43 Between the two Trilogies 24:38 One Thing We Can Agree On 27:53 Thank you for watching! Check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive MUSIC: "Untitled ambient track" by Damien Marksson "Urban Rainfall Rhythms" by e s c p "Aries at rest" by yours truly (sampling Iasos) "Seven stars" by yours truly (sampling Iasos) "Urban Rainfall Rhythms" by e s c p (again) #starwars #videoessay #starwarstheory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Choosing a verb tense is a critical choice for prose writers because it effects each and every sentence in your entire project. Committing to a choice, and understanding your choice, is crucial. In this video, we'll get into concrete advice, and we'll also get a little theoretical, by reading a long citation from Ursula K. Le Guin's phenomenal book on writing "Steering the Craft," an absolute must-read for writers. 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d #booktube #literature #writing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As always, there's so much more that can be said on the topic. As always, it's better to leave some things unsaid. As always, I apologize for my febrile attempts at comedy. And just this once: happy new year! Videos like this take a long time to make, and they cannot be monetized. I humbly ask that you consider checking out my patreon to help fund future projects: www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive Thanks for watching! Find me on Letterboxd www.letterboxd.com/jeshuam/ Instagram www.instagram.com/josh_from_xboxlive CHAPTERS: 0:00 Introduction 2:18 The Hobbits 3:33 King Théoden 8:18 Aragorn 16:32 Frodo 20:45 Conclusion #lotr #writing #videoessay #tolkien Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️My podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d 📸 My instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josh_from_xboxlive/ If you are translating the language of another world, then you have to ask yourself what sorts of phrases, metaphors, and idiom these characters would have used in their own native language, as well as what kind of epistemology, ideology, and mood these characters would possess. The translator's work is extremely difficult and complex. You can't avoid these questions just because by using the "Tolkien defense." I recommend Robin Hobb at the end of this video (calling her the perfect balance between Elfland and Poughkeepsie, which she is, absolutely, without a doubt) but I could have named a few other authors, among them Patrick Rothfuss, the graphic novels of Jodorowski, maybe Steven Erikson, and definitely Le Guin herself. I'm somewhat astounded how few fantasy nerds have actually read the Earthsea series. Do yourself a favour and do so! As for the "extreme" end of Elfland, there is the Codex Seraphinianus which is (as Borges once imagined) an encyclopedia from another world, even WRITTEN IN THE LANGUAGE of that other world (thus being entirely indecipherable). But I would say that James Joyce's Finnegans Wake goes pretty much as far as a work of elaborate, extreme, non-Earth fantasy can go. In a sense, it is the ultimate work of fantasy: a dream, written in a scintillating, multi-faced, and otherworldly tongue. CORRECTION: The word "crap" originates from Middle English and has roots in Old French and Medieval Latin. It originally referred to "chaff" or "waste," and later broadened to include other forms of discarded matter and eventually excrement. While a popular misconception links the word to Thomas Crapper, a 19th-century plumber, this is false, though his name may have helped popularize the word's use in relation to toilets. -- CHAPTERS: 0:00 One 0:42 Time and Space 1:56 The Tolkien Defense 4:32 Earthly Specificity 8:09 The Gray Area 13:26 The Craft of Writing 17:00 The Elfland Accent 21:43 Pegasus Without Wings 24:03 Style 31:13 Voice 36:33 Humor 38:08 Clarity 41:40 Anti-style? 43:47 Creation 45:55 The Middle Ground The soundtrack is here, IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: https://youtu.be/3Kv1-aLlTzg?si=vi9B9DWwHObQZ7Ls https://youtu.be/o4td2EImaG4?si=UjOvymcHPk3nVwNm https://youtu.be/W0EuoDu7V1U?si=GaQ3G1G6yCugFjUM https://youtu.be/UMGjcC_s0Ro?si=OHg-pjvryRn1X8yM https://youtu.be/ex2iwmIXd5A?si=mBvcNxkzgffuQG4H https://youtu.be/9GGmRawJFpc?si=tiWEn_dJLZairJCX https://youtu.be/--qluBjfx0U?si=byafjX6OqYijNIST https://youtu.be/V6lWntKl588?si=V5U7S89knGCA5P61 https://youtu.be/CKEHre6-Mo0?si=k6-CCyRT-k4MD2x7 https://youtu.be/z8WACKWJcc8?si=ulTAr_6T5ot1F_0M https://youtu.be/q8scuvZpgWg?si=m3wMAldvP_NjDKUw https://youtu.be/gFjveJ5sgeQ?si=QMEhmSdaL0U6OkcE https://youtu.be/u2hLJLQfwSI?si=h59EMaTnEDB-8I-D https://youtu.be/jfFTEQqdhyk?si=Sf53Epyp7FZrT1C_ https://youtu.be/JRhVkchLaX4?si=NavYgC_8jegwf-3a https://youtu.be/DCqaf5uVEA4?si=kV5rJL7J7nUFUBGE https://youtu.be/EqW3e1CacQk?si=Dbw6izClDQ2wtjXr https://youtu.be/x18pwnU-6ZM?si=IJOQlBdE66iJXS5e https://youtu.be/uQGrzMwVGtI?si=fXTi3Sw3Dx2VVDnE Thanks to James for telling me about smoots! #booktube #literature #writing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes. He does. A very nuanced and compelling one. The original trilogy seems plot-centric at first glance, which is precisely why its protagonist's arc works so well. It is organically linked to the plot. Luke's transformation throughout the original trilogy is a tour de force of writing, and writers can learn a lot by looking a little deeper at these films. 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/ ✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/ 📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive 🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d #lukeskywalker #originaltrilogy #videoessay #starwars #character Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm curious to hear what YOU think about the future of cinema. Do you care that you're no longer able to identify with the camera itself, and imagine how the filmmakers achieved their shots in real space? Or are you simply excited by the new possibilities opened up by virtual space? Let me know! For the filmmakers out there, I highly recommend reading this classic essay "For an imperfect cinema" by Julio García Espinosa: https://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC20folder/ImperfectCinema.html 🌐Request story notes: https://www.jgscammell.com/✍️Check out my writing: https://yeshua.substack.com/📹 Bonus videos here: https://www.patreon.com/Josh_from_xbolive🎙️Here's my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0p75BgKI0GhuCQVOJl8e8d Chapters 0:00 Introduction 0:42 Impossible Cinema 6:25 Perfect Cinema 14:46 Future Imperfect Thanks for watching! #videoessay #filmstudies #filmtheory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Video Essay Chapters: 0:00 The Video Essay 1:36 The Video Essay 2:49 The Video Essay 8:33 The Video Essay 9:22 The Video Essay 10:51 The Video Essay 12:40 The Video Essay 15:21 The Video Essay 17:11 The Video Essay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices