Press Play

"The best video essay source on the web." (Roger Ebert) This is a web site built around original video essays and critical, personal writing about movies, TV, music, comics and whatever else interests its contributors. Co-founded by Matt Zoller Seitz, TV critic for New York Magazine, and Ken Cancelosi, it is published by Seitz and Cancelosi and overseen by editor-in-chief Kevin B. Lee and managing editor Max Winter.

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Monthly Archives

VIDEO - Motion Studies #7: Low Budget Eye Candy

Video

Even George Lucas started out as a resourceful low-budget filmmaker, as detailed in this video essay manifesto on DIY film production.

By Volker Pantenburg and Kevin B. Lee
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March 29, 2012 7:57 AM
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0 Comments

Video

A 12 minute D.W. Griffith short is dissected and rearranged into multiple spaces playing out in real time, providing a revelatory view of Griffith's approach to storytelling and space.

By Volker Pantenburg and Kevin B. Lee
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March 27, 2012 8:30 AM
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0 Comments

Video

47 films spanning 50 years of filmmaking are channeled into a stream of images that attest to the inimitable talent of Jean-Luc Godard.

By Volker Pantenburg and Kevin B. Lee
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March 23, 2012 1:42 PM
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0 Comments

Television

With the long-awaited premiere to Season Five imminent, Mad Men is on many a person's mind. For the next thirteen weeks, some may revel in a neverland of glamorous mid-60s living fraught with social strife; others may wonder what jaw-dropping, life-changing events await their favorite characters. But for us here at Press Play, it's about the moments. Moments that have us instantly rewinding our DVRs as soon as an episode is over, or poring over blog recaps all Monday long while real work lies unattended. Mad Men has yielded four seasons stuffed with such moments. We decided to produce a series of videos dedicated to spotlighting some of the best.

By Deborah Lipp and Kevin B. Lee
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March 22, 2012 9:12 AM
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1 Comment

Video

Serena Bramble weaves dozens upon dozens of clips into a jazz-like succession of motifs, mapping out the resplendent world of Mad Men.

By Serena Bramble and David Ehrenstein
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March 22, 2012 8:10 AM
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9 Comments

Video

This video is inspired by the famous "Carousel" presentation in the finale of season one of Mad Men. The sequence is further explored by Tommaso Tocci in the accompanying essay.

By Tommaso Tocci and Kevin B. Lee
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March 22, 2012 8:09 AM
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4 Comments

Video

Selecting an iconic moment for Season Two of Mad Men, we focus on the idyllic domestic world of Betty Draper and how it all falls apart within a 24-hour span.

By Deborah Lipp and Kevin B. Lee
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March 22, 2012 8:08 AM
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0 Comments

Video

Our iconic moment of Mad Men season three easily ranks as one of the most shocking of the entire series to date.

By Amanda Marcotte and Kevin B. Lee
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March 22, 2012 8:07 AM
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1 Comment

Video

There is near-unanimous consensus that 4.07: "The Suitcase" is the standout episode of Season Four of Mad Men, so we knew that our video essay on a singular moment from that season had to come from that episode.

By Serena Bramble, Deborah Lipp and Kevin B. Lee
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March 22, 2012 8:06 AM
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3 Comments

Video

The video essay at its most direct, eloquent and illuminating, by virtue of simple comparison and astute observation.

By Volker Pantenburg and Kevin B. Lee
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March 21, 2012 11:59 AM
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0 Comments

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