The Video Essay Podcast

On today's show, Jiří Anger joins to discuss his book, Towards a Film Theory from Below: Archival Film and the Aesthetics of the Crack-Up. We also discuss Jiří's approach to videographic criticism and "The First Frames of Czech Cinema," a video essay created with Adéla Kudlová.

[02:15] - Videographic origin story
[10:30] - Intro to the book
[24:30] - Hybridity & the moving image
[29:00] -  Film artifacts and a "theory from below"
[34:30] - Jan Kříženecký & "Digital Kříženecký" 
[42:00] - Beyond decay
[49:00] - Is there a "best quality" version of a film? 
[55:30] - "The First Frames of Czech Cinema"
[1:01:30] - "The Crack-Up"
[1:19:00] - On Deformative Criticism 

Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more at the pod's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠free newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music by Ketsa.

Today's episode of The Video Essay Podcast features a conversation hosted by Kevin B. Lee with Chiara Grizzaffi and Annalisa Pellino, who discuss the videographic work of Katie Bird, including the essay, "With a Camera in Hand, I Was Alive," and in particular Bird's innovative use of a video as a creator's statement. The discussion functions as a companion to the recent conversation on this podcast between Bird and Johannes Binotto. 

This episode is the ninth in an ongoing collaboration between The Video Essay Podcast and "The Video Essay: Memories, Ecologies, Bodies," a three-year research project on video essays led by Kevin B. Lee, Locarno Film Festival Professor for the Future of Cinema at USI University of Lugano, with Johannes Binotto and Evelyn Kreutzer, and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Editing by Elsa Despoix.

Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more at the pod's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠free newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music by Ketsa.

On today's episode, Katie Bird discusses her work and practice in an interview with Johannes Binotto. Much of their conversation centers on Katie's 2023 desktop documentary, "With a Camera in Hand, I Was Alive." Katie and Johannes discuss the potentials of videographic practice, filming oneself as a method of videographic criticism, and her work as an independent scholar and industry professional. Other works discussed include, "young (woman) filmmaker(s)" (2023), "Feeling and Thought as They Take Form: Early Steadicam Labor, Technology, and Style, 1974-1985" (2019), and Katie's research on editing and Gunsmoke.  

This episode is the eighth in an ongoing collaboration between The Video Essay Podcast and "The Video Essay: Memories, Ecologies, Bodies," a three-year research project on video essays led by Kevin B. Lee, Locarno Film Festival Professor for the Future of Cinema at USI University of Lugano, with Johannes Binotto and Evelyn Kreutzer, and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more at the pod's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠free newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music by Ketsa.

On today's episode, Jason Mittell joins to discuss his videographic book, The Chemistry of Character in Breaking Bad. The book is the first in a new series of open access, videographic books from Lever Press.

Jason joins to discuss the origins of the book and series, the philosophy behind a videographic book, and his longtime interest in alternative, open access forms of digital publishing. 

Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more at the pod's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠free newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Music by Ketsa.

Today's episode features the latest collaboration with the Swiss publication, Filmexplorer. For the second time, Filmexplorer has invited guest curators to select video essays to screen as part of their online Video Essay Gallery. In this conversation, Evelyn Kreutzer, Julian Ross, and Volker Pantenburg discuss three videos they curated under the theme, "How to Measure the World." For more, visit filmexplorer.ch.

The conversation centers on three works:

Volker Pantenburg presents:
capricorn sunset [a constellation] (2023) by Johannes Binotto

Julian Ross presents:
Constant (2022) by Sasha Litvintseva & Beny Wagner

Evelyn Kreutzer presents:
Xena’s Body: A Menstrual Auto-Investigation Using an iPhone (2024) by Occitane Lacurie

Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more at the pod's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠free newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music by Ketsa.