The Video Essay Podcast

This episode of The Video Essay Podcast was produced in collaboration with Open Screens, the open-access journal of the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies, and released as part of a special issue, “Thinking in the Timeline: Videographic Dissection as Analytical Method.”

Edited by Ariel Avissar, Barbara Zecchi, Matthew Thomas Payne, and Colleen Laird, the special issue grew out of the 2025 “Reframing the Argument” workshop at the University of Notre Dame, a research-intensive videographic workshop designed specifically for graduate students.

At the center of the special issue is the “videographic dissection” exercise, developed by Ariel, which invites makers to “dissect” media objects within the editing interface, devising their own method of analysis and applying it directly in the timeline panel. Five such videos produced by participants for the workshop are included in the special issue.

In this conversation, guest host Lucy Fife Donaldson joins Ariel, Colleen, and Matt to discuss the special issue, the videographic dissection exercise, the Reframing the Argument workshop, questions of videographic methodology and pedagogy, and the role of collaborative, in-person workshops in fostering communities of practice.

Learn more at www.thevideoessay.com.

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.