10 of my Favorite Video Essays (June 2022)

Hey everybody! This is kind of on a whim, but I've been thinking a lot about the world of Video Essays, and I wanted to share a list of some of my favorite video essays to watch and give you a little blurb about my thoughts. 

While there are some YouTube channels that I will routinely watch on the day of upload without fail, (thank god for James Stephanie Sterling), there are some Video Essay centric channels where I have certain videos that I will like to rewatch. Obviously, there are some of the big creators on the scene that I have left off here like Dan Olson, Be Kind Rewind, F.D Signifier, Philosphytube, Hbomberguy, Jenny Nicholson, Super Eyepatch Wolf, Errant Signal, Movies with Mikey, and Defunctland (To name a few), but I assume that most people who know about my stuff probably already know about them, and I don't presently have a specific video of theirs that sticks out as big rewatches. This is not meant to be comprehensive, Just a couple that come to my head.

If you like this kind of stuff, let me know if I should do more of these cause I have a boundless list of recommendations.

The Soul of a Library by Jacob Geller

I want to start off with probably the most well known out of all of these, but it will probably not surprise you that Jacob's combination of Literature and Video Game Analysis is extremely my jam, and has resulted in me gaining a new perspective on some of the stories I have read. I recommend this video that discusses Jorge Luis Borges's Library of Babel as I really enjoy essays that are able to take a very intertextual approach to the topics that they discuss, which is something this video does exceptionally well.

Identity Cult: Anya's Ghost and Cultural Assimilation by Let's Talk About Stuff

Intrepid viewers of mine might recognize this from a video I made back in 2018 where I discussed my uneasy feeling about youtube and the way the video essay had evolved. I specifically recall how that video stuck out from the year after it "F**CKED ME UP". Part of the reason this video still sticks with me all these later is the ways that Sarah Zedig eloquently was able to bring about a new perspective to a book that I had enjoyed and not thought much of. It gave me such a new level of appreciation for this graphic novel that I would even start to teach it in my sophomore-level English classes. There have been only a few times where my mind had been blown by this level of analysis, but I hope that it is a sensation I can feel again soon.

Witchermania by Sophie From Mars

This is kind of cheating since this is a series of videos. But also I can do what I want. While many might recognize her from her video about the Matrix made with Sarah Zedig, Sophie's series about The Witcher is such a fascinating blend of political commentary and literary analysis, especially as it quite comprehensively covers many key elements of each adaptation in a way that encouraged me to seek out the ways that I can integrate more of that kind of writing in my own videos, which you might have picked up on in my Porco Rosso and Cinderella videos.

Three Short Arguments about The Secret of Monkey Island By Innuendo Studios

While there are many places where you can see Ian Danskin's influence on my writing style and my taste in games, I think one of the biggest points of inspiration comes from the wide variety of topics that he covers in his video and the willingness to cover whatever niche topic that interests him. This video about The Secret of Monkey Island is one of the best embodiments of that attitude.

Berserk - More than Blood and Guts by Beyond Ghibli

 As someone who hadn't had much interest in reading Berserk, this is the video that finally got me to jump aboard, with its brilliant editing, comprehensive yet succinct overviews of each entry, and heartfelt appreciation for this series. I don't know how many people know this, but this video was actually the biggest source of inspiration for my Moomin series of videos. Sometimes when I am in the process of writing something, I try to imagine the kind of video I like to watch, and the Moomin Series was essentially me trying to make my own version of this video.

Scars & Stories [Planescape: Torment vs. Torment: Tides of Numenera] By Noah Caldwell Gervais 

If we were to just rank these channels just on the metric of how often I rewatch their videos, Noah Caldwell Gervais would have to be on the top of my list. Whenever I have to travel or need something to watch while I go to sleep, or even when I need something to calm the ADHD storm that is my brain, his videos will be my go-to without fail. I especially love his videos about CRPGs like Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Knights so much that I downloaded them as an audiobook and made custom cover art (example above) just so I can have one on reserve wherever I go. Yes, I am that much of a dork. In a similar instance of me trying to make the videos that I would like to watch, this was a major inspiration for the Cinderella video, though I don't think I could ever become a video machine like this guy.

Every PEANUTS SPECIAL Reviewed by ToonrificTariq

This is another series that I love to watch just because it's always a joy to be able to hear someone gush about something they absolutely love. Despite being most known online for videos about cartoons, you might be surprised to know that I don't really engage with that side of YouTube as much as one might expect. Part of this stems from me wanting to avoid topics that I know I will want to make videos about, but also because there are certain elements surrounding the ways we talk about animation and cartoons for children and adults that kind of rub me the wrong way (The next video will be touching upon that actually). But Tauriq's stuff seems to be my main exception to that as he actually attempts to delve into the thematic qualities of whatever he talks about. Even if I disagree with him about a couple of his cartoon preferences*, I know I will have a good time watching his stuff.

*I'm sorry Tauriq, but 'Mike Lou and Ug' and "Home on the Range' are trash, and you can't tell me otherwise

Why Love & Mercy is the best music biopic by Elliot Roberts

A relatively recent addition to my rewatch library, but Elliot has been largely responsible for my reawakened love for the Beatles, as he engages with elements of the band's history that are woefully under-discussed amongst Beatles fans. However, I want to highlight his video about Love and Mercy because of the ways that it blends history, film criticism, and music analysis in a really heartfelt way that gave me a newfound appreciation for the music that surrounded my childhood.

The Bonkers Theology of VeggieTales Christmas Specials by Laura Crone

I might be a little biased in talking about this friend of the channel, but I will say that I am constantly in awe of Laura's caliber of work, which makes it all more mind-boggling when I watch her vids and think "Oh god, that person knows me? And they seem to like my stuff???" But regardless, I especially like her work discussing religion like this Veggie Tales video. As someone who, like many ex Catholics, has a pretty complicated relationship with religion, Laura's work does provide me a perspective of someone who still has that kind of faith while also sharing the same level of skepticism that I have. It has even made me think about writing some stuff that unpacks some of those feelings, but more on that in the future...

Sssskkkkaaaatttteeeebbboooaaarrrdddiiinnnggg by Mike Rugnetta

That's right, I am doing a video that was released today (6/6/2022), what are you gonna do about it?

In all seriousness, Mike Rugnetta's work has been especially formative to me as a video creator, as his were some of the first videos that clued me in to the idea that anything, no matter the artistic medium or perceived legitimacy, could be used to teach people; which has gone on to be a driving principle for what I do online. In fact, I don't think we have given him and PBS Idea Channel enough credit when it comes to their contributions to pioneering the video essay. I would even argue that they are comparable to Every Frame a Painting and Lindsay Ellis in terms of their influence on the genre. 

Also not to brag but one of my comments about Steven Universe was featured in a response section of a video and it has to this date been what I consider one of my primary online achievements lol. 

But even though he has been out of the scene for around 4 years (RIP Idea Channel), Mike is still making some absolutely fascinating videos that continue to engage with many complex topics through seemingly innocuous subject matters. I also respect the hell out of the fact that he has been able to do his own thing for so long while being able to detach himself from some of the toxic elements of the YouTube ecosystem by just posting videos without caring about how many people actually see them. In my 5 years doing this kind of stuff, that's the kind of stuff I want to strive for in the future, both in terms of how I make my videos and how I am expected to feel about it afterward. 

That's the list! Hope there are at least a couple that you will seek out. Like I said up top, if this kind of recommendation post is something you would like to see more of from me, let me know! I like to make a habit of cataloging the media I engage with and believe me, this is just a small glimpse of the things that I have seen that I have thoughts™ on. 

But until next time, thank you for your continued support! I already have started the video editing process for my next essay, which should be out by the end of the month. I also have two scripts that I have made substantial progress on that I should be able to have out by the end of July, but I don't want to push myself too hard.

Best Wishes - Henry