Video essays

Learn how to make your own video essay on YouTube in 9 steps. Understand how to use sources, record a narration and add graphics.

Students can create a multimedia presentation to showcase their knowledge and creativity. Create a video essay with students with free tools.

In the past decade video essays have taken on several roles of traditional, written film criticism, from advocating for certain films or filmmakers and expressing enthusiasm for recent films to what counted as ‘long-form’ criticism like discussing genre or the role of sound. There is now an audiovisual take to be found on most (if not all) cinephile topics and buzzwords.

Our annual survey of moving-image criticism in movie form features recommendations from 39 essayists and experts, recommending videos that explore the powers and possibilities of cinema and more. Ariel Avissar, Will DiGravio and Grace Lee introduce the poll.

oliSUNvia video essays whisper

Playing in the poetic space between documentary and fiction, the inclusion of found footage and screen recordings has turned the video essay into a representation of online life.