Review: Every Frame a Painting

If you enjoy movies and are the kind of person who likes to figure out how and why stuff works, you owe it to yourself to check out at least an episode or two of Every Frame a Painting. It’s a channel lovingly maintained by Tony Zhou. Each episode investigates different aspects of filmmaking. A good example without spoilers is the episode about The Art of the Gag which takes a look at Buster Keaton’s visual comedy and compares it to modern comedy.

As of this writing, Zhou’s Patreon funders pay him about $7,000 per episode, and this allows for an attention to detail not often found in web videos of this kind. A lot of background research including conversations with film industry contacts goes into each episode. The explanations are clear and precise, owing to carefully crafted scripts. In short, it’s a well-made show that keeps your attention while giving you explanations that may help you understand why and how a movie makes you feel the way it does.