This week on The Deep Dive: The classic movie with an opening scene so breathtaking you’ll forget it was filmed in the 1960s, dressing on theme for a press tour…groundbreaking, milk’s bizarre ability to captivate generations, Catfish was worse than you thought but still a lot better than it could have been, and everything you’ve ever wanted (and didn’t know you wanted) to know about One Direction.

FILM

Why The Sound of Music Still Looks Like a Billion Bucks by wolfcrow (8:05)

I watched The Sound of Music a lot as a child. I knew all the lyrics to all the songs and would regularly belt them out loud – including the ones that required me to attempt yodeling (my poor parents). Even at a young age, something about the film felt so grand, and in this video, wolfcrow explains the technical process that made it feel that way. Even though I don’t know a single thing about camera work and film technology, I appreciate that this video doesn’t try to dumb it down, explaining it in a way that forces you to understand what an undertaking it was to film one of the greatest movies of all time. If you need to watch this video a second time to understand it – don’t worry, it’s less than ten minutes long. And if you still don’t get it after the rewatch, at least it’s beautiful to look at.

FASHION

investigating the method dressing phenomenon 🔎🍿👗 by ModernGurlz (23:24)

It’s hard to believe today, in a post-Barbie media landscape, that there was ever a time when method dressing in film industry press tours and red carpets was seen as a mockery of the art form. Just a few decades ago, actors were terrified of dressing according to the theme of the films they starred in so as not to type-cast themselves. But we’ve come a long way, with actors rolling up to premieres dressed as robots, retro cartoon characters, and carnival ringmasters (all of which were executed flawlessly by Zendaya, of course). In this video, ModernGurlz explains how the rise of social media inspired actors to treat film promotions like the upscale Halloween parties you’ll never be invited to but will inevitably see all over Instagram. The film industry may be in shambles, but at least the outfits are cool!

CULTURE

The Evil Symbolism of Milk by Mina Le (36:03)

When I say that I want video essayists to make videos about the weird and persistent thoughts that cross their minds, this is what I’m talking about. Because it’s true, there just is something about milk that makes it so intriguing. In this video, Mina Le tries to get to the bottom of her grossed-out fascination with the beverage (if we can even call it that), and it turns out there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. Everything about milk – its mammalian origins, its connection to youth, even its perplexing color – is used to symbolize purity, evil, innocence, and everything in between. And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the way it’s been villainized with the rise of alternative milk options. But if our rejection of 2010s tech culture is any indication, we may see a desire to return to cow’s milk in the years to come. Because Mina’s right – movie characters being poisoned with almond milk just doesn’t hit the same.

TV

Catfish the TV Show - A Critical Retrospective by Jordan Theresa (41:47)

Of all the problematic reality TV shows to look back on in sheer horror at what was considered the social norms of their time, Catfish: The TV Show hardly seems like the worst offender. Depending on who you ask, it may even look like one of the rare “good ones” that did its best to inflict as little harm on its subjects as possible. Remember, this is the same category that’s home to The Biggest Loser and I Wanna Marry “Harry.” In this video, Jordan Theresa takes a closer look at MTV’s history of reality TV programming and the humilitainment required to make it hard for audiences to look away – and, despite its kinder tone, Catfish was certainly no exception. There’s also the question of the central role class and education disparities, beauty standards, and vigilante justice play on the show. But at least it didn’t have on-set “therapists” that actually turned out to be undercover producers?

POP CULTURE

One Direction: The Timeline by mila tequila (2:32:19)

Something about this video was exactly what I needed at the precise moment it popped up on my feed. I wasn’t an early fan of One Direction, as I instead hopped on the bandwagon later on down the line during the Midnight Memories era, like a loser. Even all this time later, I’ve never been able to shake the feeling that I missed out in those early years of One Direction stanhood, and in this video, mila tequila shows me exactly what it was that I so willfully, and with so little foresight, rejected all those years ago. I’ll never get that time back, and even this video is yet another reminder that I just had to be there, but I guess this is the closest I’ll ever get – a complete play-by-play of the years 2010 through 2015 told by a Directioner who was there for it all. Study up, because this video may be shown in our children’s history classes one day.

The Deep Dive’s Bonus Video of the Week

We already know that if subscriber Lala from North Carolina (shoutout!) didn’t recommend a video by Tara Mooknee, it was only going to be a matter of time before I did. There’s a lot of talk lately about the phrases we come up with to describe patterns in media created by humans who live in a society. Eventually, the usage of some of these terms starts to spiral so out of control that they lose all the meaning they once carried. This video is about the “female gaze,” which is now more about what it isn’t than what it actually is.

If you have a bonus video you want to share for a shoutout in an upcoming newsletter, check out the poll below – it doesn’t even have to be a video essay!

Share The Deep Dive 🎁

Got any video essay watchers in your life? Here’s your chance to start spreading the word! Just share your unique link below and unlock these rewards!

*US and Canada shipping only

Thanks for reading and happy watching! 🐰