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It’s been a crazy year. First of all, I finished six years of high school. That alone was a hectic experience. I was afraid of falling into a black hole after my exams, because I never thought I’d get admitted into film school my first try (it usually takes about 2 or 3). So I started [the films of], something to keep me busy in 2011. And it did. Every single episode provided new challenges and required a new workflow. With [the films of] Steven Spielberg I think I might have finally found out how I should have done it.

And of course, we had Cinema 2011, the promo for that, a couple of side projects, about 6 promos for [the films of].. Trying to keep you all excited was perhaps my biggest challenge. I’ve never mailed, tumblrd and twittered more in my life.

It was quite an adventure. I started out not having seen any Alien film, not really knowing who Ridley Scott was and having seen only one David Fincher film. Now I know how twelve of our world’s most famed directors built up their name and finetuned their skill to perfection.

The idea of the project was to get a clear idea what business I was working my way into, but along the way it turned more into a self-reflective project. I started to think what I wanted to achieve if I was ever part of a creative process such as one of the hundreds I’ve seen. What would I add, what am I really trying to achieve here? It was actually quite confronting and I’m nowhere near a conclusion yet, but then again every episode from [the films of] showed me that it takes time and experience to get to perfection.

[the films of] Steven Spielberg was, to me, absolutely amazing. Every cut I made, every direction I took seemed to sum up the previous 11 episodes. Spielberg is really there and every single one of his films showcases an almost insanely perfect sense of how to tell a story. I really can’t think of any other way to end this project.

Have you recently had a Close Encounter?

The whole opening of the video is of course a nod towards the fact that Spielberg’s films are so captivating and that watching one immediately ignites your passion for film. The sci-fi bit also worked best as an opening.

That intro might be the shortest segment ever in a [the films of], but I didn’t want to focus on it for too long because it lost a lot of its magic the longer it played. So here we jump into the happier E.T. Flying Theme bit, which I really like.

The Indiana Jones movies were really the final push to make [the films of] Steven Spielberg. I saw them this summer and was immediately hooked.

I wanted a big, epic but elegant font for Spielberg, and I ended up with this one. I didn’t pick one anchor point for both titles, which is why they seem to move ‘seperately’, because I liked the idea of the two ‘forming’ the final title.

I saw Tintin in September and it was absolutely amazing. I was so glad I could use it in this tribute. Another thing about Spielberg’s movies is that he uses a ton of different aspect ratios so it and as you might know, I’m a sucker for keeping them intact, but I think I did a good job.

Both quotes are completely out of sync, but it’s so short you’ll hardly notice! I thought it was more important to use shots you could easily comprehend rather than use the shots that were in sync with the dialogue.

At film school we’ve talked for hours about Jaws, it’s crafted beyond perfection.

Here we head into more emotional territory. Spielberg’s films are more than often filled with war and loss, so this segment is dedicated to that aspect.

A quote by Schindler without image returns at the end of the video so here I establish who’s talking.

I sat through Saving Private Ryan without pausing once, not even to go to the bathroom. It was just that gripping.

I really like this bit with the quote from Munich, it explains war really well.

This quote seemed to click everything together, because Spielberg’s films are also about disconnection, mostly because of war.

I keep seeing Dakota Fanning in the alien’s face. A.I. is probably my favourite Spielberg film by the way, I cried like a baby.

He did something extraordinary. Something no one else did.

I thought this was a perfect quote to sum up Spielberg’s films and to start with the titles.

Now that we’re here, let me explain a few things. We’re halfway in the video, and I’m already starting the title sequence. Why? It’s because the additional sequence I had didn’t say enough about Spielberg’s films. I felt like the titles and the recognition of the films would say more than I ever could with that sequence. The titles are not just a sum-up of Spielberg’s filmography, they also individually highlight each film, and with 26 films or so it was important to me that each one had a moment.

I’ve received many messages about how people were disappointed that the title sequence started so early, so I think it’s important you know why I chose this approach for the final video.

Let’s continue!

Duel is the only 4:3 film in Spielberg’s filmography, so that’s why it only appears here.

Spielberg said that he chose to direct Jaws somewhat based on the fact that the title consisted of 4 characters, just like Duel. The logo for Duel was later changed to resemble the Jaws logo (I used that one for Duel too).

Loved this film. I’m not a big sci-fi fan but the classics I can watch for days.

This is done with a simple extract layer on top of the footage and logo. An easy method to avoid cutting out the plane frame by frame!

I like how there’s a sweep in the music when the mine cart wooshes by.

Every [the films of] is of course a big thank you to the director, so here’s a quite literal quote for that!

Gorgeous shot in Schindler’s List here. As soon as I heard the War Horse music in the trailer, I knew I just had to use it for this video. I was really glad the trailer music was also on the original soundtrack (it’s called Plowing).

The drum roll in the music is synchronized with these glass doors obscuring the shot.

I wanted to end on War Horse because it gave a bit more ‘closure’ than Tintin and Tintin had been out in Europe for about 3 months already.

I chose this shot to close the series with because it kind of reminds me of myself in the theatre, and my love for cinema is what started this whole thing and that all began in the movie theaters. I think that people underestimate how you watch a movie. The theatre is perfect: just you and the film. But people tend to watch films on their laptops and mobile devices more often (not that I blame them, it’s terribly convenient). They settle for versions of the film that were recorded with a cheap video camera from the screen, or a terrible rip from Russia. That’s not what cinema is about. It’s about this.

I think our laziness and unwillingness to spend money on things we think we can get for free is a huge threat to cinema as we know it and I think we, as film fans, or even as makers, should do our very best to convince everyone of the power of cinema.

So now that this series has come to an end, I hoped it convinced you of how amazing film actually is, and how we are all united by film. Think about it: [the films of] was viewed by roughly half a million people. That’s 500.000 people all over the globe excited to get to know film a little better. That’s 500.000 people who don’t settle for a Jack & Jill. That’s 499.999 people like you, who want to spend time in a dark room for two hours, experiencing different stories from all over the world.

I truly believe in cinema as something indescribably beautiful and I am glad I found out that I’m not the only one. Thank you all for this amazing experience, I’ve enjoyed reading all your comments and messages, I’ve learned so much from your critique and I hope I can use that in future projects.

You will hear from me!

x kees