I've watched the required viewing list, and I won't horrify anyone with my opinions on those. They are among the few videos I didn't bother to leave reviews for since I had nothing constructive to say. I know why we have to watch the great videos, it's a good introduction to greatness. But it's like reading Moby Dick, you can't exactly do anything about it once the writer's out of the picture, you can only look, nod your head at the skills, and then mumble under your breath about how the style doesn't match what you 'enjoy.' No one would go to a literature class, study literature greats, and then become better writers from just reading the works. On the other hand, showing your papers to a person who's an acclaimed novelist and comparing with them is a hands-on experience - it's the 'hands-on' that I'm emphasizing here.
A lot of the videos that are called 'great' are editing wonderfully, but a lot of them are called great because a majority of people *enjoy* watching them, which makes greatness even more than just the skills. If you don't enjoy watching a video, no matter how wonderfully it's made, studying it to improve yourself is like reading a 'great' novel - it'll teach you a little, but in the end it's just a piece of work set down somewhere with no life behind it for you to get feedback from. That's all I was trying to say. I want to share not just the viewing of a good video, but the person who created that experience for me. I won't get that from watching Euphoria, no matter how many times I watch it. Believe me, I've tried.
