7 best YouTube channels for movie lovers
By Onias Snuka
Believe it or not, there is a loyal community of YouTubers who dedicate their channels to dissecting cinema, their messages, and meanings. This intriguing YouTube community of movie purists are a titular group who strive to, as Mr. Keating of The Dead Poets Society puts it, “…suck the marrow out of life,” and every scene.
Everything from exclusive and in-depth interviews with acclaimed actors, to dialogue analysis that can improve your mental health. These content creators take us under the hood and reveal the foundation for intrinsically great stories put on screen.
For all the movie lovers, here are 7 YouTube channels all silver screen audiences will appreciate.
YouTube Channels every movie lover should subscribe to
Cinema Therapy
Active Since: April 2020
Subscribers: 582k
Skyrocketing since their channels launch, Cinema Therapy primarily features the playful banter and movie analytics of two best friends: professional filmmaker Alan Seawright and licensed therapist Johnathan Decker. This down to earth duo (whom you might mistake for your local t-ball dads, dads jokes and all) breakdown blockbusters and the art of cinema through the lens of mental health.
The hosts carefully select scenes from a movie or television show and reflect on one or more character’s actions and psyche. With the help of Alan’s scrutiny of the film, Johnathan then gives a psychiatric diagnosis of the relationships portrayed on screen, along with mental illness symptoms that may be present in the films characters.
Their discussion is always then directed back to the viewer, provoking you to compare your real life situation to the characters and how you may handle life’s struggles of loss, betrayal, depression, etc. followed by real world applications that the viewer can then use to improve their own mental state. In this era of unprecedented content consumption and mental illness, Cinema Therapy may be one of most interpersonally significant channels on YouTube period.
Thomas Flight
Active Since: October 2016
Subscribers: 371k
From Martin Scorsese-Marvel beef, to the power of nostalgia in Stranger Things, Thomas Flight uses his vast knowledge and film expertise to help his supporters understand the tools and styles used by the industry’s best storytellers. He might be considered the brutally honest know it all child in this family of cinema YouTubers, but Flight’s video essays offer an original lens and perspective to history’s beloved movie masterpieces. Here’s to hoping his passion for visual artistry rubs off on you too.
CinemaWins
Active Since: October 2015
Subscribers: 1.89m
The online foil to the legendarily cynical YouTube channel CinemaSins, CinemaWins deals out an appreciative attitude that stems from knowing how much time, money and stress is involved in making a feature length film. CinemaWins playfully pinpoints what movie makers got right as oppose to the mass critics who often pompously (and very subjectively I might add) damn many good and underrated movies for minor flaws.
In the ‘About’ tab from their page, CinemaWins explains themselves, “…some movies, while full of plot holes, continuity errors, and bad acting, have plenty of wins!” This upbeat channel reminds us our final judgements on a subject deserve a holistic review and may often times demand revaluation.
Studiobinder
Active Since: April 2015
Subscribers: 907K
Now if all this movie talk has ever compelled you to think about getting involved in the movie making business, this is a wonderful place to start. Much more in the technical aspects of filmmaking than its predecessors on this list, StudioBinder peeks into the mind of cinema geniuses much like Thomas Flight does on his channel. But rather than understanding filmmaking to just appreciate movies better, Studiobinder presents itself as information meant to be applied in your own cinema endeavors.
StudioBinder dives deeper as to understand filmmaking for the purpose of one day making movies without the pretentious jargon like the movie buffs you probably know. This channel does an exemplary job of demystifying the film making process along with the people involved in it.
The Off-Camera Show with Sam Jones
Active Since: February 2013
Subscribers: 429k
How do our favorite screen actors talk when they are not on set or having a discussion in front of a live audience? What are their true feelings towards the medium and the industry? What does a genuine discourse from them entail?
The Off-Camera Show strives to answer these questions as host and film connoisseur Sam Jones goes one-on-one asking insider questions to generational talent actors and artists with massive impact to their craft. The Off-Camera Show reaches a level of authenticity and intimacy with its interviewees your prime-time talk show could only dream of.
Sideways
Active Since: November 2013
Subscribers: 847k
Some of the greatest movie directors have suggested that the musical score of any film is 50% of the movie experience. Even higher if the movie is a musical. The Sideways channel is the movie equivalent to biting into a scrumptious confectionary and wondering “what’s in this?”. The host reviews music in movies from a myriad of genres.
Sideways explains down to the very science of why certain keys and chords make us feel certain emotions. For example, I’ve recently learned that a Dm key is typically used to evoke somber emotions. How about them apples? In short, Sideways helps the casual movie watcher to both understand how the score impacts movie and the role of composers in filmmaking.
Fandor
Active Since: November 2010
Subscribers: 195k
Don’t let the small subscriber count in comparison to the others on this list fool you. The creators of Fandor are movie fanatics who respect the tradition of cinema whilst giving an uplifting perspective on the revolutionary directions the industry may go. Like many branded channels, Fandor created a handful of video series that follow a formula perfect for YouTube binging.
My personal favorite is their “Why We Love…” series where it will give a brief, but highly intellectual and insightful evaluation of why a particular actor is so beloved. What makes that particular actor unique and superior. Consider this my “Why I Love Fandor,” entry.
For more info on these creators, visit their channels and support by subscribing. Which channels did you know and which channels were a new find?