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Off Screen is a YouTube channel dedicated to educational video essays and thoughtful pop culture analysis. Through short-form documentaries, Isaac highlights how modern storytelling is connected to the ideas of influential thinkers throughout history — and plays a profound role in viewers' lives long after they turn off the screen.

The Road to Halo - The History of War | World Showcase
01:05:51

The Road to Halo - The History of War | World Showcase

A complete breakdown of human history in the Halo universe. Everything you need to know before starting the Halo saga. *HEADPHONES RECOMMENDED* HISTORICAL NOTES: - This is not intended as a complete representation of warfare over the centuries, but of conflicts directly relevant to the Halo narrative. Little is covered of non-Western warfare, and countless conflicts of Greece, Rome, and England are omitted. Likewise, no mention is made of the Gulf War—those visuals were consolidated into the War on Terror. - It is generally accepted that the term ‘Dark Ages’ is inaccurate and misleading, with historians preferring the term 'Middle Ages’. Because ‘Dark Ages’ is used in the Halo fiction, it has been upheld here. - Inconsistencies in Preston Cole's Naval rank progression have been preserved from the original text. HALO NOTES: - Footage from the games is used to capture the general aesthetic of a time period, rather than adhering to canonical placement. Example: the deglassing operation on Meridian takes place after the Covenant War, but is used as a stand-in for early industrial colonies prior to Reach. - Epsilon Indi's location addressed here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=74EzB6WtAQ4&t=7s - Further notes: https://www.halopedia.org/User:Postmortem/TheRoadToHalo Join our Discord community ►► https://discord.gg/YPVWjd2wgd Support Off Screen on Patreon ► https://www.patreon.com/offscreen 00:00 - The History of War 06:08 - Colonial Era 08:44 - The Great Wars 13:13 - Cold War 14:57 - Information Age 16:44 - Artificial Intelligence 20:12 - Intrasolar Era 23:22 - Interplanetary War 28:59 - FTL 30:56 - Extrasolar Era 34:34 - Ross-Ziegler Blip 36:06 - Domus Diaspora 44:14 - Tension, Unrest 47:13 - Project ORION 48:40 - Far Isle 50:19 - Callisto Incident 53:32 - Insurrection 59:13 - Halsey 1:02:39 - Outro IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE Film & Television: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alexander, 300, 300: Rise of an Empire, Noah, Hannibal: Rome’s Worst Nightmare, Silence, Vikings, The King, The Patriot, Barry Lyndon, Gettysburg, The Last Samurai, War Horse, The Red Baron, They Shall Not Grow Old, World War II: From the Frontlines, The Thin Red Line, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, The Atomic Cafe, Jarhead, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Pandora’s Box, Transformers, Battlestar Galactica, Transcendence, Ex Machina, The Circle, Caprica, Soldier, THX 1138, Science and the Swastika, Elysium, The Expanse, Her, Moon, Don’t Look Up, Interstellar, The Martian, Firefly, Starship Troopers, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, Serenity, Black Widow, Frank Herbert’s Dune, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Star Trek Into Darness, Avatar, Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars, Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, V for Vendetta, Aliens, Captain America: Civil War, Alien, Superman, The Straight Story, Days of Heaven, Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, The Bourne Ultimatum Music: Cratered, Raddir, Unforgotten, ONI Sword Base, Skyline, Impend, Dug In, Strategic Feint, Fevered Dread, Legitimate Strategy, Black Tower, Infiltrate, Sacrifice, Cairo Suite, Finale, Ossified, The Road, Six-Armed Robbing Suit, Reverie, Long Night of Solace, Winter Contingency, Remembered Sins, No More Dead Heroes, Last of the Brave, Truth and Reconciliation, Collateral Harm, Echoes of Orion, Gambit, Bon Voyage, Bon Chance, Scorched Earth, Next Move, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Dominion, Steal into Darkness, It’s Done, Halo Interactive Media: Black Ops II, Infinite Warfare, Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Starfield Additional Artwork: The Death of Caesar by Gérôme (1859-1867) “We Will Win” Italian Propaganda Poster (1939-1941) “Communist Victory Inevitable!” Propaganda Poster (1969) Ice Age Edmonton Mural by Zaiken (2019) Chicxulub Impact by Davis (1994) Other Media: Eiseinhower’s ‘Military-Industrial Complex’ Farewell Address - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyBNmecVtdU&t=508s Society of the Ancients Protest - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Y97seNNXs&t=3s 60 Minutes ’The AI Revolution: Google’s Developers on the Future of Artificial Intelligence’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ5EsdnpLMI CBS Reports ’The ChatGPT Revolution’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcFAlZIQ3NI&t=207s Full Conversation Between Blake Lemoine and LaMBDA - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAihcvDGaP8 Mayo Clinic TV Spot ’The Unknown’ - https://www.ispot.tv/ad/nhQx/mayo-clinic-the-unknown Neutron Star Merger Animation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8VDwGi0r0E All media belongs to their respective copyright owners and is used under Fair Use. The Road to Halo was created under Microsoft’s “Game Content Usage Rules” using assets from Halo, and it is not endorsed by or affiliated with Microsoft. Political Maps: David Fuchs 3D Holographics & Carver Findings: Wilson Van Ness UNSC Ship Models: Jared Harris (Malcontent1692) CIM Model & ORION Armor Lockup: @TacoHombre_ ORION Renders: @mrgruntington CMA Logo: Stephen Loftus #Halo #War #History
Andor | Off Screen Review
10:04

Andor | Off Screen Review

Support Off Screen on Patreon ►► https://www.patreon.com/offscreen Join our Discord community ► https://discord.gg/YPVWjd2wgd Isaac reviews Andor, comparing it with George Lucas' earlier filmmaking. POST-RELEASE NOTES: • It was pointed out that the sheep are a real breed known as Hebrideans, and naturally grow that many horns. Media in Order of Appearance: Andor © Disney Platform Distribution The Book of Boba Fett © Disney Platform Distribution Obi-Wan Kenobi © Disney Platform Distribution The Mandalorian © Disney Platform Distribution Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope © 20th Century Fox Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back © 20th Century Fox Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith © 20th Century Fox Avatar © 20th Century Fox King Kong © Paramount Pictures The Lost World © 20th Century Fox THX 1138 © Warner Bros. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Charlie Rose © PBS Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones © 20th Century Fox Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace © 20th Century Fox Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi © 20th Century Fox The Force Awakens: Crafting Creatures © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Rogue One © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction © AMC Thanks to Zach Rosenlund for composing original music for this video and channel. Check out more of his work ► https://soundcloud.com/the_third_music Business/Educator Inquiries ► offscreenconnect@gmail.com #Andor #StarWars #Disney
The Road to Dune | World Showcase
29:00

The Road to Dune | World Showcase

Everything you need to understand the world of Dune. *NOT INTENDED FOR VIEWING ON MOBILE DEVICES* *HEADPHONES RECOMMENDED* WORLD SHOWCASE: A new series exploring fictional worlds. FURTHER READING: Denis Villeneuve's Vision for DUNE ►► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZcfdLKdLU8 Quinn's Ideas ►► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1rFmaGLYr0Ve_Y_soxZNWQ Atreides ► https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atreus Holtzman Engine AutoCAD [DOWNLOAD] ► https://www.dropbox.com/s/ss0xr10tyc8a90j/Dune-CAD.zip?dl=1 Off Screen's Dune Reference Guide [DOWNLOAD] ► https://www.dropbox.com/s/dbyb429hfotz5w9/Off%20Screen%20DUNE%20Reference%20Guide.pdf?dl=1 OVERVIEW 00:00 - Early Flight 03:43 - Age of Exploration 05:16 - Techno-optimism 06:17 - Interstellar Civilization 06:37 - Holtzman Effect 08:44 - New Feudalism 09:06 - The Butlerian Jihad 11:25 - Post-Technological Universe 13:06 - A World of Ideas 14:34 - New Scriptures 15:19 - The Bene Gesserit 18:22 - Ubermensch 21:12 - Arrakis, Desert Planet 22:25 - Melange 24:19 - Human Ideologies 24:48 - The Birth of Paul Atreides 25:57 - Outro POST-RELEASE NOTES: • International release is Sept. 15th, not October. • When discussing the Bene Gesserit's manipulation of embryos, the term "biological sex" should have been used instead of "gender" to be more accurate. • Kwisatz Haderach was misspelled Film & Television: First Man, Dune, Flash Gordon © Universal Pictures Ad Astra, The Martian, Alien, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, Avatar, Assassin's Creed, I, Robot, Alita: Battle Angel, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope © 20th Century Fox 2001: A Space Odyssey © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Interstellar, Star Trek Beyond, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek, Star Trek: First Contact © Paramount Pictures Rogue One, Tomorrowland, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, John Carter © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 300: Rise of an Empire, The Fountain, Blade Runner 2049, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Jupiter Ascending, Her, The Matrix Revolutions, Terminator Salvation, The Matrix Reloaded, Man of Steel © Warner Bros. Pictures Elysium, Life, Total Recall, Chappie © Sony Pictures Releasing Samsara © Oscilloscope Laboratories Battlestar Galactica, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune © NBCUniversal Television Moonraker © United Artists Terminator 2: Judgment Day © Tri-Star Pictures Frank Herbert's Dune © Hallmark Entertainment Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets © EuropaCorp Distribution Black Mirror © Endemol Shine UK Ex Machina © A24 Bo Burnham: Inside © Netflix The Terminator © Orion Pictures Bicentennial Man © Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Game of Thrones © Warner Bros. Television Distribution Minority Report © DreamWorks Pictures Historical Footage: Apollo 11 Launch ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cOhZy7dhTo Mars Curiosity Descent ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esj5juUzhpU Inside Nazi Germany ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3LOIMnC8fE&t=273s Nietzsche ► https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche Nazi Germany - The Persecution Begins ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJIbWk66n88&t=44s Artwork: Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam by Mark Zug (1997) ► http://markzug.com/prints/single-gallery/2851036 Greenfield Papyrus (11th century BCE) ► https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenfield_papyrus Bust of Isis-Sothis-Demeter (2nd century BCE) ► https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isis USSR "Always with the Party!" Propaganda (1970) Nazi Party "Fight for Our Leader and People" Propaganda (1936) Bene Gesserit Training (1984) ► https://telegraf.com.ua/static/storage/thumbs/1400-*/8/35/6111643a-9afeea976aa8763d5990f22e0c3ba358.jpg?v=5394_1 Songs: "Wallace" by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch © Epic/ASG "Main Title" by Toto © Polydor "Goodbye Old Friend" by Bear McCreary and "I Teach You, the Overman" by Tom Holkenborg © WaterTower Music "The Ring of Paul", "Irulan 1s Regret", "The Battle of Naraj", and "Leto and Ghanima" by Brian Tyler © Blixa Film Production GmbH & Co. KG and TTP Film Distributions II. LLC "Father / Son" by Makeup and Vanity Set, "The Rebellion" by Ryan Taubert, and "Afraid to Forget" by Hammock - licensed from Musicbed Other Media in Order of Appearance: Dune Official Trailer ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9xhJrPXop4&t=1s Halo Landfall ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyOAdrxlPVs&t=3s Dune | Official Main Trailer ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g18jFHCLXk&t=59s Foundation - Official Teaser 2 ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvOAA1U0li8 Geneva Bible ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxwbIeDszR0&t=146s Shrine of the Book ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8aBq5voX8k&t=245s Quran ► https://arabic-for-nerds.com/style-quran-iltifat/ Om ► http://brahmakumarisresearch.org/philosophy Center for Fertility & Reproductive Medicine ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcu2382T-8g&t=49s Dune Cast Q&A with Stephen Colbert ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjLijCWt76o #Dune #FrankHerbert #TimotheeChalamet #DenisVilleneuve
The Hero's Journey of Diana of Themyscira
32:40

The Hero's Journey of Diana of Themyscira

Support Off Screen on Patreon ►► https://www.patreon.com/offscreen Join our Discord community ► https://discord.gg/YPVWjd2wgd Wonder Woman is the perfect example of how The Hero's Journey can be flipped onto its head — taking a feminine viewpoint that contradicts many of the lessons learned by male heroes in legends past — yet still retain the essential core of what this classic mythological structure is about. OVERVIEW 00:00 - Introduction 01:49 - PART 1: Departure from the Fantastic World & Hero's Introduction 03:23 - Meeting the Mentor 03:43 - Promise of Great Destiny 04:36 - Call to Adventure 05:17 - THE DRAGON STIRS 06:37 - Loss of the Mentor 07:26 - Refusal of the Call 08:07 - Divine Beauty 08:45 - Leap of Faith 09:06 - Magical Talisman 09:32 - PART 2: The Adventure Begins 11:15 - Shadow Self 12:07 - Threshold Crossing 13:22 - The World of Men 15:30 - Tests, Allies, Enemies 15:57 - Supernatural Aid 16:29 - Descent 16:54 - The Effects of War 17:51 - THE DRAGON AWAKES 18:18 - Becoming the Hero 21:21 - Moment of Light 23:16 - The Dragon's Lair 24:27 - Belly of the Beast 25:04 - Magical Flight 25:28 - Facing the Dragon 26:26 - PART 3: Return & THE DRAGON REVEALED 28:26 - Facing the True Dragon 28:53 - Loss of the (Divine) Mentor 29:41 - Synthesis 31:06 - The Master of Two Worlds 31:55 - Outro Films in Order of Appearance: Wonder Woman © Warner Bros. Pictures Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse © Sony Pictures Releasing 300 © Warner Bros. Pictures Songs in Order of Appearance: Sous les ponts de Paris by Lucienne Delyle © Campbell Connelly And Co., Lltd All other songs from the Wonder Woman soundtrack by Rupert Gregson-Williams © WaterTower Music Thanks to David Fuchs for the animations made for this video. Thanks to Mike Antonio Jr. for composing original music for this video and channel. Check out more of his work [EXPLICIT] ► https://mikeantoniojr.hearnow.com Thanks to Zach Rosenlund for composing original music for this video and channel. Check out more of his work ► https://soundcloud.com/the_third_music Business/Educator Inquiries ► offscreenconnect@gmail.com #WonderWoman #HerosJourney #JusticeLeague
The Empire Strikes Back and The Force, Explained
30:59

The Empire Strikes Back and The Force, Explained

Support Off Screen on Patreon ►► https://www.patreon.com/offscreen Join our Discord community ► https://discord.gg/YPVWjd2wgd Watch the first video in this series here ►► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UinipY7Pkmk&t=208s In this video, we analyze Luke's journey through The Empire Strikes Back and break down the deeper meaning of The Force within the context of the entire Skywalker Saga. TAOISM | The Philosophy Of Flow ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtGtqmC5wU4&list=PLNTgBVfgSRgkDqfp2QJsG1VxLb9Dbv2zB&index=2 EASTERN PHILOSOPHY: Wu Wei ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvZi7ZV-SWI&list=WL&index=1 OVERVIEW 00:00 - Introduction 01:25 - George Lucas & Irvin Kershner 02:13 - PART 1: The Empire Strikes Back 03:34 - Hero's Introduction 03:52 - "Belly" Symbolism 04:39 - Call to Adventure 05:25 - Shadow Self & Divine Beauty 05:51 - The Battle of Hoth 06:50 - Threshold Crossing 07:07 - Parallel Descent 07:32 - Subconscious World 08:36 - Meeting the Mentor 09:15 - PART 2: The Force 09:38 - The Flow State 10:27 - The Tao 11:49 - Nonaction 12:40 - Qui-Gon Jinn 13:37 - The Teaching 14:20 - The Great Mystery 15:13 - The Essence of Religion 15:59 - Zen Buddhism 16:40 - The Four Noble Truths 17:09 - The Middle Path 17:32 - Primacy of Mind 19:52 - PART 3: The Innermost Cave 22:03 - The New Shadow 22:48 - "Only Different in Your Mind" 23:50 - The Easy Path 24:33 - Facing the Dragon 25:09 - The Mandala 25:51 - "Use The Force, Luke" 26:42 - The Last Jedi 28:32 - "All The Religions Are True." 29:39 - Outro POST-RELEASE NOTES: • If you're bothered by how I ended this video, you may have missed what it was actually about. ;) • It was pointed out in a comment by Johnny Houx that Jinn may have come from the Chinese 勁 Jìn: "Translatable as 'power,' it often refers to the 'soft' power of remaining relaxed and using internal Qi (rather than muscular strength) to generate outward force." • When discussing The Four Noble Truths, I said that Buddhists have "studied" The Middle Path for centuries. A more apt word would have been "practiced." • The shot of Luke staring out to sea after his rescue from Cloud City is inaccurately attributed to The Last Jedi. It is from The Force Awakens. • David Fuchs name appears twice in the credits by mistake. The second should have gone to Zach Rosenlund for the music. Films in Order of Appearance: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope © 20th Century Fox Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth © PBS Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back © 20th Century Fox The Tree of Life © Fox Searchlight Pictures Black Swan © Fox Searchlight Pictures Free Solo © National Geographic Documentary Films Trumbo © Bleeker Street Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith © 20th Century Fox Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones © 20th Century Fox Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace © 20th Century Fox Rogue One: A Star Wars Story © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures The Mythology of Star Wars © Films for the Humanities Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi © 20th Century Fox Songs in Order of Appearance: "Calming Choir" by SoundPhenomenon - licensed from Pond5 "Afraid to Forget" by Hammock - licensed from Musicbed All other tracks are from the Star Wars soundtracks. Thanks to NBC for the use of their archived broadcast. Thanks to stuart bailey media for the use of their stock footage of New York in 1975. Thanks to Gerhard Huber for the use of their photograph of a djinn block from Petra, Jordan. Thanks to The British Museum for their archival image of the Seated Buddha from Gandhara. Additional Patrons supporting this video: Margaret Steiger Rebecca Norris Lexi Stanley Thanks to David Fuchs for the animations made for this video. Thanks to Zach Rosenlund for composing original music for this video and channel. Check out more of his work ► https://soundcloud.com/the_third_music Business/Educator Inquiries ► offscreenconnect@gmail.com #StarWars #EmpireStrikesBack #TheForce
The Hero's Journey of Miles Morales
23:11

The Hero's Journey of Miles Morales

Support Off Screen on Patreon ►► https://www.patreon.com/offscreen Join our Discord community ► https://discord.gg/YPVWjd2wgd "Voice of Joseph Campbell" from Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. For more on the Hero's Journey and its influence on Star Wars ►► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UinipY7Pkmk In 2011, the character of Miles Morales was introduced to Marvel Comics. But it wasn't until 2018 that the character gained widespread appeal through the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Aside from being a wonderful addition to the Marvel pantheon, this modern incarnation of Spider-Man is also an excellent example of the Hero's Journey, a storytelling structure written about by Joseph Campbell in his 1949 book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces". This mythic structure has been instrumental in the success of many major comic books and Hollywood adventures - including Star Wars. In this video, we break down how Miles Morales's Hero's Journey takes shape. OVERVIEW 00:00 - Introduction 01:09 - PART 1: Departure from the Ordinary World 01:47 - Hero's Introduction 03:26 - First Mentor 05:05 - Call to Adventure 06:08 - Refusal of the Call 07:11 - Descent 07:24 - Threshold Crossing 07:49 - Second Mentor 09:06 - PART 2: The Adventure Begins 09:18 - Loss of the Mentor 10:02 - Third Mentor (Shadow Self) 11:32 - Synthesis 12:03 - Divine Beauty 12:47 - Supernatural Aid 13:36 - Loss of the Mentor #2 15:13 - Belly of the Beast 17:14 - Rebirth 17:46 - PART 3: Return 18:21 - Magical Flight 20:27 - Facing the Dragon 21:20 - Master of Two Worlds 22:24 - Outro Films in Order of Appearance: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse © Sony Pictures Movies & Shows Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope © 20th Century Fox Wonder Woman © Warner Bros. Pictures Avengers: Endgame © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Spider-Man 2 © Sony Pictures Movies & Shows Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth © PBS Songs in Order of Appearance: "Sunflower" by Post Malone and Swae Lee © Republic Records "Memories" by Thutmose © Republic Records "Hypnotize" by The Notorious B.I.G. © Bad Boy Records & Arista Records "Buss This" by Ghetto Philharmonic © Tuff City Records "What's Up Danger" by Blackway & Black Caviar © Republic Records All other songs from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Original Score) by Daniel Pemberton © Sony Classical Records Thanks to David Fuchs for the animations made for this video. Thanks to Zach Rosenlund for composing original music for this video and channel. Check out more of his work ► https://soundcloud.com/the_third_music Business/Educator Inquiries ► offscreenconnect@gmail.com #Spiderman #HeroJourney #Spiderverse
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