Barry - Bill Hader's Unique Directing Style (Season 4)
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
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This video essay analyzes HBO's forth season of Barry, directed by Bill Hader. Barry has been a unique viewing experience due to its visual style, and this video essay investigates how it uses shot reverse shot to create isolation and antagonism between its characters, the way it unravels information using video and sound, and some of the most impressive long shots in television.
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Timestamps:
0:00 Barry Season 4
2:32 Shot Reverse Shot
4:45 Unravelling Information
10:47 Long Shots
#barry #billhader #barryfinale 
Развлечения
Fun Fact: While filming his final scene of season two, Henry Winkler looked around between takes and realized that they were filming on the same soundstage where he had filmed "Happy Days" over forty years earlier.
love the fonzie
@@llamapartyy it's the Fonz or just Fonzie with no the
@@yt_energy "the fonzie" is exactly how noho hank would say it
@@71sk8erdude🤣🤣🤣🤣 “you know the Fonzie, yeah, such a great guy. Look a little like Barry acting teacher but cooler and younger. The Fonzie rule so much times.” 😂😂😂😂
Stage 19 at Paramount in LA
The most impressive thing about this show to me is how well they managed to develop Noho Hank into one of the most successfully tragic characters in the show. Noho Hank! He was basically always a punchline in that first season. I love what they were able to do with him. His transformation as the show goes on is kind of representative of the various ways the show changes in later seasons.
OMG that final shot of his death under cristobal statue was phenomenal
In Season 4, especially in scenes with Barry, I felt like I was watching a silent film. Almost no dialogue, with the cinematography and sound design being the main drivers of the story. Really amazing.
There was an episode of season 3 where Barry had no dialogue. You could tell Hader directed this show as a long film.
@@t221000 crazy! You can really tell he likes being the director even more than the protagonist
i love how the show also expanded so much beyond just barry, to the point that he was just another character among the rest, so cool
@@Person-lk1vs He affected all their lives like how Walter White affected the lives of everyone around him
@@t221000 love the parallels with Breaking Bad too! The show started being Breaking Bad but backwards and ended up being "Remaining Worse" lol
Barry is one of the best shows of past decade. So unique. Can't wait to see what Bill does next.
Disagree.
Agree.
Darn right it is. HBO is KING
Dude! The last episode ended everything absolutely perfectly!
@@sadclownjoin5021 Barry is one of the most unique shows ever made, the amount of emotional nuance over the first 3 seasons won’t ever be topped.
Barry doesn't get enough love, it's an excellent show
It's a simple premise and doesn't go crazy but it has some seriously well crafted episodes, themes and dialog. Some great cinematography and the acting is on point
What do you mean "doesn't get enough love"? It has won 9 emmys
thats what happens when you release it at the same time and on the same night as succession
It's the hottest show right now and everyone is talking about it, not to mention all the awards it's won. How much more love are you expecting?
@@AricTWS it is not the hottest show right now. even the first commenter said "Barry doesn't get enough love"
To me, the final shootout between Fuches and Hank was the best oner/information drip feed. Those quick cuts which obfuscated where Sally, Fuches, and John were followed by the wide shot to hide them in the mess added a supreme amount of tension when they could have cut rapidly to every bit of relevant action. Then the grenade stunt added a highly technical comedic exclamation point to an already complicated shot. Then we're drip fed the information that Fuches protected John while Sally hid, and finally the camera tracks Fuches and John while Sally aimlessly calls out for John in the background, getting completely left behind.
We finally see that Sally will attempt to protect John, but he's still a reminder of the relationship she trapped herself in and as a result she will always struggle to love him selflessly as the son of her psychopathic partner. All this is evident in that moment of tension where we see a man who has never spoken to John prioritize him more than his own mother. *Chef's kiss*
I love that Fuches protected John so much. He was adamant that prison made him realize he’s a heartless monster, but that proved not to be true. He loved one thing, and that’s Barry.
@@stephengrant4841 While he realized that he is heartless and irredeemable, yet he felt that Barry could lead the normal life he always wanted to and felt obligated to save the child. Little did he know that even Barry was beyond redemption by then. The show was tragic, but fair.
Very well put. That sequence shook me. I absolutely loved how they had Sally just crawling in the background, calling out for John, without focusing in the camera on her.
I see. I didn't understand that to begin with, but you're right,.
What they were able to do in four seasons, with 32 episodes that were 30 minutes long is amazing, they were able to accomplish just as much as a bunch of those other shows did in the hour long format with more seasons, Barry was such a pleasant surprise, I just started watching it a week ago, so I just finished it, I’m glad I didn’t discover it until I could just stream the whole thing
Been watching it since it aired and I don’t envy you one bit. The speculation and listening to podcasts (including one with Bill Hader himself) after an episode aired and waiting for the next episode/season and finally getting there is so much better.
@@jammedhands well, I wasn’t exactly trying to invoke jealousy. Obviously everybody has a preferred way of watching a show, but glad you enjoyed it also.
@@jammedhands Same dude. I started watching it in season 1 and I have loved every moment of it, including the long waits in between seasons waiting for the next one to start.
Same here period went in with no expectations and had my mind blown what a ride.
same i was so glad i could watch it all at once
Barry is an amazing series, but one of its main strengths is that it's directed as a comedy. The main element of comedy is surprise, but the underlying element of comedy is truth. Every scene is study of reaction: the rection of the characters, the reaction of the viewer. The long shots are a classic example of comedy: premise and idea, set up and surprise. Every scene is a joke.
Couldn’t agree more! Not just the structure but the tightness and timing of everything screams comedy. The rapid fire flurry of punches of information is so, SO impactful without any fat in the script, warranting multiple rewatches to fully appreciate all the nuances. And the writing + direction is so good that this show frequently achieves in 30 minutes what many other prestige shows cannot in multiple 45-60 min episodes. The comedy runtime and pacing is part of what makes it so unique and effective.
What we find interesting is relatable to us. Comedy hides behind truth. The smallest inkling of truth may give us a new perspective. Truth is relatable. Laughter is contagious. Don't confuse their truth for your truth, just because you think it's funny.
The trick is to remain confused. Allow yourself to dissolve behind whatever this concept of truth is and you'll wake up in the other side.
I actually think Hader was evolving from what ppl expected of him and would accept and after he established the show, he treats Barry as a Shakespearean tragedy. Everyone around him has their Achille’s heel, but Barry’s is the vortex of all of it. “Am I a good man?” No, Barry, you’re not.
Also, I think Barry’s last season is somewhat of a commentary on the Christian Nationalist movement and their ability to think they are champion good, while being violent and hateful.
Like the long shot of the missle missing the house. Hilarious
@@Gleem1313 I actually think Fughes was the vortex of destruction….even though he wasn’t the focal point of the show…. I think the fact that Barry hated his dark nature is kind of a catch 22 and showing that he had potential for redemption but tragically, we didn’t get to see it played out at the end, but I kind of saw it in his face when he decided to turn himself in there was like a huge relief. A far cry from Walter White’s ending.
Noho's tiger scene and the rescue of Cristobal was an emotional rollercoaster! Brilliant how everything came together-writing, acting, directing, sound effects, and so much more. I'm really starting to suspect that Hader might be a genius. I keep listening to interviews with him. Love him and Conan together
Barry is phenomenal, mostly because it evolved so subtly
I love how he walks so differently down the isle as Clark than as Barry. Limps as Clark, walks with a purpose as Barry.
Underrated would be an understatement for this show. Brilliant writing and acting. Can’t wait to see what Bill Hader does next!
Overrated
Barry had a distinct style when it comes to depicting depicting gun violence. The gunshots are muted, distant and sterile (with a few exceptions, like Barry’s rampage in Season 2). When multiple shots are fired, they are usually in far wide shots. Tight close ups are usually done to single gunshots usually dealing the killing blow. It doesn’t play on the bombastic, almost grandiose, gun fights you usually see but it doesn’t downplay it either. It doesn’t really evoke fear either maybe indifference, comedic even (That "Oh, wow" scene) . They don’t focus on the violence but rather on the people on either end of the gun (unlike the film The Mask Collector).
"Gun violence" is a manufactured term designed to evoke an emotional response in you by associating guns with bad things such violent crime, murder, etc. as opposed to self-defense situations and stopping crime. Guns are inanimate objects, they don't commit acts of violence.
Heard he's gonna make a horror comedy starring himself and 2 other movies. Man I can't wait to watch those unfold.. horror genre is a good choice given how he's so good with sound effects.
The long shots in this season were some of the most brilliant pieces of cinematography I’ve ever seen, Barry will go down as one of the greatest shows of all time!
Sky’s the limit for Hader as an auteur director. I hope he only takes projects that he’s passionate about, because it’s solid fundamentals that elevate his work
Great breakdown of what we saw in S4! I’ll miss this show
Oh, wow.
It’s a beast of a show stylistically
Barry taught me one of life's most important lessons...there's no forgiving Jeff.
Thanks for making this. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the uniqueness of the show. The cinematography really sells it.
Barry is a Masterpiece... Love to see what Bill Hader has in store for us next
I just loved the little homages to other directors and even old time slap stick. Such a joy to watch.
What makes Barry so unique is that how it portrayed violence.
Breaking Bad/ Better Call Saul love to have exciting music whenever there’s a shootout scene. The most notable one is Walter White’s death with a full song of “Baby Blue” to close Walter’s chapter, making the violence looks badass.
Barry, on the other hand, portrayed violence as something abrupt and pathetic, giving the audience the feeling of “What? Really?”
It makes the violence feels real and doesn’t glorify these violent characters.
Like that scene in the first season where the marines drive towards the Bolivians in a blaze of glory. It's all crazy and metal AF.
Then when the bullets come through the windshield, it's just abrupt and to the point. They're dead now
The removal of the cathartic aspect of violence usually found in hollywood really grounds it and makes it all the more visceral.
How does Walter white's death scene seem badass lol. Are you talking about the shootout scene before? There wasn't any "badass" music in it.
@@disappointmentyes6387 The scene that Jesse killed Todd and Walter killed Jack had an ominous exciting music with the visual of Walter being the personification of death who killed Jack mid-sentence really has a vibe of “This is Heisenberg. Don’t ever mess with Heisenberg.”
So it’s a badass music.
@aec aec “Guess I got what I deserve.” But in the end, he won. He died happily inside a meth lab being satisfied with what he had achieved while successfully evading the police. Breaking Bad glorified Walter from the beginning to an end.
And about badass music to violent scenes, just look at all action scenes including Mike Ehrmantraut. The music were so cool and cozy, making Mike look very cool and making the audience totally forgets that Mike is a violent killer. Hell, people these days still think Mike is a good person thanks to the portrayal like these.
Absolute banger of a show, with all episodes at least a 9 out of 10. And it gaves us NoHo Hank, which is just... *chefskiss*
very excited to see bill harder's future work
One influence on Hader's style that I haven't seen mentioned is Blake Edwards, who loved long, elaborately staged wide shots filled with action. I'm thinking specifically of the conclusion of "Barry''s" freeway chase at the car dealership, where all hell is breaking loose in a static shot, action both indoors and outdoors. This reminds me of the early scene in "Victor/Victoria," where the cockroach is released in a fancy restaurant. At the instant of chaos, Edwards cuts outdoors to a full exterior of the restaurant, the sound drops, and we see massive bedlam in a single image. I'm also reminded, from the same movie, of the fast tracking shot along a train platform, where a ranting Lesley Ann Warren is barreling through train car after train car pursuing James Garner on the platform. I can now absolutely imagine Bill Hader doing something like that. Thanks for the essay!
Really good video. Barry is so underrated. My favorite series in a long time
Seeing more video essays of Barry makes me so happy, such an underrated show
For some reason that shot where Barry is in solitary and they have him just staring directly into the camera looking back into his past really grabbed me. You don't see shots like that on TV, normally
Genuinely one of the best shows ever imo and I only watched all 4 seasons in a couple months. On par with Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Peaky Blinders for me
Deserves more love
Peaky Blinders started well, but then kind of forgot to go somewhere imo
Great job finding moments from the show that go along with what you were talking about! Thanks for this vid 👏
The fantasy elements really made the show something else. Every time I watched them I was hocked, unsure if it was really happening, or just a memory and that was down to Harders direction. Can't wait to see what he does next.
Love the points about over-the-shoulder shooting for dialogue vs opposing shots. Very true and I'm just realizing now why I love the juxtaposition of the latter style. It really does create a distance between the two characters which is essential for creating a 'rift' between two characters. Love the videos super informative, got a fan here!
Nice analysis, well done! I appreciate this series even more
Absolutely love your breakdowns. Barry was so good!
It bothers me how often I ask someone if they watched Barry, and they say they’ve never heard of it. Such an amazing show.
absolutely brilliant video essay!!!
The lion eating the prisoner in the room next to Hank was incredible. Everything done only with audio.
I'd also like to add his masterful control of focus. The show has many scenes where the main action takes place out of focus, or sometimes even out of our view. Like in the Ronny/Lily episode, sometimes the characters are fighting out of the view and we can only hear them and sometimes they are in the screen, but not necessarily in the center.
This is specially used in the action scenes, it gives us a time off the action so that we are not so trapped by the spectacle and instead can dedicate some of our brain to thinking about it instead of just enjoying the ride, it also cements the show as not an action show.
However, the action scenes are not the real payoffs, the amount of scenes where the content is out of focus makes us extra-sensitive to focused content, so when for example Sally is giving her iconic monologue, her face being exactly at the center of the screen makes us feel almost unconfortably too close to her.
The same way many directors exploit the contrast between silent and loud scenes, Bill Hader is the first I have seen to exploit the contrast of focus and unfocused content.
It was great to see Hader’s directing style flourish over 4 seasons
We definitely need the opinion on the finale
Fantastic review! Hader is an instant legend as a director. Nice breakdown of his fun and interesting tactics 🥂
killer breakdown. thanks!
Great job dude. I love the evolution of Mr. Hader and I can’t wait to see what’s ext from him.
in a video with the criterion channel Bill Hader gushed about the shot in Taxi Driver when Travis is on the phone to Betsy after taking her to a porn film. he mentioned that it’s so hard to watch because it’s so pathetic, and when the camera proves to the side and sits focusing on the hallway instead of the phone call, it’s like the movie can’t even watch what’s happening. you can tell that one shot had a lot of influence on Hader especially in seasons 3 and 4
This was too good. The show and your video.
phenomenal show, can't wait to see what Hader does next
Insightful analysis
I think the underlying aesthetic of Barry is starkness. Barry is a show that makes you uncomfortable and resists satisfying, sentimental solutions. It's important to both the violence and the comedy.
When Barry strangles a man to death, holding the camera for a long time forces us to stay with them each moment, making the violence feel extra brutal. When someone is killed, it often feels unceremonious, so the world feels cold and unfair.
By presenting absurd things bluntly, they actually feel more absurd. It's like a deadpan, offhanded delivery from a comedian. For example, when the Czechens are raided by the Bolivians and then the police, the huge wide shot lets the whole thing play out with minimal cuts, and the sheer chaos of it gives you a feeling like "What the fuck?"
great video man i appreciate it
Barry is well up there with the great ones. Top notch film making. Also, it introduced me to Khruangbin and for that alone I'm eternally grateful.
I have something called the 'cat test' where I classify a show's sound editing based on my cat's reactions to the show. If the show didn't pay for a good sound editor or doesn't have good enough acting, my cat sits quietly through the entire thing without looking, volume 20 or 100. If the characters have genuine, real stress and emotion in their voices and the sound design is given extreme attention, my cat will sit up and watch along with me.
Not too many shows pass the cat test. A couple that come to mind are Severance, Breaking Bad, Fargo...but would still sleep sometimes during certain eps of those shows.
She almost never slept through Barry.
The black screen open in season 3 (Forgiving Jeff) I also distinctly remember her looking wide eyed at the screen and her ears getting all sharp at the sound of the guy getting tortured.
anyway here's a like and comment for the algo, good luck
The show doesnt have a bad episode in 4 seasons. Wow.
Oh wow
Oh wow
Oh wow
Oh wow
Oh wow
Such a PHENOMENAL fucking show man. Goddamn.
How is this show not as popular as Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul!!!? The last great show of the golden era of television... Great observation. Thanx!!!
It feels a lot like reading a book with the way it chooses which senses to introduce first.
Season 4 leaned aaalll the in.
Every episode had at least a few seriously ambitious creative choices.
Great breakdown for a show that will be talked about for a long time.
@4:34 I'd like to make a long-shot speculation: Because Hader is emulating the Coen brothers in a way, the thug to the right at the stand-off between Fuches and Hank looks a lot like Flea. Like a muscley Flea. Maybe Hader was making a callback to Flea being in the big Lebowski (and also playing a thug in a bunch of movies). Maybe he just wasn't available so they got a stand in.
Fantastic as always
Do your thing, algorithm!
More love to J.A.O.!
Man I cannot wait for what Bill can do with a full movie budget😮💨, his action is so refreshing
Holy shit I've been needing videos like this.
excellent video for someone trying to understand film making
good video, thank you
This is really making me crave a yoshinoya beef bowl
Excellent analysis! Unsurprisingly I thoroughly enjoyed every episode Hader directed but I couldn't put my finger on why exactly. You helped me to understand why. I've never really gotten too deep in to film analysis but this has greatly piqued my interest in it.
Barry is the best instance of subverting expectations.
Only other one that compares for me is The Boys. If u guys like the story progression, character dynamics, and sense of buildup and payoff, you'll love The Boys especially season 3.
@@AUniqueName I love that show I was even considering re-watching season 3 today.
And this is coming from somebody who can't stand the original writer's work
One of my fave shows of all time tbh if not the.
I would love to see some type of doc on Franklin saint from snowfall. Very underrated character arc
Can't wait for him to make a movie
Nice
Season 4 felt to surreal
need more about barry
Love Barry!
Barry follow up? Lets go
watching the first season youd not see how this series would have ended the way it did god damn. also fuches being such a bad guy that final act of protecting and returning john to barry was just chefs kiss. no dialogue nods and runs back into the darkness. idk why but i had a small feeling once fuches found out it was barrys son he was gonna save him but kept face to keep his rep when dealing with his guys and noho. also rip noho at least hes with cristobal. man such character development over 4 seasons 20-30minute episodes with all the characters is insane
I'm glad it's over, that means it can't be ruined anymore or jump the shark. And I really liked the show, it was fun at first, then it became ridiculous but in a fun way (which is a really tough balance nowadays) and it stayed exciting throughout the entire run. Seeing Barry's skills was super satisfying, the characters are endearing (also rare nowadays) and it was just great.
Thx
I admit I had seen the show's name, but never really felt much need to watch it. It was only recently, when I saw the clip where Barry is surrounded by guys in suits and says "that guy is here to kill me" and I was like WTF is ths show?? And I watched it and I am so glad I did. Such a fantastic show - and I'm so glad they wrapped it up before it got stale.
ronny/lily really set a standard
There's a documentary called the killing act similar to Barry
BARRY IS G.O.A.T if this is Hader's directorial debut, WTF is going to do next?!?!? 🤩🤩🤩
I would also like to point out that I'm now realizing that Bill Hader is actually utilizing traditional film-making methods (complicated blocking, long tracking shots, more actions during dialogue) that was common in the golden-age 30s to late 60s. Classical Hollywood had much more involved directing. Whereas contemporary film-making is all about 'intense continuity'. Quick cuts, shaky-cam, close-ups in close-ups, and only has 2 distinct styles generally for dialogue scenes. Stand and talk (also sit and talk) and walking and talking - generally down a hallway. Learned this these concepts recently from a Thomas Flight video, here on youtube - another awesome channel about auteur cinema.
Hell yeah
This is a bit nit picky but you did kinda not mention the credit scenes and how much suspense they left at the end of each episode
Going to miss those long shots. Going to miss how fast and tight a lot of the action is portrayed instead of drawn out dramatic nonsense. Thinking about the chase with motorcycles ends sitting back watching the rider go up on the roof, the guy coming out with the gun, Barry walking away etc. There is something almost relaxing about observing from a distance, everything folding in front of you without frenzied edits or angles and flashes of this and that. Also enjoy the care he puts into each shot, with lots of Wes Anderson-esque composed scenes. Very unique. Give this man a feature film, stat!
This show has the cinematography I am mainly failing to see at the theatre. HBO lives up to its name with this show.
I love barry
Unlike most people, I thought the last scene in the last episode of the last series was freaking hilarious... Bill Hader at his best.
The Fonz wasn't wearing his jacket confused me a bit.
Idk how I even feel about the story but this show is an absolute powerhouse regardless.
One thing I didn’t understand was 2 scenes with Sally. The one we’re she had an intruder and the one where she saw the cop near Cousineas in Season 4. Like it seemed like she was hallucinating but it was real? Had me pretty confused
About the Unravelling information part: It's Always Sunny uses this technique too, but for comedic effect. A scene starts with only two or three characters having a conversation, only to later reveal someone who was there the entire time, having listened to the absurd things being said. A punchline delivered purely through blocking and framing
have you considered analyzing Mr Robot?
1:33 Oh... er.... I actually didn't know that
That is f*cking impressive on Haders part.
Bill Hader is just talented and thank God cuz there are fewer talented people in Hollywood nowadays its more about how famous you are
every time he says tom all i see is matthew mcfaddyen
One surprise for me was discovering that Michael ironside played a Russian mob boss. I was like, “is that who I think it is?”
Barry is what they call dark comedy. It’s so absurd it’s funny. American Psycho would be great to watch after watching Barry. Most people didn’t understand the absurd dark comedy of American Psycho.
I dunno, I loved the show and then it gave me what I think was the worse conclusion possible which I THINK was a completely different tone the the entire rest of the series. I felt betrayed by the ending.
Check out Mr Inbetween, another great black comedy hit man one
😎