Jason Mittell
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jmittell.bsky.social
Jason Mittell
@jmittell.bsky.social

Media studies professor at Middlebury College; video essayist & author of videographic book on Breaking Bad; author of written books on TV, narrative theory, etc.; journal manager of @intransition.bsky.social . [he/him] https://linktr.ee/jmittell .. more

Jason Mittell is a professor of American studies and film and media culture at Middlebury College whose research interests include the history of television, media, culture, new media, and digital humanities. He is author of four books, Genre and Television (2004), Television and American Culture (2009), Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling, and Narrative Theory and Adaptation. He also co-edited How To Watch Television and co-authored The Videographic Essay: Practice and Pedagogy. His digital-humanities activities focus primarily on videographic media criticism and, in 2015, he co-founded the first "Scholarship in Sound & Image" workshop, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Moreover, he is journal manager and co-editor of [in]Transition: Journal of Videographic Film & Moving Studies, published by the Open Library of Humanities and supported by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies. .. more

Communication & Media Studies 39%
Art 14%
Pinned
There wasn't a good list of accounts related to video essays - so I made this starter pack! Who did I miss? Who do you know who should join Bluesky to share & talk about video essays?
go.bsky.app/PtthhCc

Committee Royale
Make a Bond movie academic

Live and Let Cite
Make a Bond Movie academic

The writer's use of the word 'never' is problematic, and rewording might better serve the paper (1983)
Make a Bond movie academic

Live and Let Cite
Make a Bond Movie academic

The writer's use of the word 'never' is problematic, and rewording might better serve the paper (1983)
Make a Bond Movie academic

Best, Russia

Reposted by Jason Mittell

Time for the best Christmas post

Reposted by Jason Mittell

UPDATE

I have updated my story linked below with a high-quality broadcast version of the 60 Minutes segment that was pulled by Bari Weiss.

Here it is (no paywall): bit.ly/4qn6Jn5

I'm Thursday morning, second slot. Meh

Reposted by Jason Mittell

For this week's That's Marvelous newsletter I regrettably wrote a little bit about Bari Weiss (but also I happily wrote a little bit about dogs)! Read it here: www.thatsmarvelousnewsletter.com/163-60-minut...

Reposted by Jason Mittell

Here is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her ‘60 Minutes’ colleagues in full:

AWAY FROM HER: fascinating narrative patterns and techniques and not standard male canon

Since when does visual allusion = hackery? Feel free to dislike something, but condemning art for referring to other art in interesting ways is just petty

I did month of my 10th bday and was satisfied with the results

Well-argued, but it doesn't sufficiently account for how compelling Rhea Seehorn is to watch doing pretty much anything. I was utterly enthralled by ep 5, with her living a solo life for nearly the whole time. (I also have watched most eps in the afternoon, so I was wide awake...)

That stings...
[I think you're a couple of years older than me]

And it's telling that many of my students do not differentiate between film and TV anymore: same screens, same platforms, and often same narrative franchises/modes. They often watch films in 30-minute segments and binge hours of TV interchangeably. I'm old enough to think that is wrong!

Yeah, some narrative aspects of LOST work better weekly and others via binge. But the cultural engagement, theorizing, podcast listening, Lostpedia-editing, etc. is simply impossible via binge, and that's a quantifiable loss. And that's the essence of television for me: a shared cultural experience!

Agreed - but I think there's an analytic case to be made for a broader cultural norm to maximize the pleasures and possibilities of the medium, which transcends individual preference. For instance: my 20-something daughters experiencing SEVERANCE weekly was revelatory to them about what TV could be.

The #1 movie when you were 10 years old is how your 2026 is going to go.

(If only...)

There's a key difference between what people "prefer" conceptually (control, flexibility) and what is "better" in actuality (shared experiences, the glorious frustration of serialized gaps). Wanting to watch the next episode but being unable to is not preferred, but it is better for the experience.

You should vehemently argue for the weekly-release model just so you can maintain your culturally elite status of screener-privilege
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."

- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.

Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!

Reposted by Jason Mittell

Starting in 2027, Santa will be renamed Trump. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
During their White House meeting, Zohran Mamdani tried to explain FDR’s legacy to Donald Trump: “I spoke about how transformative the New Deal had been for our country and how that is the legacy of politics that I seek to draw upon in the work that I'm doing in New York City.”

Here’s how it went:
Zohran Mamdani on FDR, LaGuardia—and Trump
In an exclusive interview with The Nation, the mayor-elect goes behind the scenes of his meeting with the president and talks about some of his political heroes.
www.thenation.com
David Brooks, who wrote in the NYT last month, "The Epstein Story? Count Me Out" is... in the latest Epstein photo dump published by @oversightdemocrats.house.gov.

He should absolutely be fired by NYT for this. Major conflict of interest that he didn't disclose.
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.

And trans lives are grounded in reality.

We see y'all. No matter what.

www.popsci.com/science/tran...
First-of-a-kind study shows encouraging data for trans kids who socially transition
Ninety-four percent of participants in a new study stood firm in their trans identity after five years, and "detransitioning" is rare.
www.popsci.com
Zohran: "I mean, think about when you fly.  We have made it such a difficult experience to go through TSA that there's now a financial incentive to sign up for a separate program that can move you through it quicker. We have monetized the dysfunction."

Vermont is the local crafts boutique cart that pops up from October to December each year

So many great videos nominated here, with many titles I need to catch up on! I'm gratified by voters who cited my work, particularly "The Video Essay About The Show" - if you want to dive into almost an hour of reflexive confusion (featuring my dog), check out the link in bio.
Now in its ninth year, our annual poll, organised by by Jiří Anger, Veronika Hanáková, Kevin B. Lee and Occitane Lacurie, showcases a record 255 vital video essays, nominated by 72 international voters

www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-so...
The best video essays of 2025
Now in its ninth year, our annual poll showcases 255 vital video essays, nominated by 72 international voters.
www.bfi.org.uk

Reposted by Jason Mittell

Additionally, the @sightsoundmag.bsky.social poll of Best Video Essays for 2025 was published - more than 15 video essays published in [in]Transition were nominated in the poll! Huge congrats to all of our nominated authors and enjoy watching the year in video essays!
The best video essays of 2025
Now in its ninth year, our annual poll showcases 255 vital video essays, nominated by 72 international voters.
www.bfi.org.uk

Reposted by Jason Mittell

Big day for [in]Transition! We just published our new Special Issue on Cinematic Bodies/Videographic Form, featuring six great new video essays on a wide range of topics, as well as a posthumous video from Isabelle McNeill. Check it out below:
[in]Transition | Issue: Issue: 4(12) Special Issue: Cinematic Bodies/Videographic Form (2025)
intransition.openlibhums.org
And guess what?

The FCC immediately changed the website to state that the agency is not independent right after Carr's comments!
LUHAN: Is the FCC an independent agency?

CARR: I think th---

L: Yes or no

C: There's a test for this in the la---

L: It's yes or no, Brendan! On your website, it simply says, man, 'the FCC is independent.' This isn't a trick question

C: The FCC is not

L: So is your website lying?

C: Possibly