[Music]
detective fiction always turns on its
revelations on those moments when
information suddenly transforms into
cause and effect no one is better at
achieving those revelations than private
detective Sherlock Holmes and these days
no one is better at visualizing them
than the creators of Sherlock the
intoxicatingly inventive TV show that
uses and imagines film editing as a
function of its main characters mind you
said your life turned on one word yes
the name of the person my father wanted
to kill today I want to look at how
Sherlock gets from point A to point B
from problem to solution mystery to
clarity in one of the show's most
extraordinary visual revelations it's a
sequence that lasts three minutes and 42
seconds with a fresh weird idea in
almost every beat it's a complete joy to
watch unfold you said your life turned
on one word yes the name is a person my
father wanted to kill the background is
this the daughter of famous
multi-millionaire culverton Smith knows
her father wants to kill someone but
doesn't know who it is I need to kill
someone she was told the name once but
under the influence of a drug that wiped
her memory all she knows is that it's
one word that's the impossible thing
just that right there what's impossible
names aren't one word always at least to
the added element here one that's going
to spin this revelation into a whole
nother gear is that Sherlock Holmes is
on drugs he's been shooting cocaine a
reference to the original Conan Doyle
stories and it's accelerating and
twisting his mind in fact it's a pang of
withdrawal from his drugs that puts the
entire sequence in motion
you know what I expected you what what
am I now
who
hi
in a mystery a revelation on the part of
the detective or the audience only works
when it arises from information already
known what's new is the perspective and
that change in perspective is triggered
usually by something that doesn't mean
to I mean this kind of revelation is a
cliche by now but what Sherlock does
differently is stage those perspective
shifts in its camerawork and editing in
that first sub sequence we see Sherlock
from every possible angle even from one
that's impossible thanks to his
drug-induced State punctuated by
subliminal negative shots of the
confession paper that faith was holding
and a compliment you know what I
expected you nicer
sorry it's not just that Sherlock
recontextualizes old information the
filmmakers take great pains to
choreograph a relationship between old
and new perspectives that is
conversational like the present and the
past are speaking to each other in this
part for example Sherlock stalks the
location of an old episode the previous
one but now everything is changed
instead of seeing the street from a
different angle we see it from a totally
different camera lens adding to that
sense of attenuated drugged-up
disorientation and here the conversation
with the past is even more literal it's
a present shot past reverse shot as only
one ways I've been sold
if you've already moved the camera and
you've already changed the lens why not
transplant an entire set from earlier in
the episode I need to kill some too
anyone anyone don't think anyone else is
going to save him because there isn't
anyone
even more impressive than how Sherlock
arrives at his revelation is how the
hero untangles what that means and what
can only be called a leapfrog scene
transition maybe my favorite of all time
Sherlock awakes from his reverie it goes
like this
Sherlock realizes where he is in the
middle of a busy street a man yells at
him reverse shot Sherlock reverse shot
that man is now his drug-dealing friend
on the street reverse shot Sherlock
reverse shot his drug-dealing friend is
actually speaking to him from Baker
Street reverse shot Sherlock still
outside reverse shot drug dealer telling
him that he's actually at Baker Street -
reverse shot cue the best location
transition ever now let's watch that in
real time even know where you are you
drunk
Jezza
what are you doing it what were you
doing in the middle of a bloody street
you should be a Baker Street
ma'am so are you
it's hard to imagine a scenario where
more could be accomplished with ten
shots as Sherlock's mine catches up with
itself and he grapples with the thought
of just how many serial killers might be
hiding behind wealth and fame like
culverton Smith the revelation the drugs
and the sequence reach their crescendo
with the set itself turning on its axis
it's important I think to remember that
what we've seen here has taken place in
the span of only three minutes and 42
seconds I mean there are full movies
with fewer original ideas there is no
CGI in the sequence no digital fireworks
this is just great filmmaking just the
laws of editing embodied brilliantly as
the workings of an extraordinary mind
[Music]
so the nerdwriter crossed a million
subscribers last week and that is the
biggest professional milestone in my
life in 2017 I want to make a show that
lives up to the amount of people who are
watching and I hope when you tell people
about the show you say it's something
that you've never seen on YouTube or TV
or anywhere that's the vision I have in
my head and that's what I'm always
thinking about when I'm making new
episodes so thank you for watching thank
you for getting me to this place I don't
take it lightly like I said before thank
you to Squarespace for sponsoring this
video if you don't know Squarespace has
beautiful award-winning designer
templates for websites for your business
or brand if you're a musician or you're
starting a restaurant or anything it's a
perfect all-in-one platform that has
great customer service 24 hours a day
it's got easy domain names it's flexible
it's just a great service if you want to
build a website for your business and if
you start a free trial today using the
offer code nerdwriter you can get 10%
off your first purchase that's pretty
cool thank you guys for watching and
I'll see everybody next Wednesday