PREY Isn't About What It's About: A Video Essay

August 19, 2022 6:54 AM

PREY Isn't About What It's About: A Video Essay
A relatively short video essay on Prey (2022), the original Predator (1987), science fiction, and the value of central metaphors.

I've been making YouTube videos for a little while now just for my own satisfaction, and this latest is among the ones I'm happier with in terms of pacing and concision. Prey was a great time, but not necessarily for some of the reasons I've seen on Twitter; I wanted to explain my feelings in a way that hopefully resonates beyond this movie or this particular IP franchise.

References and inspiration:

• Predator and the War that Wasn't There
• An interview with Prey director Dan Trachtenberg
• An interview with Prey producer Jhane Myers
• Annihilation and Decoding Metaphor (Folding Ideas) - not directly related, but one of my absolute favorite YouTube video essays, which helped concretize some of my ideas about metaphor and genre storytelling that inform my video

Role: creator, writer, editor

posted by Kybard (4 comments total)

Really great essay, and one that cemented my desire to watch Prey. One thing I was curious if you were going to talk about, which was probably outside the scope of your video to be fair, is that Dan Trachtenberg did something similar with 10 Cloverfield Lane. This one feels a little more directly connected, but taking an existing property and running with it super thoughtfully seems in his wheelhouse.
posted by Carillon at 9:09 PM on August 21, 2022 [1 favorite]

I take it all back! I've heard how you pronounce gif, truly every day we are further from God.
(In case that's not clear, I'm kidding, there are some amazing other videos)
posted by Carillon at 2:55 AM on August 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

I haven't seen 10 Cloverfield Lane but very much have it on my to-watch list! I have heard that about it, too, in conversations about Prey. Trachtenberg also did that Portal short film a while back; he seems to have a knack for playing around in existing universes and trying to see what makes them worth perpetuating.

thanks much for watching and for checking out the other videos! I put virtually no effort into promoting them, somewhat out of laziness but also because I really just make them when and if a topic excites me rather than to create a real brand, but anyways any bit of positive feedback is a real joy.
posted by Kybard at 8:39 AM on August 22, 2022

I loved this video essay, and now I feel better for ignoring all the other predator movies since the first.
posted by dhruva at 2:18 PM on September 15, 2022