Abstract
Analytical-essayistic formats have been a feature of film history for at least fifty years, appearing in a variety of forms, including television productions and DVD extras, as well as products of educational policy initiatives and a reflexive branch of experimental film and video art. Since around 2007, however, the video essay has been consolidated as a genre under digital auspices and through the comprehensive availability of films and editing programs, and is receiving more and more attention from film scholars. After a description and historical analysis of the field, the text then turns to the potential and limitations of this expansion of the film analytical toolkit.
Pantenburg, Volker