THE LAST PAGE Main title design for an imaginary series: a dying neon city, and the last library buried beneath it. No cuts, all in-camera transitions. 44 seconds. Sound on.

On this day, 140 years ago, a gift from France was unveiled in New York Harbor. On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty in front of huge crowds, despite rain and fog. Sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi reportedly pulled the cord that dropped the cloth covering her face. It had taken about two decades to go from his first idea to that moment. Have you ever climbed up to her crown?

Have you ever handed someone your phone and had them react in a way you didn’t expect? Got a story? Send it my way, might end up as an episode.

On this day, 122 years ago, New Yorkers took their first ride on the subway. On October 27, 1904, the city’s first underground line opened, running from City Hall up to Harlem. Mayor George McClellan Jr. reportedly liked the new train so much that he took the controls himself on the opening run. The fare was a nickel, and an estimated 150,000 people rode on opening day. What’s the best subway system you’ve ever ridden?

On this day, 429 years ago, a Korean admiral won a battle against impossible odds. On October 26, 1597, Admiral Yi Sun-sin took on a Japanese invasion fleet of more than 300 ships at the Battle of Myeongnyang with only about a dozen of his own. He lured the enemy into a narrow strait with fierce tidal currents, and the Japanese fleet was routed. It’s still remembered as one of the greatest naval victories in history. Would you have taken those odds?

Eye Grammar #11: Negative Space. Empty space in a frame isn’t empty. It changes how we feel about whoever is in it. How it works → No empty space: the character feels close and present → Lots of empty space around them: they feel small and alone → Empty space behind them: we start to wonder what’s back there Why filmmakers use it → Showing loneliness or isolation without saying it → Making a character feel small against their world → Building unease with nothing but an empty part of the frame. Usually, filmmakers leave space in the direction a character is looking. It’s called “looking room.” Flip it and put the space behind them, and the frame starts to feel wrong, even if you can’t say why.

On this day, 70 years ago, a student protest in Budapest turned into a nationwide uprising. On October 23, 1956, thousands of students and workers marched through Hungary’s capital demanding reforms and the withdrawal of Soviet troops, many waving flags with the communist emblem cut out of the center. That night, crowds toppled a giant statue of Stalin. Soviet forces crushed the revolution within weeks, but the hole in the flag became its most lasting image. What do you think makes a symbol powerful enough to rally a whole country?

In a fabric world, the scariest thing is a seam ripper. 🧵 My piece for @JoinTheLoopHole’s community film.

On this day, 64 years ago, millions of families sat down in front of their televisions and radios to hear some of the most frightening news of the Cold War. On October 22, 1962, President Kennedy announced that the Soviet Union had been building missile sites in Cuba, about 90 miles from Florida, and that the US would blockade the island. The standoff lasted days and brought the world closer to nuclear war than it has ever been, before ending peacefully on October 28. Do you know anyone who remembers living through that week?

Have you ever had to race home in the middle of a date because your stomach had other plans? Got a story? Send it my way, might end up as an episode.

On this day, 426 years ago, a single battle in Japan decided who would rule the country for the next 265 years. On October 21, 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu’s forces defeated a rival coalition at the Battle of Sekigahara, fought in thick morning fog and settled in a matter of hours. The turning point came when a commander on the other side, Kobayakawa Hideaki, switched sides in the middle of the fight. Three years later, Ieyasu was named shogun, and his family held power until 1868. If you were on that battlefield, would you have switched sides?

Eye Grammar #10: Light Direction The only thing that changes in this video is where the light comes from. How it works → Light from above feels natural: it’s where the sun has always been → Light from the side hides half the face, so we sense a secret → Light from below never happens in nature, so the face looks wrong before we know why Why filmmakers use it → Revealing a character’s true nature without a word → Shifting how we feel about someone within a single scene → Turning the familiar into something threatening Your brain is so used to light from above that it uses it to read shapes: shade a circle on top and it looks like a dent, shade it on the bottom and it looks like a bump. Horror films have exploited that instinct for over a hundred years.

On this day, 53 years ago, one of the most recognizable buildings in the world was officially opened. On October 20, 1973, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Sydney Opera House, after 14 years of construction that ran far behind schedule and many times over budget. Its Danish architect, Jørn Utzon, had resigned in 1966 after clashing with the government, and he never returned to Australia to see it finished. Did you know the man who designed it never saw it in person? Have you ever been inside it?