when the editor has to fix it in post 

Star Wars may not have actually been saved in the edit. Paul Hirsch himself has debunked that in interviews. But Ferris Bueller… was. Support me and my work by making a small pledge: www.patreon.com/cinemastix

Ferris Bueller is a character that we've had in storytelling for as long as there have been stories: he's a trickster god.

"You're not dying, you just can't think of anything good to do", what a perfect line 👌

Fun fact: (5:45) the two dudes with the silly hats in the observation lounge are from cologne. Those are carnival club hats and they wore them in the scene because... well they were there, they decided to wear them while sight seeing in chicago. John Hughes loved the idea of just having them stand at the edge of the frame and have people wonder what's up with those guys and their silly hats.

I think my favorite theory/interpretation of Ferris Bueller is that it’s a groundhog-day-style time loop, in which Ferris is trying to prevent Cameron from killing himself, and we’re watching the final version of the loop where he finally gets Cameron to break through his depression at the end of the day. Everything is so perfectly timed and so coincidentally perfect, as though figured out through countless trials-and-error… I know it’s not like the movie was written with this as some “secret” meaning, I just like it as an interpretation. It IS about Cameron. It always has been.

After seeing this movie a dozen times, the one line that changed everything for me was when Sloan asks Ferris "You knew what you were doing when you got up this morning, didn't you?" It dawned on me that Ferris had this whole day planned out SPECIFICALLY so that Cameron would be able to survivor on his own two feet when they went away to different colleges. The ultimate act of a parent/bro, making sure their child/bro would be able to live without them.

We visited the Art Institute in Chicago a couple summers ago and there was a guy there who looked a bit like a young Alan Ruck (Cameron) and was actually wearing a Gordie Howe jersey. Needless to say, he caused quite a stir, and several of us snapped a photo of him standing in front of the Seurat painting. My wife and I had thoughts of mimicking the kiss in front of the Chagall stained glass, but thought better of it. My wife did capture my two sons and me with arms crossed standing in front of the sculptures though (which weren’t arranged at all like the movie). I know, it was all tourist garbage, but we did enjoy the art and the kids had fun. Ferris holds up really well a generation later, and is proof that editing might be the most important part of filmmaking. Another great video. John Hughes is a legend.

Whooaaa, I never knew about that cut pancreas scene! The way it's edited in the final film always gave me the impression that while Ferris was away, Cameron was cutting loose a bit, having fun, and messing with the snooty diners. It's not just editing, that's almost writing and directing through the edit! It takes a damn good editor and a trusting writer and director to make that work.

I only just realised. Ferris calls Camerons home a Museum, but its in a museum (okay an art gallery, but Ferris does refer to it as a museum.) that Cameron connects to art, he sees himself. Its a parallel that after years of watching this film I never really caught till now.

I always loved how achronological it was. Clearly a couple hours getting everyone out of school and moving, then the museum and a morning ballgame (?) then lunch and the parade, then another couple hours for the catharsis then getting everyone home. An arcade full of kids as Rooney hunts for Ferris while he's at the game, a work crew that spontaneously decides to paint a water tower before his sister goes home to discover his ruse, etc etc. None of it makes sense but it still works because it is an archetypal day off, of course everything fits in.

My parents took me to see this for my 7th birthday in 1986. It has been and will always be one of my favorite memories with my parents. I lived in Chicago for 2 years, and this explanation you have provided about this being a love letter, has very much made my day sir. Thank you for putting this together.

Yes, do the character and script analysis for this movie. Can't wait.

"when the editor has to fix it in post" Basically every movie ever.

I once played hooky from work and on my "day off" I went out to see a movie. That movie was Ferris Bueller's Day Off! :-D

That fact about Paul Hirsch saying "You should only cut when absolutely necessary" explains why Ferris is such a comfy and relaxed film for me.

The older I get, the more I like this movie. It's so completely unhinged and ridiculous. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. Loved hearing a bit of the editing history, and I would really enjoy any character breakdowns you decide to post. Your stuff always fascinates and inspires me.

What are you doing here? Go, the video is over.

I'm one of those guys that grew up with this movie in the 80s. And this film was a large part of me and my formative years as I identified so much with Cameron, and I am glad you point out that it is more his story than Ferris'. I don't know if anyone else had a friend like Ferris, but I kind of did--not quite as fantastical, of course, but one of those guys who seemed to live a charmed life and for whom nothing went wrong. But the majority of the audience....yeah, we were all Cameron, stressed out and too worried about everything to enjoy some of the funnest years of your life before you have to become a responsible adult. On a side note, I learned a lot of mannerisms and goofiness from this movie that I would watch over and over to practice and get them down. For example, the water drop sound Cam does, I watched over and over and practiced until I could get it right, and ended up annoying so many teachers with it.... Also, the Baseball scene where Cam chants "He can't hit, he can't hit, he can't hit, he can't hit, he can't hit" all ran together so fast you can barely understand what it is sometimes. So, for all of us normal kids, no matter what generation we are from, 80s aughts or 20s, I hope people learn that it is ok to live a little now and then. You deserve it.

I completely forgot about the dreaded pan-and-scan until you mentioned it.

8:13 - 🎶”When Cam’ron was in Egypt land… Letttt myyy Cam’ronnn goooooo…”

Since nobody asked and I'm a weirdo⤵ 0:04 Ohio street exit to River North from I-90. :D Trees are bigger and a lot more of them since 1986 (38 years), but it is unmistakable. Hello John Hancock to the east. Green building...333 West Wacker Drive, and the Sears Tower. 4:33 South on LSD, the Little House on the Lakefront Trail in Lincoln Park. Lake Michigan is to the left of them (our right). 5:01 The Art Institute 5:20 Old Comiskey Park (White Sox Park) on the south side 5:43 They're still at Comiskey Park, but you can see people in Cubs attire, meaning it was supposed to be a cross town classic match between the White Sox and Cubs. 5:46 Up in the Skydeck of the Sears Tower 5:51 Art Institute, Auguste rodin, Statue, Ritratto di balzac "Portrait of Balzac", 1893 6:07 Dearborn and Adams, right across from the Chicago Picasso. The Berghoff, historic German restaurant is nextdoor. You're welcome.

After taking a film class, i am shocked that editing isn't up there with best movie and director. The editor is the movie maker.

The deleted pancreas scene had me so confused! I was like, if it got deleted, then why do I have this clear memory of Matthew Broderick saying the word "pancreas" in his New York accent? And then you showed the "we saw priceless works of art... we ate pancreas!" clip from later in the movie. Mystery solved. Also, the line works great with the context removed by the edit, like it's just a euphemism for "ate at a fancy restaurant."

The best kind of commentary shows you a new perspective about something you love, that you'd never considered before; that makes you appreciate it even more. The thing has not changed, but is now a fuller, richer experience. Another wonderful example of that here. Thank you for sharing! : )

I was just appreciating Alan Ruck’s exceptional performance the other day.

Ferris Bueller is one of my all time favourite movies and Ferris has remained one of the absolute best characters.

Man, that museum scene always hit me emotionally, even as a kid, in a way that I didn’t even really understand. 🤷🏻‍♂️🥺

Character / script analysis would be great! Thankful that they edited Ferris Bueller into the film that we have today. Been watching it with my daughter since she was 9 years old. She's now 46 and we still quote lines & trade memes about it all the time. It will always be special to us.

The song they chose in the museum scene ("Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want") *was* indeed written by The Smiths but the performance for this movie was an instrumental version by The Dream Academy (who are probably best known for their song "Life in a Northern Town"). They also have a full version with vocals, which is IMO better than The Smiths' version, with DA's choice of mood, instruments, and Nick Laird-Clowes voice plus the backing vocals. The instrumental version hits just the right notes of dreaminess, longing, and melancholy and was *perfect* for the scene.

2:02 I will never call it a new hope, it was and still is Star Wars.

Took my ex on our first date to see FBDO. My love for the film has lasted much longer. Beautifully shot - you could stop it at any frame and have a perfect work of art on your hands. And I always thought that its edit was sublime - a metronome for the pace of the film. Great take on it.

I remember getting lost once in the highland park/Glencoe area. I randomly pull over to set my GPS and look out my window and I was parked in front of Cameron's house. It was a magical moment.

I also believe this movie is more about Cameron than Ferris, although I didn't realize it until I rewatched it as an adult. Thanks for your work...always brilliant.

working with John Hughes would have been a dream as an Editor? You know how much easier it is to have MORE footage than LESS footage. You get to create your own world as Paul Hersch as long as Hughes isn't breathing down his neck saying "WE NEED THIS IN HERE, THIS TOO, THIS TOO"

I’m realizing now that Ferris and friends are a whacky updated Catcher in the Rye. Not post-war malaise but wealth and comfort facing inner conflict.

Great video! Quick note about Rocky being written in 3 days. Stallone clarified that it took him only 3 days to write the first draft of Rocky, and it was trash. It ended up taking him weeks to clean it up, and then a little longer to get it where it was ready. It's important to note because it's valuable for us all to know we can do it, just get a messy first draft down so that you can then have something to shape. And it's extremely rare for first drafts to be shown. Most of the time people share 3rd or later drafts, where the story is mostly nailed down and everything is figured out. Then, after this polished version of the script is seen and sold, it's bought by someone who wants to mold it into something that makes sense for them, or "gives them a reason to make it" from their own lens. Ron Howard mentions this in his Masterclass, and John Krasinski did this with "A Quiet Place," to name a few examples.

Saw this opening weekend at a Woodland Hills theater (“The Valley”) & the audience was _packed_ w students from nearby Taft High. Being surrounded in the bullseye of its target demo, I’ll never forget the unusually loud laughter-girls _scream_ laughing throughout it. Decades later, I STILL have that night etched into my memory as one of the two best movie crowds ever (the 2nd being “Fast Times” _in_ the Sherman Oaks Galleria, inside the mall/theater it was filmed). Even more visceral crowd reactions. Please forgive the reverie! 👀🤦‍♂️🙏

I LOVE the music in the museum scene. When Cameron is staring at the painting (the child), it felt really emotional to me.

I loved that side by side cut at the end with the homage to Ferris’ final run home. Gold!

Ferris is the modern hero. The modern hero is not perfect, but most of all, facilitates the growth of people around him and benefits from their help when needed. It isn't just Cameron that grows. it is his sister as well. In return, they help him in his adventure and quest for the best day ever.

My only complaint with this movie was always that baseball games are about three hours long and would take up way too much of anyone's day off.

When your favorite video essayist makes a video about your favorite comedy

It's amazing what a good editor can do. Kubrick and many directors look at the footage as the raw material that they then have to sculpt into shape in the editing, that THAT's where the film really becomes what it is.

watching this movie with my mom was cool because it felt like it embodied everything id heard of the 80’s or so, the spirit of it and how others who grew up in it interpreted it

I just realized: Ferris is Gandalf, the wizard who seemingly can do it all and somehow always manages to do so; Cameron is Bilbo, being led out the door by Gandalf on a grand adventure that changes him into someone else, someone better; and Sloan perhaps is Galadriel in her caring for Ferris/Gandalf, his root and center keeping his wild ambitions and abilities from taking off into too great a height while also providing comfort and understanding to Cameron/Bilbo. Such a great film.

My top 5 all time favorite movie's list has changed slightly over the decades, but since 1986, every list has had Ferris Bueller's Day Off on it. I never knew about it being "out of order." Now that I know the brilliance of the editing that was done, I think I like the movie even more now (if that's even possible). Thank you for sharing this.

this was my favorite movie as a kid. i invited all my classmates (30+) to my moldy one bedroom apartment to watch this movie. to my surprise, they ALL showed up. every single person

Whenever I think about this movie I'm like "eh yeah it's a good movie" but whenever I sit down to actually watch it I just think "holy butt cheeks this is Hughes' magnum opus" because literally everything feels so deliberate and there's these small details and throughlines that lead you along but then to find out that A: he also wrote it in that short of a time frame, B: people didn't originally get to see it in its best state (18:9) and C: it wasn't even originally ordered like this, I can't quite put my finger on whether that makes this even better or not. Because to have writing so modular that you can entirely restructure the movie and have every individual scene still work perfectly on its own AND have a coherent throughline? Absolutely insane. We genuinely don't get movies like this anymore, holy moly. Would love to see a bigger deep dive into it!

I remember watching this on this with my mom in the early 90s, and she pointed out how great and different the editing was-how they would linger just a little longer on Ed Rooney or Grace or whoever. She used to always say that’s why it was special and that’s why we all loved it so much. Not sure why I never did a deep dive into Paul Hirsch before now. So thank you!!

I literally watched this the other day. I appreciate it more on rewatch

5:27 Three, I'm told. One fibreglass empty roller, to go down the ravine, one fibreglass kit car, for practicals (jumps, driving) and one $$$ real deal for static and process shots (parked or on a trailer). Or so I'm told. Great about it being Cameron's story. A++

Yes! This is Cameron's story. Ferris and Roony are gods in a contest for Cameron's soul.

These scene or concept breakdowns are amazing. Light-hearted but also educational at the same time.

Ferris Bueller is such a fun and thoroughly strange movie, I'd love to hear more of your take on it. Bonus points if you bring up the subsequent TV show and how it somehow managed to swing and miss on everything that anyone actually liked about the movie!

Yet another great video, and yes, I'd love your take on the many other aspects of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It's such a fun movie to analyze, pick apart, reflect upon, and then watch again completely without overthinking it. LOVE the points you brought up about the edits, though. So much of storytelling happens in the editing room.

Makes you appreciate Kubrick's work, he doesn't fix it in edit, he fixes it in his head before making it, and fixes it while filming it. He knows exactly what he wants and would sooner have you redo the same scene 100 times to get it right than film stuff that doesn't work and fix it in edit. I can't even prepare a coffee order without doubting I got it wrong, but some directors are out there ordering the exact length of film they know they'll need, which is even more impressive because those directors are confident they'll get it on the first or second take.

I've had a crush on Mia Sara for as long as I can remember.

Me and a friend skipped school a Monday morning to go see this one. We were the only two persons in the theatre. 😂😂😂

Was there a Ferris Bueller copying video sequence in Stranger Things? 8:34

Thanks! I really appreciate the way you break down various aspects of movie-making, helping me to better understand the craft and to see my old favorites in new ways!

Kind of a nice touch that a video about how the editing in a film makes the film better is also itself edited very well.

That entire comedic scene in Braveheart where William Wallace is told his chance of getting out alive by Stephen while covered under shields as arrows rain down upon them was created through editing. The bits of dialogue were clipped from a much longer scene that wasn’t funny at all. Rearranging them, even chronologically, made that iconic joke about God being pretty sure Wallace is f****d. Haha

Please do character and story analysis! It's also worth mentioning that Cameron isnt the only one who grows. Remember Jeanie! She begins with all these expectations for herself and others and is frustrated that only she seems to be the only person who can see past Ferris' attempts to dodge those expectations and responsibilities. After confronting Mr Rooney, her expectations for his behavior were destroyed and her expectations for the police to respond to her emergency fell short too. By the end of the movie, she's started to let go of worrying about expectations for herself and others, ultimately leading to her backing up Ferris in front of Rooney.

Thanks for this! I almost never comment online, but this was so well told and offered insight I have never had on a classic and formative movie for me. It also draws the same conclusion that I had many years go; this movie is about Cameron and Ferris is the relief needed in a story like this.

Dude. This movie was a classic. It was out there. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but every kid I knew wanted to be Ferris. But every kid was Cameron. We all were. Totally agree this was his movie. His awakening. Classic.

Watching this put my high school years in perspective. I skipped most of my Junior year and first half my Senior year (until principal decided to make it an issue). Never went home or slouched while skipping. Track athlete. Kept up my grades. Part-time day job. Partied with friends. Bike rides. Hid in library reading while high. School was just too easy and classes too slow.

Love this film . Reminds me of simpler times.

An interesting interpretation I read somewhere was that Ferris is just a figment of Cameron's imagination. He's the perfect friend Cameron wishes he had, and the whole day in Chicago is just a fantasy Cameron is having while he is getting up courage to face his father.

I relate Ferris Bueller to Office Space. The question being asked is, “What if you decided not to care about what society wants of you and just decided to be true to yourself?” What other movies are like that?

I love this one so much, i remember my parents telling me so passionately how good it was, and it hitting unbelievably hard. A yearly rewatch, always with company, always a joy

When I was younger, I loved the content. As an adult, I still love the content, but can appreciate the beautiful editing of this film so much more.

So this is Fight Club and Ferris is Tyler Durden

Would love to see a deeper analysis of the characters and script of this film. You're great at those and I'd be interested to hear what you have to say.

My favorite theory about this movie is that the entire thing takes place as a fever dream inside Cameron's head while he's home sick...he drifts off to sleep and dreams that the most popular kid in school calls him up and forces him to come along with him on a day of adventure, ultimately leading to a confrontation with his father...

Editors are rarely given the spotlight in public for their role of creating cohesion and pacing. Nice to see this giving them the recognition due them.

Editors...the unsung heroes of literally everything they work on.

I cried when Hughs died. So much of my teens he put on screen

Ferris Bueller's Day Off - the greatest Chicago travelogue.... ever.

Great film. By the way, Ferris does have an arc that's actually very interesting but lost on the young (mostly). You wonder what this extraordinary kid will end up doing with his life but Cameron gives us the answer at the parade: Fry cook. It shows that Ferris' life was about these moments, about high school, about his day off. That was what Ferris was and what his legacy is. It's actually pretty deep.

This is brilliant! Thank you for SO much insight to one of my favorite films yesterday AND today! But, can I just say I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see that 2 hr 45 min Cut!!! Oh my gosh THAT would be FUN!!! 😎🤘

That this was really the story about Cameron and his relationship with his dad! That is brilliant! I love that Hughes would bury so deep and profound a theme so discretely in a comedy movie with a different protagonist. I would love to hear more about character development. Thanks Danny!

Excellent analysis, Mr. Boyd! First time viewer; immediate subscriber.

I need to see the 3 hour version of Ferris.

I would love to hear/see your character analysis of ... most movies, and that includes Ferris Bueller's day off -- My perspective has always just been that it is a fun romp, without anything deeper, but am happy to be shown a different view. Thank you for your work. What is the comparison at the end? Was there a different actor for Ferris that was shot? I don't recognize the other scenes at all.

Great analysis. One of the best movies ever made. And, without hesitation, the music change is what saved the museum scene; it's complete magic. I bought my first Smiths album from that scene and hated Morrissey's whiney crooning for 2 years until I acquired proper taste. Funny, though, how well that worked without a single bar from his voice... The producers were like, hey uh, you guys happen to have an instrumental version of this one? HAHA!

Can't put into words how much i love this movie. What a gem, a masterpiece!

Edward McNally, Hughes' high school friend and Skull & Bones member, was the basis for Ferris Bueller's character. McNally later became G. H. W Bush's speech writer and Giulliani's assisstant at SDNY. He later built the legal scaffold for DHS under W. Bush.

@8:31 ...I'm sorry, but what is Joe Keery doing in a reenactment of Ferris Bueller's? And is that Cameron playing the dad character later on in the same reenactment? 'Scuse me, I gotta go do some internet searching.

Fantastic, as always! ❤

I know that this film is considered to have been aimed at a young audience, but I was already in my 40's when this came out and I found it a magical experience. Of course it was unrealistic, but that does not in any detract from the story. Editing of course is what most movies what they are, and in this film the editor did a truly superb job. Sitting in the theater until the film ended, and then seeing the additional footage was something truly unexpected. To this day I don't leave when the credits start, just in case there is that little bit more that makes the film even more special. I thought of this movie when recently watching Toy Story 4 with its similar sequence after the seeming end of the story.

This is my all time favorite movie. It was lovely to learn more about it. Thank you!

I don't think Ferris Bueller is a perfect guy, it's that he can do no wrong. He has the perfect blend of street smarts, good luck, and unruffled confidence, which makes him untouchable. Lands on his feet no matter what kind of guy.

Love this!

one minute clubbbbbb

I was around for this back in the day when it was in the theater, and it was truly amazing. I really, really appreciate your work explaining this.

The amount of material Hughes shot was crazy. Each night he'd think up new bits, write it in his hotel room, and then give it to the actors. On top of the locked script. Planes, Tranes assembly edit was 3.5hrs! He just looked at it and said yeah we need to lose 1.5hr. He didn't get sentimental about the stuff that went. He understood that he'd always lose loads of stuff he'd shot. The Ferris script is available online and is fascinating. For those who say there's no way he'd get everything in the movie done in a day, should realize in the script he seems to spend a good portion of his morning in the Chicago Suburbs. And still get home before his parents! The finished film loses Ferris's younger sister and younger brother. The sister actually has a line in the trailer. And the big haired driver that Ferris's Dad gets stuck behind has a dialog scene with Ferris earlier in the movie. Charlie Sheen's character is called Garth Volbeck in the script, and one of Ferris' monologs to camera has him tell us about Garth, who indeed is a friend of Ferris'. Hughes with this film, and others basically shot Mini Series' and edited them down into movies. While it made sense to release these films at no more than 2hrs and build audiences over time, now we would be ready for each Movie as the Mini Series Hughes shot and I wish that could be done.

4:43 CONNOR ROY 😮

What was that parody at the end? Was there a remake?

Bring on the character analysis, please and thank you.

I started going to the movies with 1959's Ben Hur and there followed works like Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest", David Lean's "Lawence of Arabia" etc. I could never do Pan and Scan. I went with a Laser Disc player and imported Letterbox Disc's from Japan. I have always enjoyed movies that break the 4th wall and talk to the viewer.