One of my favorite movies is Adaptation, in no small part because of the way it cleverly refers to itself. It’s a movie about a movie (actually it’s a movie about a movie about a book). If that doesn’t make sense, try watching it and you’ll see what I mean.

The video below, from a Youtube channel on screenwriting, is an expertly made tribute/parody to that film. It applies the same kind of self-reference to creating a video essay about creating a video essay (about Adaptation). All the while, it sneakily teaches you some things about screenwriting and storytelling. Watch for the clever advertisement woven into the plot.

Incidentally, the guy who wrote Adaptation, Charlie Kaufman, specializes in these sort of mind bending motifs. He also wrote Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, among others.