Watch: Insightful 20-Minute Video Essay About The Use Of Punctuation In Film

For a writer, punctuation is not just a tool —it’s an essence of creation. It’s a way to get your point across LOUDLY by using capitalization and adding an exclamation point, or mysteriously and inquisitively with a question mark. My favorite grammatical symbol is the long-forgotten interrobang, which is a combination of both. Using these symbols and guidelines in the written word have been embedded into our culture, starting off with simple periods and commas and extending all the way up until the ever-present hashtag (formerly the pound sign or number sign). In Kathryn Schulz’s 2014 Vulture article, "The Five Best Punctuation Marks in Literature,” she discusses the importance of ellipses and parentheses in such brilliant literature as T.S. Eliot and Vladimir Nabokov. READ MORE: Joshua Oppenheimer Talks 'The Look Of Silence,' The influence Of Ozu And Bresson, And More   Inspired by Schulz’s article, cinephile Max Tohline put together this terrific video essay...