Better Call Saul: Why Vince Gilligan Made Committing Crimes Boring and Hard

Con artists, kingpins, and criminals fill the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul universe. Saul Goodman, Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and most of the rest of the cast take on roles normally filled by antagonists and villains, but they don’t act like it. They aren’t often crazy, violent, or impulsive. They spend most of their time discussing logistics or thinking quietly in run-down strip malls and cramped vehicles. And, you watch them do it. These shows capture the process of committing a crime; that process is long and sometimes slow. But, don’t mistake slow for uninteresting. Hard work is hard to hate, and hard to look away from.

FOLLOW TRACKING SHOTS
Twitter:   / shotstracking  
YouTube:    / trackingshots  

#BetterCallSaul #BreakingBad #VinceGilligan

TIMECODES
0:00 Vince Gilligan Wants Criminals to Clean After Themselves
4:13 Part 1: From Mr. Chips to Scarface
7:31 Part 2: Charlie Hustle’s Hard Times
11:57 Part 2.5: Crimes With Known Outcomes
14:02 A Long Bus Ride to Coushatta
16:24 Hard Work is Hard to Hate and Easy to Watch
17:56 Thank You

Note: While I use Vince Gilligan’s name as shorthand in this video, it should be noted that Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul were written, directed, edited, and produced by a very large team of incredibly talented people. This includes but is not limited to the creator of the Saul character, Peter Gould. Unfortunately, I can’t include all of these individuals in a 100-character YouTube title, but I would if I could.

MUSIC
Main Theme - Red Dead Redemption 2
Thorofare Hike - Firewatch
End Credits Theme #4 - Red Dead Redemption 2
Whirling-in-Rags, 8am - Disco Elysium
The Disaster - Red Dead Redemption 2

BONUS
While pulling clips for this video, I discovered some other video essays on Better Call Saul with topics similar to this one. If you would like some further reading/watching on just how well crafted the Gilligan/Gould verse can be, consider checking out these other, awesome videos:
OneTake: Better Call Saul: The Importance of Detail:    • Better Call Saul: The Importance of Detail  
Thomas Flight: How Vince Gilligan Crafted El Camino and Breaking Bad:    • How Vince Gilligan Crafted El Camino and B...