{{Short description|YouTube channel and media company}} {{Infobox social media personality | name = The Take | youtube_handle = thetake | youtube_display_name = The Take | youtube_years_active = 2016–present | youtube_genre = Video essay | youtube_subscribers = 1.52 million <!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | youtube_views = 465 million <!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | stats_update = 22 October 2025 | website = {{URL|https://the-take.com/}} }}
'''The Take''' (previously named '''ScreenPrism''') is a YouTube channel and media company. Co-founded and hosted by Yale University alumni Susannah McCullough and Debra Minoff, The Take produces video essays analyzing film, television and popular culture at large.<ref name=Playbuzz>{{cite web |last1=Shotwell |first1=Alyssa |title=LIST: 10 women you should be watching on YouTube |url=https://www.playbuzz.com/uhclthesignalv10/10-youtube-channels-with-women-at-the-helm |website=Playbuzz |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=March 16, 2019}}</ref><ref name=TechNYC>{{cite web |title=Five New York Tech Companies to Watch (March 2018) |url=https://www.technyc.org/posts/2018/3/21/five-new-york-tech-companies-to-watch-march-2018 |website=Tech:NYC |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=March 22, 2018}}</ref><ref name=Benzinga>{{cite web |title=ScreenPrism Rebrands as "The Take," Bringing Film, TV and Pop Culture Analysis to Millions |url=https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/19/03/r13351290/screenprism-rebrands-as-the-take-bringing-film-tv-and-pop-culture-anal |website=Benzinga |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=March 13, 2019}}</ref> As of July 2025, The Take's Youtube channel has over 1.5 million subscribers and over 457 million video views.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Take - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/c/thetake/about |website=YouTube |access-date=September 22, 2021 }}</ref>
The Take is known for its "All the Tropes" series, a collection of video essays dissecting character tropes including the "cool girl", the "smart girl", the child prodigy, the white savior and the Manic Pixie Dream Girl.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hellerman |first1= Jason |title=The 'Cool Girl' Trope: Real Life Fantasy, Screenwriting Nightmare |url=https://nofilmschool.com/cool-girl-character-tropes |website=No Film School |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=December 26, 2019}}</ref><ref name=AVsmart>{{cite web |last1=Ihnat |first1=Gwen |title=Tracking the evolution of the "smart girl" trope in pop culture |url=https://www.avclub.com/tracking-the-evolution-of-the-smart-girl-trope-in-pop-1841433179 |website=The A.V. Club |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=February 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Chanthavisith |first1=Kayla |title=20 YouTube Video Essay and Commentary Channels You Should Watch |url=https://www.hercampus.com/school/uga/20-youtube-video-essay-and-commentary-channels-you-should-watch/ |website=Her Campus |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=September 3, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Latter |first1=Anaya |title=Viva the video essay: 10 recommended screen analysis videos on YouTube |url=https://www.acmi.net.au/stories-and-ideas/viva-video-essay-10-recommended-screen-analysis-videos-youtube/ |website=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=November 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Elderkin |first1=Beth|title=10 YouTube Essays That'll Broaden Your Pop Culture Education |url=https://www.acmi.net.au/stories-and-ideas/viva-video-essay-10-recommended-screen-analysis-videos-youtube/ |website=Gizmodo |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=April 9, 2020}}</ref> The Take has also created the video series ''The Takeaway'' with Amazon Prime Video, the series ''Take Two'' in collaboration with Netflix, and produced a series of Oscar videos for ''Entertainment Weekly''.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=A Star Is Born's deeper message explained: Don't be 'Shallow' |url=https://ew.com/oscars/2019/02/17/a-star-is-born-message-lady-gaga-bradley-cooper/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=February 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Watch: How Alfonso Cuarón brought life to Roma |url=https://ew.com/oscars/2019/02/21/roma-how-cuaron-brought-film-life-video/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=February 21, 2019|last=Aquilina|first=Tyler}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Expanse Season 5 Ending Explained {{!}} The Takeaway {{!}} Prime Video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6KrmgCWMSI |website=YouTube | date=4 February 2021 |access-date=September 23, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Is Rebecca a Love Story? {{!}} Take Two {{!}} Netflix |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyHHQZejuro |website=YouTube | date=31 October 2020 |access-date=September 23, 2021}}</ref>
The Take's video on ''Breaking Bad''{{'}}s Walter White was listed by Film School Rejects as one of 2018's best video essays.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shields |first1=Meg |title=The Best Video Essays of 2018 |url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/best-video-essays-2018/ |website=Film School Rejects |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=December 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214123554/https://filmschoolrejects.com/best-video-essays-2018/|archive-date=December 14, 2018}}</ref> "Parasite, Ending Explained: Stairway to Nowhere" was named among the top video essays of 2020 by No Film School.<ref>{{cite web |author=V Renée |title=Our Favorite Video Essays of 2020 |url=https://nofilmschool.com/our-favorite-video-essays-2020 |website=No Film School |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=December 30, 2020}}</ref> The Take’s video essays have also received coverage from ''The Mary Sue'', ''Bustle'' and ''The A.V. Club''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weekes |first1=Princess |title=The #OneMarvelousScene Series Is a Perfect Tribute to the MCU & Video Essays |url=https://www.themarysue.com/onemarvelousscene-mcu-tribute-series/ |website=The Mary Sue |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=April 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ferber |first1=Taylor |title=This Video Has Actual Evidence To Support An 'Office' Theory That Kelly & Andy Are Soulmates |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/this-office-theory-that-kelly-andy-are-soulmates-will-make-you-look-at-the-duo-in-a-whole-new-way-video-16988052 |website=Bustle |access-date=September 22, 2021 |date=March 26, 2019}}</ref><ref name=AVsmart/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{official site|https://the-take.com/}} * [https://www.youtube.com/thetake YouTube channel]
Category:English-language YouTube channels Category:Video essayists