In the following video, Motley Fool energy analysts Joel South and Taylor Muckerman take a look at the massive capital expenditures that some Big Oil players, like ExxonMobil (XOM 0.02%) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A), will be making this year. This will be done almost entirely in their upstream exploration and production divisions, in order to replenish their oil reserves. Joel discusses why these projects are so expensive at the moment, and suggests that these concerningly high expenses could mean that there are other more interesting plays to make in energy at the moment.