Vid Recommendations: The Merlin Edition
Last year during reading week I wrote up a Supernatural Vid Recommendations post (which needs to be updated desperately) with the intent of doing it for all the fandoms that I have favourite vids for, and I have since started posts for a few but never got around to finishing them. However, I recently promised skybound2 that I would rec her some Merlin vids, so I forced myself to finish a post or two -- I'll have a Firefly vid rec post completed tonight as well.
These recommendations are only my favourites, and that opinion is completely subjective. If you feel that I have overlooked a vid and want to tell me so, please do, since I always love being directed to new vids, and hearing opinions as to why I may have overlooked a vid that others think are amazing; I always encourage vid discussion here. However, I am not going to argue about them; some vids just don't work for me, whether it be musical choice, an unconvincing argument, a lack of an emotional connection, or just technical stuff.
Disclaimer: I acted as a beta or was allowed to preview the vids Effigy, Non Lievi Alchun, Soldier and Devil Said before the final version was complete (two of them before I even saw the show).
VID RECOMMENDATIONS
Obsessive24 - Red
Obsessive24 - Effigy
halcyon_shift - Non Lievi Alchun
kiki_miserychic - Devil Said
millylicious - Soldier
Charmax - Not Over Yet
Cherryice - Unsteady Ground
wistful_fever - Elemental
RPS - Bradley/Colin
wistful_fever - Make You Smile
Title: Red
Vidder: obsessive24
Song / Artist: Red - Elbow
Download/Streaming Link: http://obsessive24.livejournal.com/241101.html
You're a tragedy starting to happen
It is impossible for me to describe how much I love and adore this vid, though I have tried. I've written extensive commentary that you can find here, but it still doesn't quite get to the heart of it, or the emotional connection I feel with this vid. If I had to recommend just one Merlin vid, this would be the one!
Red deals with the life that is yet to come for Prince Arthur, the life he leads now, and how much Merlin wants to protect him from all of it. The vid uses the footage that the series has given the viewer thus far to hint at what the legends say will happen later, and it breaks your heart while doing so.
Though there are too many moments in this vid to list if I were to mark my favourites (EVERYTHING) the movement in the vid is particularly wonderful and it continuously builds throughout the piece. Watch. Love. Watch again! *LOVES*
Title: Effigy
Vidder: obsessive24
Song / Artist: Effigy - Natalie Merchant
Download/STreaming Link: http://obsessive24.livejournal.com/247687.html
I'm an effigy // a parody of what I appear to be // put your flaming torches under me
A very sympathetic look at Guinevere in Merlin versus who she is in Legend, as well as her relationships with the men in her life: her father, Arthur and Lancelot.
Nicky was nice enough to let me act as one of the beta's on this vid, which I truly enjoyed! Guinevere is almost always the character I care for and connect with the least in an adaptation of the Arthurian Legend, but Nicky really made me feel for Gwen and the loss she suffers.
I don't want to give anything away, but there is wonderful use of outside source that gives the vid a real stillness (notably opposite praise that I gave her other Merlin vid 'Red') and allows the viewer to really reflect on the tension between this depiction of Gwen and some of the previous depictions. My favourite moments include the transition at 0:34 of Gwen holding the bowl up to Arthur changing to the painting of Arthur holding Guinevere's hand at their wedding; the griffin raising it's wings on the "ohhhhh" in the lyrics at 1:03; the lighting on beat at 1:20 and that shot of the castle at night; the use of the clip showing Gwen's father holding up the dress, her gift, at 1:20; 1:39 the way Uther changes to Arthur with the sound in the music, and then Gwen dissolves into Uther's cloak as he moves back to reveal Arthur being crowned; and the use of the mare to symbolize Gwen throughout.
Title: Non Lievi Alchun
Vidder: halcyon_shift a.k.a. Lithiumdoll
Song / Artist: Non Lievi Alchun (Love is Colder Than Death) - Unknown
Download/Streaming Link: http://lithiumchic.livejournal.com/19853.html
The first Merlin vid that I ever saw and that I betaed. This is a beautifully structured A.U. depicting the tragic love story of Morgana and Guinevere in a time where Lesbianism was considered an evil. This is a short vid that tells a very big story, and with wonderful use of limited footage is convincing in a way that will make watching the actual series rather shocking.
My favourite moments are the bookending of Morgana at her window at the beginning and ending of the vid; 0:06 the executioner's axe rising followed by Uther's hand raising as it fits with the music; 0:38 the way Arthur swinging his sword matches the drums; the use of the executioner's axe at 0:48; 1:09 the doors swinging open and how that scene matches to the music.
Title: Devil Said
Vidder: kiki_miserychic
Song / Artist: Dirty Horse - Gram Rabbit
Download/Streaming Link: http://kiki-miserychic.livejournal.com/154692.html
Warning: Partial nudity.
But Jesus is mad and he’s blaming it all on me // when the problem is you, it’s very plain to see.
This vid is stunning and addictive! Kiki uses external source to create a brilliant A.U. story of love, loss, and fighting back for the pairing of Morgana and Guinevere from Morgana's POV. Source from Merlin is combined with Mists of Avalon, King Arthur, and the L Word, and Katie McGrath's (Morgana) striking similarity to Kiera Knightly is used to great effect.*
I adore how blue this vid is, and my favourite moments are numerous; they include the use of the colour cloaks for parallels, since this show uses a lot of colour symbolism; 1:58 the intercutting between two shots of Morgana in the woods as the camera circles her; 2:03 the transition from the close up of Morgana (Katie McGrath) in Merlin to Kiera in King Arthur and the subsequent blue wash of Merlin footage to make the Merlin and King Arthur fighting footage look like one source; 2:24 the shot of Mordred from Mists of Avalon with a red colour overlay with the lyric "Coyote says".
* Kiera actually played Guinevere not Morgana in the movie King Arthur; however, she really is Guinevere in name only, since all of her traits other than marrying Arthur are traits lifted from other characters in the Legends; from being a Druid to being a warrior, etc... So, just let yourself go with the visual; Kiki does a wonderful job convincing you that they are the same person.
Title: Soldier
Vidder: millylicious
Song / Artist: Every Soldier is a Mother's Son - Heather Nova
Download/Streaming Link: http://millylicious.livejournal.com/282815.html
You say that no sacrifice too great // but every soldier is a mother's son
A vidlet that looks at the journey Merlin has taken from the POV of his mother, Hunith. A bittersweet vidlet that chose a POV that I don't believe many even considered. My favourite moments being the shot of Hunith alone and in contemplation at 0:08, and the very last shot at 0:45 of Hunith kissing Merlin's head as the background to the funeral pyre.
Title: Not Over Yet
Vidder: charmax
Song / Artist: Not Over Yet - Goldfrapp
Download/Streaming Link: http://charmax.livejournal.com/112258.html
It's not over cause I can see through you
Not Over Yet depicts Nimueh calling to and encouraging Morgana to become Morgan Le Fay, while Morgana resists by helping those closest to her in Camelot. The vid also foreshadows what Morgana will become, since her power as a seer and her eventual magic use will put her in the outsider position that Nimueh is currently in.
Another vid that is beautifully blue in colour, and that flows so well that unless you saw the series you would never know that this vid was an A.U. or that the series isn't exactly as depicted within the vid. I love how the opening titles seem to have a shadow pass over them and dissolve a little into the background; the shot at 0:08 where the blood drips off Nimueh's fingers with the strings in the music; the intercutting between shots from the episodes Valiant and The Moment of Truth showing Morgana helping Arthur followed by the close up of her face at 1:33 simply because Katie is gorgeous!
Title: Unsteady Ground
Vidder: cherryice
Song / Artist: Unsteady Ground - Catherine Feeny
Download/Streaming Link: http://cherryice.livejournal.com/223867.html
You never know what tomorrow will bring around // Hold onto what good fortune you have found // For you are walking on unsteady ground
When I first saw this vid I got chills. Unsteady Ground highlights the dangers that the four main characters of Arthur, Merlin, Morgana and Guinevere are facing and will face in the future; none of their lives are easy or without risk. It also made me think how much Morgana is closer to the viewer than she is the other characters in that she has some sense of the tragedy that will befall them all (though specifically Arthur), but is treated in such a way that makes her almost powerless to prevent much of it.
My favourite moments include Excalibur, the gauntlet and the axe all falling successively at 0:20; the contrast between the way Uther is a father figure to Morgana versus how Giaus is a father figure to Merlin starting at 1:12; The use of the clip of Merlin backing up at 1:37 when he is in the jail cell as one of many images of the characters behind bars, since the way it is shot adds such nice movement to this section; the shots of grain falling and a potion boiling along with te fizzing sound in the song at 1:53 and 2:17; The clips over the lyric "You want them both but we must keep them separate" (from 3:19 to 3:22) that go from Arthur and Morgana to Arthur and Merlin and back again, though I don't know exactly what Cherryice wanted this section interpreted as, these are the two magic users in Arthur's life and he only ultimately gets to keep one of them.
Title: Elemental
Vidder: wistful_fever
Song / Artist: Stay - Michelle Featherstone
Download/Streaming Link: http://wistful-fever.livejournal.com/207922.html
This is a strange one for me because I feel that there is a disconnect between the song and what the visuals are doing, almost as if the vid was created for another song and then placed with this one, but I find the tension between the two fascinating and that the vid as a whole completely matches the intent behind the song. The way fabella has played with colour and the use of scenery remind me of 80's fantasy movies like Legend, and I desperately want to see the imaginary movie that this vid actually came from.
The vid shows Merlin's connection with nature and how that plays against his relationship with Arthur, and I really like the use of two shots in particular: the overhead shot at 1:50 where the camera moves over the bush walls of the labyrinth to reveal Merlin and Arthur on either side of it, and the shot of the boys running down the hall at 2:30.
Title: Make You Smile
Vidder: wistful_fever
Song / Artist: Calling You - Blue October
Download/Streaming Link: http://wistful-fever.livejournal.com/207474.html
Do I try too hard to make you smile?
An RPS vid for Colin Morgan (Merlin) and Bradley James (Arthur) that would make a statue crack a smile. It's crack, but it's the good kind! If you have watched even 5 seconds of the behind the scenes footage from Merlin then you have fallen completely in love with Bradley James, and probably seen how he bugs Colin mercilessly -- because negative attention is still attention.
I have four favourite moments in this vid and they are the way Bradley drops his sword in its sheath on beat at 1:14; the use of Bradley laughing at 1:22 after he let the giant spider that was in his bathtub go outside; the text bubble of "help me" appearing beside Colin at 1:26; and the shot of Colin filming Bradley in his hotel room and the reflection in the mirror at 1:38.
I'm still waiting for the definitive Arthur/Morgana vid. *disney eyes*
These recommendations are only my favourites, and that opinion is completely subjective. If you feel that I have overlooked a vid and want to tell me so, please do, since I always love being directed to new vids, and hearing opinions as to why I may have overlooked a vid that others think are amazing; I always encourage vid discussion here. However, I am not going to argue about them; some vids just don't work for me, whether it be musical choice, an unconvincing argument, a lack of an emotional connection, or just technical stuff.
Disclaimer: I acted as a beta or was allowed to preview the vids Effigy, Non Lievi Alchun, Soldier and Devil Said before the final version was complete (two of them before I even saw the show).
VID RECOMMENDATIONS
Obsessive24 - Red
Obsessive24 - Effigy
halcyon_shift - Non Lievi Alchun
kiki_miserychic - Devil Said
millylicious - Soldier
Charmax - Not Over Yet
Cherryice - Unsteady Ground
wistful_fever - Elemental
RPS - Bradley/Colin
wistful_fever - Make You Smile
Title: Red
Vidder: obsessive24
Song / Artist: Red - Elbow
Download/Streaming Link: http://obsessive24.livejournal.com/241101.html
You're a tragedy starting to happen
It is impossible for me to describe how much I love and adore this vid, though I have tried. I've written extensive commentary that you can find here, but it still doesn't quite get to the heart of it, or the emotional connection I feel with this vid. If I had to recommend just one Merlin vid, this would be the one!
Red deals with the life that is yet to come for Prince Arthur, the life he leads now, and how much Merlin wants to protect him from all of it. The vid uses the footage that the series has given the viewer thus far to hint at what the legends say will happen later, and it breaks your heart while doing so.
Though there are too many moments in this vid to list if I were to mark my favourites (EVERYTHING) the movement in the vid is particularly wonderful and it continuously builds throughout the piece. Watch. Love. Watch again! *LOVES*
Title: Effigy
Vidder: obsessive24
Song / Artist: Effigy - Natalie Merchant
Download/STreaming Link: http://obsessive24.livejournal.com/247687.html
I'm an effigy // a parody of what I appear to be // put your flaming torches under me
A very sympathetic look at Guinevere in Merlin versus who she is in Legend, as well as her relationships with the men in her life: her father, Arthur and Lancelot.
Nicky was nice enough to let me act as one of the beta's on this vid, which I truly enjoyed! Guinevere is almost always the character I care for and connect with the least in an adaptation of the Arthurian Legend, but Nicky really made me feel for Gwen and the loss she suffers.
I don't want to give anything away, but there is wonderful use of outside source that gives the vid a real stillness (notably opposite praise that I gave her other Merlin vid 'Red') and allows the viewer to really reflect on the tension between this depiction of Gwen and some of the previous depictions. My favourite moments include the transition at 0:34 of Gwen holding the bowl up to Arthur changing to the painting of Arthur holding Guinevere's hand at their wedding; the griffin raising it's wings on the "ohhhhh" in the lyrics at 1:03; the lighting on beat at 1:20 and that shot of the castle at night; the use of the clip showing Gwen's father holding up the dress, her gift, at 1:20; 1:39 the way Uther changes to Arthur with the sound in the music, and then Gwen dissolves into Uther's cloak as he moves back to reveal Arthur being crowned; and the use of the mare to symbolize Gwen throughout.
Title: Non Lievi Alchun
Vidder: halcyon_shift a.k.a. Lithiumdoll
Song / Artist: Non Lievi Alchun (Love is Colder Than Death) - Unknown
Download/Streaming Link: http://lithiumchic.livejournal.com/19853.html
The first Merlin vid that I ever saw and that I betaed. This is a beautifully structured A.U. depicting the tragic love story of Morgana and Guinevere in a time where Lesbianism was considered an evil. This is a short vid that tells a very big story, and with wonderful use of limited footage is convincing in a way that will make watching the actual series rather shocking.
My favourite moments are the bookending of Morgana at her window at the beginning and ending of the vid; 0:06 the executioner's axe rising followed by Uther's hand raising as it fits with the music; 0:38 the way Arthur swinging his sword matches the drums; the use of the executioner's axe at 0:48; 1:09 the doors swinging open and how that scene matches to the music.
Title: Devil Said
Vidder: kiki_miserychic
Song / Artist: Dirty Horse - Gram Rabbit
Download/Streaming Link: http://kiki-miserychic.livejournal.com/154692.html
Warning: Partial nudity.
But Jesus is mad and he’s blaming it all on me // when the problem is you, it’s very plain to see.
This vid is stunning and addictive! Kiki uses external source to create a brilliant A.U. story of love, loss, and fighting back for the pairing of Morgana and Guinevere from Morgana's POV. Source from Merlin is combined with Mists of Avalon, King Arthur, and the L Word, and Katie McGrath's (Morgana) striking similarity to Kiera Knightly is used to great effect.*
I adore how blue this vid is, and my favourite moments are numerous; they include the use of the colour cloaks for parallels, since this show uses a lot of colour symbolism; 1:58 the intercutting between two shots of Morgana in the woods as the camera circles her; 2:03 the transition from the close up of Morgana (Katie McGrath) in Merlin to Kiera in King Arthur and the subsequent blue wash of Merlin footage to make the Merlin and King Arthur fighting footage look like one source; 2:24 the shot of Mordred from Mists of Avalon with a red colour overlay with the lyric "Coyote says".
* Kiera actually played Guinevere not Morgana in the movie King Arthur; however, she really is Guinevere in name only, since all of her traits other than marrying Arthur are traits lifted from other characters in the Legends; from being a Druid to being a warrior, etc... So, just let yourself go with the visual; Kiki does a wonderful job convincing you that they are the same person.
Title: Soldier
Vidder: millylicious
Song / Artist: Every Soldier is a Mother's Son - Heather Nova
Download/Streaming Link: http://millylicious.livejournal.com/282815.html
You say that no sacrifice too great // but every soldier is a mother's son
A vidlet that looks at the journey Merlin has taken from the POV of his mother, Hunith. A bittersweet vidlet that chose a POV that I don't believe many even considered. My favourite moments being the shot of Hunith alone and in contemplation at 0:08, and the very last shot at 0:45 of Hunith kissing Merlin's head as the background to the funeral pyre.
Title: Not Over Yet
Vidder: charmax
Song / Artist: Not Over Yet - Goldfrapp
Download/Streaming Link: http://charmax.livejournal.com/112258.html
It's not over cause I can see through you
Not Over Yet depicts Nimueh calling to and encouraging Morgana to become Morgan Le Fay, while Morgana resists by helping those closest to her in Camelot. The vid also foreshadows what Morgana will become, since her power as a seer and her eventual magic use will put her in the outsider position that Nimueh is currently in.
Another vid that is beautifully blue in colour, and that flows so well that unless you saw the series you would never know that this vid was an A.U. or that the series isn't exactly as depicted within the vid. I love how the opening titles seem to have a shadow pass over them and dissolve a little into the background; the shot at 0:08 where the blood drips off Nimueh's fingers with the strings in the music; the intercutting between shots from the episodes Valiant and The Moment of Truth showing Morgana helping Arthur followed by the close up of her face at 1:33 simply because Katie is gorgeous!
Title: Unsteady Ground
Vidder: cherryice
Song / Artist: Unsteady Ground - Catherine Feeny
Download/Streaming Link: http://cherryice.livejournal.com/223867.html
You never know what tomorrow will bring around // Hold onto what good fortune you have found // For you are walking on unsteady ground
When I first saw this vid I got chills. Unsteady Ground highlights the dangers that the four main characters of Arthur, Merlin, Morgana and Guinevere are facing and will face in the future; none of their lives are easy or without risk. It also made me think how much Morgana is closer to the viewer than she is the other characters in that she has some sense of the tragedy that will befall them all (though specifically Arthur), but is treated in such a way that makes her almost powerless to prevent much of it.
My favourite moments include Excalibur, the gauntlet and the axe all falling successively at 0:20; the contrast between the way Uther is a father figure to Morgana versus how Giaus is a father figure to Merlin starting at 1:12; The use of the clip of Merlin backing up at 1:37 when he is in the jail cell as one of many images of the characters behind bars, since the way it is shot adds such nice movement to this section; the shots of grain falling and a potion boiling along with te fizzing sound in the song at 1:53 and 2:17; The clips over the lyric "You want them both but we must keep them separate" (from 3:19 to 3:22) that go from Arthur and Morgana to Arthur and Merlin and back again, though I don't know exactly what Cherryice wanted this section interpreted as, these are the two magic users in Arthur's life and he only ultimately gets to keep one of them.
Title: Elemental
Vidder: wistful_fever
Song / Artist: Stay - Michelle Featherstone
Download/Streaming Link: http://wistful-fever.livejournal.com/207922.html
This is a strange one for me because I feel that there is a disconnect between the song and what the visuals are doing, almost as if the vid was created for another song and then placed with this one, but I find the tension between the two fascinating and that the vid as a whole completely matches the intent behind the song. The way fabella has played with colour and the use of scenery remind me of 80's fantasy movies like Legend, and I desperately want to see the imaginary movie that this vid actually came from.
The vid shows Merlin's connection with nature and how that plays against his relationship with Arthur, and I really like the use of two shots in particular: the overhead shot at 1:50 where the camera moves over the bush walls of the labyrinth to reveal Merlin and Arthur on either side of it, and the shot of the boys running down the hall at 2:30.
Title: Make You Smile
Vidder: wistful_fever
Song / Artist: Calling You - Blue October
Download/Streaming Link: http://wistful-fever.livejournal.com/207474.html
Do I try too hard to make you smile?
An RPS vid for Colin Morgan (Merlin) and Bradley James (Arthur) that would make a statue crack a smile. It's crack, but it's the good kind! If you have watched even 5 seconds of the behind the scenes footage from Merlin then you have fallen completely in love with Bradley James, and probably seen how he bugs Colin mercilessly -- because negative attention is still attention.
I have four favourite moments in this vid and they are the way Bradley drops his sword in its sheath on beat at 1:14; the use of Bradley laughing at 1:22 after he let the giant spider that was in his bathtub go outside; the text bubble of "help me" appearing beside Colin at 1:26; and the shot of Colin filming Bradley in his hotel room and the reflection in the mirror at 1:38.
I'm still waiting for the definitive Arthur/Morgana vid. *disney eyes*