Vid Recs - We lucky few, we Band of Brothers
After two years of me trying to get her to watch, halcyon_shift sneaked away and watched Band of Brothers all on her own. If you have not seen Band of Brothers, then please stop reading here and immediately locate a torrent, a megaupload link, a netflix or amazon order page, or a local blockbuster. GET IT! If you only ever watch one miniseries in your lifetime, let it be this one!
For those of you who have seen the miniseries or who need more convincing, please see the vid recs below. If you are sensitive to violence then I suggest you start with the third one.
Standard Disclaimer: 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.
Title: No One Would Riot For Less
Vidder: Lithiumdoll, halcyon_shift
Song/Artist: No One Would Riot For Less - Bright Eyes
Link: http://halcyon-shift.livejournal.com/529793.html
Help me out / Hell is coming
In war all the soldiers have is each other, and the memories of those who they have already lost. This vid follows Easy Company from Toccoa all the way to post VE-Day, and Lithiumdoll returns to her roots by using a multitude of overlays, masks and colour work to create a piece that is truly heartbreaking. I was privy to many drafts of this vid, and I came to love every little piece of it, but I'll mention some of the things that still, after 100 or more viewings, still stick out to me: 2:22 the video footage taken by the regimental photographer overlayed over scenes of the men in Bastogne, like memories; 2:38 the shot of Doc Roe staring into the distance with the only strong colour being the red of the red cross on his arm band, and how it pulls back to show the men marching behind him (that is a mask); 2:58 the group of overlays of destruction and planes on the clip of Doc Roe bandaging Babe Hephron's hand, and how we follow the plane into the next clip; 3:12 Lipton bowing his head and following that movement down in the foxhole with Blythe; 4:06 the one triumphant moment in the vid at Berchtesgaden, after all the devastation that joyous emotion was needed; and, of course, the ending of the vid with the men who have been lost disappearing as the vocals fade out, and then the boys joining in on the run up Currahee.
I'm leaving this place, and there is nothing that I'm planning to take / Just you
Title: The Survivor
Vidder: Tearful_eye
Song/Artist: Survivor - Jan Garbarek
Link: http://tearful-eye.livejournal.com/52938.html
A beautifully timed instrumental vid showing the camaraderie between the soldiers, and how fragile the calm between combat engagements can be. Somehow the moments where the boys smile make the moments of destruction and despair all the more painful. I appreciate that a vid about those who survived is framed with the forest in Bastogne; the location that was so brutal to the 101st Airborne. My favourite moments in this vid include the first big shock when the heavy drums come in at 1:06 and how it is matched to the first combat the boys experience on their way to the drop zone in France; the clip of Buck smiling at 1:41; the entire Bastogne action sequence starting at 2:13; and the fast inter-cutting of overlays to the snare at 3:05. Okay, fine. ALL OF IT!
Title: After Rain
Vidder: Gwenyth, Gwyn_r
Song/Artist: After Rain - Oysterband
Link: http://gwyn-r.livejournal.com/158485.html
After rain, after rain / we can walk in green fields once again
This was the first Band of Brothers vid I ever saw and it is still one of my favourites. The vid depicts how the friendship between Lewis Nixon and Richard Winters helped them each get through the war, and it brings a smile to my face every time that I watch it. The song choice is lovely, and my favourite moments are the mimic of the still frame shots from the opening credits, and the clip match of Winters and then Nix driving at 3:37. Happy BoB vids are hard to come by, so enjoy! :)
Also, don't forget that The Pacific, the sequel (different soldiers in the Pacific theater. Same production company headed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg) to Band of Brothers comes out in March.
Trailer
For those of you who have seen the miniseries or who need more convincing, please see the vid recs below. If you are sensitive to violence then I suggest you start with the third one.
Standard Disclaimer: 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.
Title: No One Would Riot For Less
Vidder: Lithiumdoll, halcyon_shift
Song/Artist: No One Would Riot For Less - Bright Eyes
Link: http://halcyon-shift.livejournal.com/529793.html
Help me out / Hell is coming
In war all the soldiers have is each other, and the memories of those who they have already lost. This vid follows Easy Company from Toccoa all the way to post VE-Day, and Lithiumdoll returns to her roots by using a multitude of overlays, masks and colour work to create a piece that is truly heartbreaking. I was privy to many drafts of this vid, and I came to love every little piece of it, but I'll mention some of the things that still, after 100 or more viewings, still stick out to me: 2:22 the video footage taken by the regimental photographer overlayed over scenes of the men in Bastogne, like memories; 2:38 the shot of Doc Roe staring into the distance with the only strong colour being the red of the red cross on his arm band, and how it pulls back to show the men marching behind him (that is a mask); 2:58 the group of overlays of destruction and planes on the clip of Doc Roe bandaging Babe Hephron's hand, and how we follow the plane into the next clip; 3:12 Lipton bowing his head and following that movement down in the foxhole with Blythe; 4:06 the one triumphant moment in the vid at Berchtesgaden, after all the devastation that joyous emotion was needed; and, of course, the ending of the vid with the men who have been lost disappearing as the vocals fade out, and then the boys joining in on the run up Currahee.
I'm leaving this place, and there is nothing that I'm planning to take / Just you
Title: The Survivor
Vidder: Tearful_eye
Song/Artist: Survivor - Jan Garbarek
Link: http://tearful-eye.livejournal.com/52938.html
A beautifully timed instrumental vid showing the camaraderie between the soldiers, and how fragile the calm between combat engagements can be. Somehow the moments where the boys smile make the moments of destruction and despair all the more painful. I appreciate that a vid about those who survived is framed with the forest in Bastogne; the location that was so brutal to the 101st Airborne. My favourite moments in this vid include the first big shock when the heavy drums come in at 1:06 and how it is matched to the first combat the boys experience on their way to the drop zone in France; the clip of Buck smiling at 1:41; the entire Bastogne action sequence starting at 2:13; and the fast inter-cutting of overlays to the snare at 3:05. Okay, fine. ALL OF IT!
Title: After Rain
Vidder: Gwenyth, Gwyn_r
Song/Artist: After Rain - Oysterband
Link: http://gwyn-r.livejournal.com/158485.html
After rain, after rain / we can walk in green fields once again
This was the first Band of Brothers vid I ever saw and it is still one of my favourites. The vid depicts how the friendship between Lewis Nixon and Richard Winters helped them each get through the war, and it brings a smile to my face every time that I watch it. The song choice is lovely, and my favourite moments are the mimic of the still frame shots from the opening credits, and the clip match of Winters and then Nix driving at 3:37. Happy BoB vids are hard to come by, so enjoy! :)
Also, don't forget that The Pacific, the sequel (different soldiers in the Pacific theater. Same production company headed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg) to Band of Brothers comes out in March.
Trailer