IJVP #3: "The Christmas Song" (The Spitfire Grill)
See? Not in order. ;]
Previous IJVP vids can be found here.
Vid #3: "The Christmas Song"
Artist: Pretty Balanced
Fandom: The Spitfire Grill
Pairing: Percy and what she's missing.
Requested by: ninthdiamond
Downloads: 29.7 MB (720 x 404) XviD (The Pretty One) or 11.7 MB (424 x 240) WMV (The Tiny One)
Lyrics
Pretty Balanced - "The Christmas Song"
you miss me christmas
every day of the year
i'm missing christmas
i can't stand when i hear
those jingles laughter
it's so cozy to know
i'm going crazy
every time i see snow
there's holly, shopping
mistletoe and a kiss
fuck april sunshine
it's just christmas i miss
eggnog and presents and
trimming the tree and the
plaza lights icicles
give them to me oh i
don't want jesus
'til hell freezes i
just want christmas
now
Comments
Oh boy. Otherwise known as Vidding Without A Fannish Compass. I have a very clear grasp on what makes vidding, *vidding* to me after this one.
I knew I didn't dare leave this one until last--an exhausted brain would have been much worse. It might be the least fannish of the ideas I was given, but it was probably the most opaque in respect to figuring out what to, y'know, *do*. ;) Again, I cut the song way down, to just barely under a minute--less song, easier to deal with having no idea, right? Not so much. Added back in the last chorus/verse where it really picks up. That gave me the end of my story, and it was the most fun to work with. I quite like the beginning, and the second half. I like the middle section too, but it's more like the vid version of exposition I think. The beginning and second half are just punchier. But then, I suppose I sort of feel that way about most of my vids.
On the bright side, in addition to trying to work in ninthdiamond's request to show Percy feeling nostalgic for the stability she had in prison, I got to remake the movie in my own image. Which meant I got to leave out the parts that pissed me off. Like Nahum. :P This vid took me twice (or possibly three times) as long to finish as it should have, because I kept hitting walls and just walking away from it. I swear at times all I had were square ideas and round clips. I could see the feelings I wanted, I just had trouble summoning the energy to make them into something resembling a reality.
So, the lyrics. This is easily the most I've ever had to completely let go of the words in a vid song. Christmas? Not in there. In fact, like ninthdiamond mentioned when requesting it, her missing prison isn't exactly in there either, but I did what I could. In the end, I settled on the notion that "Christmas" was trust/security. The kind you should get from close friends and family. In the beginning, she sort of misses the security and stability she knew in prison, versus the life she'd had before it. Then she starts to build these connections with other people (Hannah and Shelby and Joe), the peak being the connection with Johnny B./Eli that isn't even really ever something she gets to explore before her attempt to save him goes so wrong. That's what she misses, and that's what she wants. Not to fit in and be approved by the town in general.
Now, if you didn't get that from the vid, I assure you, I understand. ;) It was interesting to use the vocals almost entirely as an instrument though. And this song had so many little bits and pieces to play with. It's part of what kept tripping me up. If I cut too simply, the song stuck out too much. If I overdid it, the story got lost. I didn't even consider using any effects, because I felt the cutting and clip choice was going to be hard enough to keep up with. And the song has a very clear quality to it. No urges to embellish jumped out at me.
What I will say is that the song's sound and feel did fit the source for me. I'm just curious to hear how people end up parsing the lyrics vs. visuals connection.
So please, let me know how this one worked for you, if you download it. It's the most out-on-limb I've felt during this project so far. Any comments, or critique will be cuddled and respected, respectively. ;}
Previous IJVP vids can be found here.
Vid #3: "The Christmas Song"
Artist: Pretty Balanced
Fandom: The Spitfire Grill
Pairing: Percy and what she's missing.
Requested by: ninthdiamond
Downloads: 29.7 MB (720 x 404) XviD (The Pretty One) or 11.7 MB (424 x 240) WMV (The Tiny One)
Lyrics
Pretty Balanced - "The Christmas Song"
you miss me christmas
every day of the year
i'm missing christmas
i can't stand when i hear
those jingles laughter
it's so cozy to know
i'm going crazy
every time i see snow
there's holly, shopping
mistletoe and a kiss
fuck april sunshine
it's just christmas i miss
eggnog and presents and
trimming the tree and the
plaza lights icicles
give them to me oh i
don't want jesus
'til hell freezes i
just want christmas
now
Comments
Oh boy. Otherwise known as Vidding Without A Fannish Compass. I have a very clear grasp on what makes vidding, *vidding* to me after this one.
I knew I didn't dare leave this one until last--an exhausted brain would have been much worse. It might be the least fannish of the ideas I was given, but it was probably the most opaque in respect to figuring out what to, y'know, *do*. ;) Again, I cut the song way down, to just barely under a minute--less song, easier to deal with having no idea, right? Not so much. Added back in the last chorus/verse where it really picks up. That gave me the end of my story, and it was the most fun to work with. I quite like the beginning, and the second half. I like the middle section too, but it's more like the vid version of exposition I think. The beginning and second half are just punchier. But then, I suppose I sort of feel that way about most of my vids.
On the bright side, in addition to trying to work in ninthdiamond's request to show Percy feeling nostalgic for the stability she had in prison, I got to remake the movie in my own image. Which meant I got to leave out the parts that pissed me off. Like Nahum. :P This vid took me twice (or possibly three times) as long to finish as it should have, because I kept hitting walls and just walking away from it. I swear at times all I had were square ideas and round clips. I could see the feelings I wanted, I just had trouble summoning the energy to make them into something resembling a reality.
So, the lyrics. This is easily the most I've ever had to completely let go of the words in a vid song. Christmas? Not in there. In fact, like ninthdiamond mentioned when requesting it, her missing prison isn't exactly in there either, but I did what I could. In the end, I settled on the notion that "Christmas" was trust/security. The kind you should get from close friends and family. In the beginning, she sort of misses the security and stability she knew in prison, versus the life she'd had before it. Then she starts to build these connections with other people (Hannah and Shelby and Joe), the peak being the connection with Johnny B./Eli that isn't even really ever something she gets to explore before her attempt to save him goes so wrong. That's what she misses, and that's what she wants. Not to fit in and be approved by the town in general.
Now, if you didn't get that from the vid, I assure you, I understand. ;) It was interesting to use the vocals almost entirely as an instrument though. And this song had so many little bits and pieces to play with. It's part of what kept tripping me up. If I cut too simply, the song stuck out too much. If I overdid it, the story got lost. I didn't even consider using any effects, because I felt the cutting and clip choice was going to be hard enough to keep up with. And the song has a very clear quality to it. No urges to embellish jumped out at me.
What I will say is that the song's sound and feel did fit the source for me. I'm just curious to hear how people end up parsing the lyrics vs. visuals connection.
So please, let me know how this one worked for you, if you download it. It's the most out-on-limb I've felt during this project so far. Any comments, or critique will be cuddled and respected, respectively. ;}