vividcon 2004: premieres show (first half)
I discovered last year that a) writing a chronological account of the con exhausted me, and b) when reading other people's con reports, I frequently wanted to skim the personal and get right to the stuff about vids. So this year I'm planning to post more thematically: Premieres show vids, selected vids from the other shows I saw, panels I attended, and probably some personal notes too (but I'm trying to keep them separate from the vid-related stuff).
Premieres vidshow (first half)
These notes are a mix of a) my own initial reactions to vids, and b) additional thoughts borrowed from the subsequent Vid Review discussion (faciliated by melina123 and renenet). I've tried to attribute vids and comments using LJ names where possible and appropriate; let me know if I'm missing anybody.
[ETA: I am not attempting to link to online vids; I'm too lazy to track them all down and edit the post, and I don't want to link to some and not others. destina is keeping track of them all in her Premieres show post.]
I Just Wanna Take You Home (merryish) - A great show-opener. I have no interest in Smallville, but this vid was a lot of fun. melina123 observed in Vid Review that this vid's a great reflection of the energy in the show, particularly in terms of the way it uses movement; I think it was laurashapiro who added that the vid is in many ways *more* visually interesting than the show.
Valentine Heart (gwyn_r) - In Vid Review, melina123 described this as "great song choice," and much nodding and vocal assent followed. (The song choice didn't work for me, actually, but that has more to do with me than with the vid: I've known and loved this song since I discovered Tanita Tikaram's phenomenal Ancient Heart in late 1989 or early 1990, and it has so many prior associations that I suspect *any* vid to it would give me tremendous cognitive dissonance. Add to that the fact that, since I didn't start watching AtS until S5, my view of Lilah's been almost entirely shaped by sisabet and drdawn's "Brass In Pocket" and "Without Me," and my view of Wes/Lilah by vrya's "Detour," and I just couldn't wrap my head around this one.) cereta observed rather dryly that the vid suggests that, scary as it may be, Wes's relationship with Lilah is in some ways the healthiest one he's got.
Spooky (Mudd) - I found this vid almost unbelievably dull. Sleepy Hollow isn't great cinema, but it's a fun movie; the vid didn't capture either any of the fun or any of the considerable visual interest. (It didn't help that the source quality was terrible.)
Can't Find My Way Home (barkley) - I have to admit that I don't remember this one very well; as with most vids for shows I don't watch, Stargate vids have to be not only good in the general sense but really distinctive (in terms of song choice, content, or visual style) in order to stick with me. Last year, barkley's "Gortoz A Ran" did exactly that, largely because it was about Teal'c (hey, at least I'm getting character names), who doesn't seem to be the usual focus, but also because the music was so beautiful. This one just didn't register for me. I wish we'd had a chance to discuss it in Vid Review; I'd have liked to hear how it worked for people more (read: even remotely) familiar with SG than I am.
What It's Really About (flummery) - The first of Seah & Margie's two Joan of Arcadia vids. I know enough about the show to know that this one was about Joan's dad, and I know enough about vids to know that it was a well-constructed narrative. Other than that... I experience JoA through other people's enthusiasm about it, and since that enthusiasm focuses on Joan herself, this vid was a bit lost on me. coffee_and_ink described this one as "the Law & Order Joan of Arcadia vid," which struck me as both a) apt, and b) a good explanation for why this one didn't ping for me: I don't go for cop shows, generally speaking, and without a pre-existing affection for the character to ground me, I was struggling. My boundless love for "Big Red Boat" makes up for this, I think. [Edited for correct comment attribution and show reference.]
Sing, Sing, Sing (tv_elf) - Couldn't watch this one for fear of Farscape spoilers.
No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts) (przed) - I thought this was one of the most stylish vids of the whole show - the movie is obviously gorgeous, and the vidder used both movement and frame composition really well. Also, the vid features a brief Sean Bean voiceover. There was no bad here... except for the part where several people whose judgment I trust informed me afterwards that the movie (Equilibrium) is pretty dire in every respect except the aesthetics. Damn.
Serenity (sockkpuppett) - I love this vid, and not just because it's a Firefly vid. (Although: MY SHOW. :::sobs:::) I watched it several times after Lum first posted it, but then put it away so I wouldn't have severe anxiety of influence about my own Firefly vid; I'm really looking forward to rewatching it again (and again and again...). The song is a great choice for Mal. Lyrically, "I need Serenity" alludes to both the mental state and, of course, the ship itself; musically, the harsh, hollow sound and the minor key convey so much about how far he still has to go to achieve the mental state and protect the ship (and, by extension, its crew and passengers). killabeez pointed out in Vid Review that the bass line - which sounds like the drone and thud of the ship's engine - reinforces the ship's constant presence in the vid. renenet observed that this vid's color palette is primarily blue/green/gray - very chilly; lapillus followed up by noting that that palette is particularly appropriate for the vid's focus on the space opera, rather than the western, elements of the show.
Elevation (kitkatbyte and f1renze) - Another really stylish vid. In Vid Review, people pointed out what a great song choice it is, how well the song suits the look of QaF, and how well the visuals match the lyrics (in terms of both content and motion). The thing I noticed most was the pacing: it's a fast song and a fast-paced vid, but Wendy and Flo did a great job of *varying* the tempo of cuts enough that the vid doesn't become exhausting: the bridge is slower, and the pace of the clips slowed down too, so that the vid has room to accelerate again as the bridge ends. So smart, and so well done.
Blue on Black (killabeez) - I liked the way this vid looked - the super-muted dusty color palette and the song went very well together - but, as is often the case with shows I don't know, I had trouble following it. In this case the characters were particularly hard for me to distinguish; lots of hats and mustaches on Deadwood. vagabondage, who does know the source, commented in Vid Review that the vid really *felt* like the show (which doesn't surprise me at all - I mean, this is Killa), and sisabet said that for her it was a really successful recruiter vid.
Invisible (Diana Williams) - I thought this vid suffered from a) boring song choice, and b) the inclusion of clips from too many shows. People who were familiar with the shows (and specifically with the slash pairings) also pointed out in Vid Review that in many cases the clips didn't support the song's concept ("the person I love never notices me"); I particularly remember the comment that, whatever Duncan and Methos have been to each other over the centuries, neither of them has ever been *invisible*. General observations about multi-fandom vids that came out of the ensuing discussion: comparing/contrasting two, three, or even four shows can work, but more than that and the vid doesn't have room to compare them in any depth; multi-fandom vids work best when they switch between shows on musical transition points (end of a stanza, etc.); multi-fandom vids tend to work best when they're comic.
The Mountain (melina123 and astolat) - I loved the way this vid set up and compared two quite different metaphorical meanings of "the mountain": for Frodo it's the responsibility of the ringbearer (symbolized by the ring); for Aragorn it's the responsibility of kingship (symbolized by the sword). The stories were handled in alternating sections, and it was always perfectly clear what was being handled where. Lum pointed out that the vidders even used different types of motion for the two parts of the vid: circular for Frodo, linear (especially vertical) for Aragorn. I was not as sold on the song choice as other folks were; I liked the song itself, but I didn't find it the stellar match for the movies that most of the audience seemed to. (I did think it was vastly superior to any other LotR song choice I know of, since neither metal, generic-Celtic, nor generic-love-ballad work for me AT ALL in this context.) I also wanted more *visual* (in addition to thematic) connections between the stories; there are several in the movies, and some of them even showed up in the vid (Aragorn folding Frodo's hand around the ring, and I think Aragorn's hand on his sword as he prepares to defend Frodo), but they weren't *highlighted* in a way that would specifically connect the two halves of the vid. Those are relatively minor quibbles, though; mostly I was pleased to finally see a LotR vid that actually worked.
Confrontation (diannelamerc and lizbetann) - I couldn't watch this one for fear of spoilers, and I think I'm glad. The vid's subject was clear from the song (and confirmed for me in Vid Review), but the song (from the musical Jekyll and Hyde) was so awful and overblown that I just couldn't imagine taking the vid seriously; "pretentiously dramatic" was the phrase that came up in Vid Review.
Two Words (sisabet) - It's hard for me to even know what to say about this vid beyond "wow." I know just enough about AtS to be conscious of the incredible complexity of the vid, and not enough to really start digging into what that complexity means - especially having only seen the vid three times. I was *really* glad that I'd already heard the song and knew some of the lyrics; I listen to a fair amount of hip-hop, but I still have a lot of trouble processing lyrics on a first listen. I did notice the element that somebody brought up in Vid Review: the big paradigm shifts signaled by the recurring phrase "everybody move." I liked the use of a POV that's essentially external to the action of the vid (something cereta brought up in Vid Review). I liked the flashbacks at the end. In conclusion: Because of sisabet and Lum, I'm going to end up watching all of AtS. In my copious free time. Dammit.
Til the Day I Die (soappocrates) - This vid was not one of the show's disasters, at least not for me; I just didn't find it especially interesting. Other people commented in Vid Review that they didn't like the split screens and picture-in-picture effects, didn't find an overarching theme or pattern to the clips, found the cross-dissolves haphazard and the use of fast cuts on drum beats repetitive. I get all those criticisms, but actually the thing that I most remember was that the quick sequence of stills or near-stills at the beginning of the vid and again later in the vid didn't appear to be timed to the slightly syncopated (I think) drum beats; it seemed like a missed opportunity to use one of the song's more interesting musical elements.
Jig of Life (astolat) - Somebody (vagabondage?) commented in Vid Review that she's never seen a bad Witchblade vid, and I found myself agreeing; I haven't seen many, but they've all been at minimum good and at best really astonishing (killabeez's "Coming Up From Behind" comes to mind). This is another astonishing one. Wow. I haven't seen the show, but it's clearly got a lot of amazing visuals, used to great effect in this vid. The Vid Review discussion focused on movement, particuarly the visuals paired with the reel in the middle of the song, but I found myself responding as much to the tempo and rhythm of cuts as to the movement within clips. The song choice was also a beautiful example of a song that *goes* somewhere, that has a lot of different rhythms and textures over its duration, and this vid made remarkable use of all those nuances. Like "Two Words," "Jig of Life" is grounded in a perspective that isn't precisely that of the characters (geekturnedvamp described it as the point of view of the witchblade itself, which made a lot of sense to me).
My notes on the second half of the show are now up.
Premieres vidshow (first half)
These notes are a mix of a) my own initial reactions to vids, and b) additional thoughts borrowed from the subsequent Vid Review discussion (faciliated by melina123 and renenet). I've tried to attribute vids and comments using LJ names where possible and appropriate; let me know if I'm missing anybody.
[ETA: I am not attempting to link to online vids; I'm too lazy to track them all down and edit the post, and I don't want to link to some and not others. destina is keeping track of them all in her Premieres show post.]
I Just Wanna Take You Home (merryish) - A great show-opener. I have no interest in Smallville, but this vid was a lot of fun. melina123 observed in Vid Review that this vid's a great reflection of the energy in the show, particularly in terms of the way it uses movement; I think it was laurashapiro who added that the vid is in many ways *more* visually interesting than the show.
Valentine Heart (gwyn_r) - In Vid Review, melina123 described this as "great song choice," and much nodding and vocal assent followed. (The song choice didn't work for me, actually, but that has more to do with me than with the vid: I've known and loved this song since I discovered Tanita Tikaram's phenomenal Ancient Heart in late 1989 or early 1990, and it has so many prior associations that I suspect *any* vid to it would give me tremendous cognitive dissonance. Add to that the fact that, since I didn't start watching AtS until S5, my view of Lilah's been almost entirely shaped by sisabet and drdawn's "Brass In Pocket" and "Without Me," and my view of Wes/Lilah by vrya's "Detour," and I just couldn't wrap my head around this one.) cereta observed rather dryly that the vid suggests that, scary as it may be, Wes's relationship with Lilah is in some ways the healthiest one he's got.
Spooky (Mudd) - I found this vid almost unbelievably dull. Sleepy Hollow isn't great cinema, but it's a fun movie; the vid didn't capture either any of the fun or any of the considerable visual interest. (It didn't help that the source quality was terrible.)
Can't Find My Way Home (barkley) - I have to admit that I don't remember this one very well; as with most vids for shows I don't watch, Stargate vids have to be not only good in the general sense but really distinctive (in terms of song choice, content, or visual style) in order to stick with me. Last year, barkley's "Gortoz A Ran" did exactly that, largely because it was about Teal'c (hey, at least I'm getting character names), who doesn't seem to be the usual focus, but also because the music was so beautiful. This one just didn't register for me. I wish we'd had a chance to discuss it in Vid Review; I'd have liked to hear how it worked for people more (read: even remotely) familiar with SG than I am.
What It's Really About (flummery) - The first of Seah & Margie's two Joan of Arcadia vids. I know enough about the show to know that this one was about Joan's dad, and I know enough about vids to know that it was a well-constructed narrative. Other than that... I experience JoA through other people's enthusiasm about it, and since that enthusiasm focuses on Joan herself, this vid was a bit lost on me. coffee_and_ink described this one as "the Law & Order Joan of Arcadia vid," which struck me as both a) apt, and b) a good explanation for why this one didn't ping for me: I don't go for cop shows, generally speaking, and without a pre-existing affection for the character to ground me, I was struggling. My boundless love for "Big Red Boat" makes up for this, I think. [Edited for correct comment attribution and show reference.]
Sing, Sing, Sing (tv_elf) - Couldn't watch this one for fear of Farscape spoilers.
No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts) (przed) - I thought this was one of the most stylish vids of the whole show - the movie is obviously gorgeous, and the vidder used both movement and frame composition really well. Also, the vid features a brief Sean Bean voiceover. There was no bad here... except for the part where several people whose judgment I trust informed me afterwards that the movie (Equilibrium) is pretty dire in every respect except the aesthetics. Damn.
Serenity (sockkpuppett) - I love this vid, and not just because it's a Firefly vid. (Although: MY SHOW. :::sobs:::) I watched it several times after Lum first posted it, but then put it away so I wouldn't have severe anxiety of influence about my own Firefly vid; I'm really looking forward to rewatching it again (and again and again...). The song is a great choice for Mal. Lyrically, "I need Serenity" alludes to both the mental state and, of course, the ship itself; musically, the harsh, hollow sound and the minor key convey so much about how far he still has to go to achieve the mental state and protect the ship (and, by extension, its crew and passengers). killabeez pointed out in Vid Review that the bass line - which sounds like the drone and thud of the ship's engine - reinforces the ship's constant presence in the vid. renenet observed that this vid's color palette is primarily blue/green/gray - very chilly; lapillus followed up by noting that that palette is particularly appropriate for the vid's focus on the space opera, rather than the western, elements of the show.
Elevation (kitkatbyte and f1renze) - Another really stylish vid. In Vid Review, people pointed out what a great song choice it is, how well the song suits the look of QaF, and how well the visuals match the lyrics (in terms of both content and motion). The thing I noticed most was the pacing: it's a fast song and a fast-paced vid, but Wendy and Flo did a great job of *varying* the tempo of cuts enough that the vid doesn't become exhausting: the bridge is slower, and the pace of the clips slowed down too, so that the vid has room to accelerate again as the bridge ends. So smart, and so well done.
Blue on Black (killabeez) - I liked the way this vid looked - the super-muted dusty color palette and the song went very well together - but, as is often the case with shows I don't know, I had trouble following it. In this case the characters were particularly hard for me to distinguish; lots of hats and mustaches on Deadwood. vagabondage, who does know the source, commented in Vid Review that the vid really *felt* like the show (which doesn't surprise me at all - I mean, this is Killa), and sisabet said that for her it was a really successful recruiter vid.
Invisible (Diana Williams) - I thought this vid suffered from a) boring song choice, and b) the inclusion of clips from too many shows. People who were familiar with the shows (and specifically with the slash pairings) also pointed out in Vid Review that in many cases the clips didn't support the song's concept ("the person I love never notices me"); I particularly remember the comment that, whatever Duncan and Methos have been to each other over the centuries, neither of them has ever been *invisible*. General observations about multi-fandom vids that came out of the ensuing discussion: comparing/contrasting two, three, or even four shows can work, but more than that and the vid doesn't have room to compare them in any depth; multi-fandom vids work best when they switch between shows on musical transition points (end of a stanza, etc.); multi-fandom vids tend to work best when they're comic.
The Mountain (melina123 and astolat) - I loved the way this vid set up and compared two quite different metaphorical meanings of "the mountain": for Frodo it's the responsibility of the ringbearer (symbolized by the ring); for Aragorn it's the responsibility of kingship (symbolized by the sword). The stories were handled in alternating sections, and it was always perfectly clear what was being handled where. Lum pointed out that the vidders even used different types of motion for the two parts of the vid: circular for Frodo, linear (especially vertical) for Aragorn. I was not as sold on the song choice as other folks were; I liked the song itself, but I didn't find it the stellar match for the movies that most of the audience seemed to. (I did think it was vastly superior to any other LotR song choice I know of, since neither metal, generic-Celtic, nor generic-love-ballad work for me AT ALL in this context.) I also wanted more *visual* (in addition to thematic) connections between the stories; there are several in the movies, and some of them even showed up in the vid (Aragorn folding Frodo's hand around the ring, and I think Aragorn's hand on his sword as he prepares to defend Frodo), but they weren't *highlighted* in a way that would specifically connect the two halves of the vid. Those are relatively minor quibbles, though; mostly I was pleased to finally see a LotR vid that actually worked.
Confrontation (diannelamerc and lizbetann) - I couldn't watch this one for fear of spoilers, and I think I'm glad. The vid's subject was clear from the song (and confirmed for me in Vid Review), but the song (from the musical Jekyll and Hyde) was so awful and overblown that I just couldn't imagine taking the vid seriously; "pretentiously dramatic" was the phrase that came up in Vid Review.
Two Words (sisabet) - It's hard for me to even know what to say about this vid beyond "wow." I know just enough about AtS to be conscious of the incredible complexity of the vid, and not enough to really start digging into what that complexity means - especially having only seen the vid three times. I was *really* glad that I'd already heard the song and knew some of the lyrics; I listen to a fair amount of hip-hop, but I still have a lot of trouble processing lyrics on a first listen. I did notice the element that somebody brought up in Vid Review: the big paradigm shifts signaled by the recurring phrase "everybody move." I liked the use of a POV that's essentially external to the action of the vid (something cereta brought up in Vid Review). I liked the flashbacks at the end. In conclusion: Because of sisabet and Lum, I'm going to end up watching all of AtS. In my copious free time. Dammit.
Til the Day I Die (soappocrates) - This vid was not one of the show's disasters, at least not for me; I just didn't find it especially interesting. Other people commented in Vid Review that they didn't like the split screens and picture-in-picture effects, didn't find an overarching theme or pattern to the clips, found the cross-dissolves haphazard and the use of fast cuts on drum beats repetitive. I get all those criticisms, but actually the thing that I most remember was that the quick sequence of stills or near-stills at the beginning of the vid and again later in the vid didn't appear to be timed to the slightly syncopated (I think) drum beats; it seemed like a missed opportunity to use one of the song's more interesting musical elements.
Jig of Life (astolat) - Somebody (vagabondage?) commented in Vid Review that she's never seen a bad Witchblade vid, and I found myself agreeing; I haven't seen many, but they've all been at minimum good and at best really astonishing (killabeez's "Coming Up From Behind" comes to mind). This is another astonishing one. Wow. I haven't seen the show, but it's clearly got a lot of amazing visuals, used to great effect in this vid. The Vid Review discussion focused on movement, particuarly the visuals paired with the reel in the middle of the song, but I found myself responding as much to the tempo and rhythm of cuts as to the movement within clips. The song choice was also a beautiful example of a song that *goes* somewhere, that has a lot of different rhythms and textures over its duration, and this vid made remarkable use of all those nuances. Like "Two Words," "Jig of Life" is grounded in a perspective that isn't precisely that of the characters (geekturnedvamp described it as the point of view of the witchblade itself, which made a lot of sense to me).
My notes on the second half of the show are now up.