Music, Vid & Supernatural
Music has always been a huge part of my life. Last year, a friend introduced me to my current madness that is the Supernatural fandom and I discovered a world populated with wildly talented folks who are generous in sharing their creativity. Initially fanfic kept me absorbed, what with writers like
ultraviolet9a,
ignipes,
minkmix and
eloise_bright putting forth their fantastic efforts at expanding the Winchester's universe. And then I was introduced to vids.
Songvid creation is a product of fandom, starting with Star Trek way back in the 70's. The genesis of songvids was born of creative story telling whereby clips of a favourite show (commonly television and sometimes movies) are edited alongside a song track. According to Wikipedia, (quote) "It is a cross between narrative story-telling and visual poetry and their content can range from a simple tribute to a favorite character or delve into shipping/slash."(unquote). The early days of songvid production involved the use of projectors, VCRs and audio players with a great deal of sweat, patience and passion. Limitations of the technology means that well-made vids are a product of a patient, meticulous and even obsessive vidder.
The evolution of PCs and the mushrooming of multimedia technology at your fingertips allowed contemporary vidders greater mobility and made vidding more accessible to many. The Internet helps in the dissemination of songvids, allowing vidders and viewers to interact and this contributes to songvid production to be one of the benchmark of the intensity of creativity of a particular fandom. Henry Jenkins, a literature professor specialising in pop culture had written a thoughtful article on songvid production in his blog (link in reference).
My first exposure to songvids was an examplary video by
astartexx who made a Dean character tribute ( check it out at her LJ ) made to the song To Be A Ghost by Taking Back Sunday. The creative editing of the vid was spectacular with multiple Dean in a single window, making for new discovery with each viewing. I am rather indifferent to the song; it was chosen with care, no doubt, but it is not something that appeals deeply to me. It moves the pacing of the vid very nicely, I will say that.
Today I was delighted by two magnificent products from the fertile imagination and creativity of
derry667 and
nonniemous. Derry produced a beautiful title sequence for Supernatural; I don't know enough about vidding to give a learned comment, but it is fantastic and I like it (check it out at her LJ ). It would make a fantastic opening sequence for Season 3, although this is unlikely to happen.
nonniemous struck gold in vidding a song by Poe, an artist whom I adore. The song is called Haunted and it illustrated Dean's character in Season 2 so beautifully, thanks to her skills and deft hand. Look for it at her LJ. I am a believer of music as a soundtrack to life and this effort by her is a perfect example. The song is visceral and resonates well with the images.
I hope that this fandom continues to grow and produce such wonderful creative efforts. It just shows that with love of a particular story (in this case, the world of Supernatural) many allowed their imagination to soar and develop skills that they share with the rest of the world who also share their passion.
Reference:
1. Wikipedia page on songvid
2. Henry Jenkins article "How to Watch a Fanvid"
ultraviolet9a,
ignipes,
minkmix and
eloise_bright putting forth their fantastic efforts at expanding the Winchester's universe. And then I was introduced to vids.
Songvid creation is a product of fandom, starting with Star Trek way back in the 70's. The genesis of songvids was born of creative story telling whereby clips of a favourite show (commonly television and sometimes movies) are edited alongside a song track. According to Wikipedia, (quote) "It is a cross between narrative story-telling and visual poetry and their content can range from a simple tribute to a favorite character or delve into shipping/slash."(unquote). The early days of songvid production involved the use of projectors, VCRs and audio players with a great deal of sweat, patience and passion. Limitations of the technology means that well-made vids are a product of a patient, meticulous and even obsessive vidder.
The evolution of PCs and the mushrooming of multimedia technology at your fingertips allowed contemporary vidders greater mobility and made vidding more accessible to many. The Internet helps in the dissemination of songvids, allowing vidders and viewers to interact and this contributes to songvid production to be one of the benchmark of the intensity of creativity of a particular fandom. Henry Jenkins, a literature professor specialising in pop culture had written a thoughtful article on songvid production in his blog (link in reference).
My first exposure to songvids was an examplary video by
astartexx who made a Dean character tribute ( check it out at her LJ ) made to the song To Be A Ghost by Taking Back Sunday. The creative editing of the vid was spectacular with multiple Dean in a single window, making for new discovery with each viewing. I am rather indifferent to the song; it was chosen with care, no doubt, but it is not something that appeals deeply to me. It moves the pacing of the vid very nicely, I will say that.
Today I was delighted by two magnificent products from the fertile imagination and creativity of
derry667 and
nonniemous. Derry produced a beautiful title sequence for Supernatural; I don't know enough about vidding to give a learned comment, but it is fantastic and I like it (check it out at her LJ ). It would make a fantastic opening sequence for Season 3, although this is unlikely to happen.
nonniemous struck gold in vidding a song by Poe, an artist whom I adore. The song is called Haunted and it illustrated Dean's character in Season 2 so beautifully, thanks to her skills and deft hand. Look for it at her LJ. I am a believer of music as a soundtrack to life and this effort by her is a perfect example. The song is visceral and resonates well with the images.
I hope that this fandom continues to grow and produce such wonderful creative efforts. It just shows that with love of a particular story (in this case, the world of Supernatural) many allowed their imagination to soar and develop skills that they share with the rest of the world who also share their passion.
Reference:
1. Wikipedia page on songvid
2. Henry Jenkins article "How to Watch a Fanvid"