Hmmm. I finally have time to sit down and leave feedback - I'm sorry it's so late. I get obsessive when I'm vidding, and everything else tends to fall by the wayside until I'm done.
I think if I had to try and sum this vid up in a single word, it'd be complex. Entirely fitting, given the nature of the relationship between Laura and Lee; vids like this are a good reason for you to continue your flirtation with Poets of the Fall.
I think your song choice was entirely fitting - down to the clear tenor of the singer's voice, providing a thread of clarity through the montage of images you used.
Your vid tracked their relationship in an almost linear fashion... but at the same time, you flickered back and forth between past and future... and I think you brought the past up more than anything else. There's a symbolism there that belies the construction of the lyrics, because the relationship between Laura and Lee will always have echoes of the potential they had together at the start - the hope for the future of humanity, such as it could possibly be.
I think it's those echoes that have carried so strongly through their interactions from Pegasus onwards; whereas Lee broke under the pressure of survival and lost his way, Laura went another way... she hardened herself, became increasingly unwillingly to bend or compromise.
I think their clash during Crossroad was inevitable, but while you reference this on your vid, you don't make it a climax or finishing point;
The world of make believe that you create around the lyric is... chilling. The flickering images of a funeral coffin, the transitory happiness of the Pegasus joining the fleet before the reality of the situation catches up with them - the threat Cain poses, the inveitable clash as society begins to tear itself apart.
I found your comparison of both the quorom and the press room to the voices singing off key to be striking; each is the voice of public accountability, but Laura has used and manipulated both of them - and Lee has walked into the midst of it all. With Lee in the quorum, the relationship shifts; I don't know if you were deliberately making the comparison, but it's there when the quorum returns later, with Lee standing in the middle of them.
I found it interesting that of all the symbols you could pick to use as a symbol of belief, you went for the Arrow of Apollo (with some gorgeous key effects used to overlay the Arrow and Kara and Laura's hands at about the 1:10 mark). It made an interesting contrast between the shots that followed it immediately of Lee leading the Pegasus into battle, and then the price of dishonesty - the flicker of Gina firing, Lee's choice in the assassination conspiracy, and then hard cuts into the trial, and the looks between Laura and Lee, with Baltar in the middle.
The demon comparisons were perhaps the most chilling of the video; Laura's seems to be death, but Lee's have become the absence of Laura - or perhaps the need for someone to step into that empty space she'll leave behind; while it's easy to criticise the actions of those in charge, it's much harder to take on those decisions and the consequences that follow with them.
Of course, if I had to describe this vid in two words, rather than one... they would be deliciously complex.
I get obsessive when I'm vidding, and everything else tends to fall by the wayside until I'm done.
No sweat :) Vidding is primary, right? ;)
…vids like this are a good reason for you to continue your flirtation with Poets of the Fall.
You think so? I don’t know... After this vid I have a strong urge to make myself stop pondering on creating another video to their composition.
I don't know if you were deliberately making the comparison, but it's there when the quorum returns later, with Lee standing in the middle of them.
Yes, this connection and comparison is deliberate, as well as pretty much everything else in this vid.
I found it interesting that of all the symbols you could pick to use as a symbol of belief, you went for the Arrow of Apollo (with some gorgeous key effects used to overlay the Arrow and Kara and Laura's hands at about the 1:10 mark). It made an interesting contrast between the shots that followed it immediately of Lee leading the Pegasus into battle,
I think I did it because I find it interesting that Roslin’s blind belief in her visions, the Arrow, the Tomb and somesuch aren’t Lee’s basis to follow her and go against his dad, splitting the fleet; in fact, her symbol of belief - for him is a symbol of the price (Kara’s probable death and his father’s further disappointment in him) that he has to pay… Lee is willing to pay that price because he can do nothing about Kara’s decision when she already jumped away and he believes the cause is right and that restoring some form of democratic leadership is an important thing to do. It was hard to pack his whole story of personal disappointment in Rolsin’s methods and his choice to sacrifice honesty for Kara’s life that Roslin forced him to make indirectly in RS2, but I tried… This whole video is made of going back and forth, I deliberately jump in time… and when Roslin faces the same evidence of unexplainable mystery in form of Kara’s reappearance and a brand new Viper on the deck - what does she do? For Lee she refuses to recognize the possibility of that same mystery being before her very eyes… and not just because Kara might be the enemy, but also because she might pose a threat to Roslin’s own vision of the right way to Earth and more importantly - to the existential meaning of Roslin’s sacrificial death. That’s partly why her decision-making becomes even more autocratic - and from that time on Lee practically represents the opposition.
And when later Lee shares with her the feeling of the Quorum representatives’ despair that he experienced - in order to persuade her to talk to the people - Roslin basically makes a point that he’s never tried holding their lives in balance so he can’t possibly understand her choice to minimize contacts and maximize distance - which I address with the help of that shot of Lee leading Pegasus into battle and some S1/2 footage again - and by doing so I continue the polemics.
…and then the price of dishonesty - the flicker of Gina firing, Lee's choice in the assassination conspiracy, and then hard cuts into the trial, and the looks between Laura and Lee, with Baltar in the middle.
I’m very glad if it worked! It’s one of the sequences in the video that I like the most because of the Cain/Baltar assassination/capital punishment comparison and Roslin’s rational (or rather personal and irrational) judgment in both cases with Lee’s internal reactions and actions in the middle, that highlight two characters’ differences.
...while it's easy to criticise the actions of those in charge, it's much harder to take on those decisions and the consequences that follow with them.
Yes, I'm happy that this imagery came across the way I wanted it too. :)
Of course, if I had to describe this vid in two words, rather than one... they would be deliciously complex.
I think one of the reasons why this video didn't get as much feedback as even the first one I made a few years ago may be its complexity, and I don't mean technical in this case. I guess an average viewer's brain has a good chance to start hurting attempting to translate this visual story into verbal conclusions. There are few people who get and like both of these characters. I know how much time I had to spend thinking about Laura and Lee... their mutual journey as much as their individual transformations, trying to put my finger on many nuances and not being judgmental; I spent hours debating with one of my friends who is a big fan of Laura by phone because I wanted to be as objective as it’s possible for me with her character's POV. One of the hardest things about making this vid was that I had to shift focus from one POV to another in the second half of this story... and well, it was rather difficult, given that it's much more natural for me to think and create from Lee's perspective than Laura's.
So thank you very much for commenting Ed! Your feedback makes it less disappointing for me to realize that the more thoughts I put into my vidding projects the less reaction I get.
I think if I had to try and sum this vid up in a single word, it'd be complex. Entirely fitting, given the nature of the relationship between Laura and Lee; vids like this are a good reason for you to continue your flirtation with Poets of the Fall.
I think your song choice was entirely fitting - down to the clear tenor of the singer's voice, providing a thread of clarity through the montage of images you used.
Your vid tracked their relationship in an almost linear fashion... but at the same time, you flickered back and forth between past and future... and I think you brought the past up more than anything else. There's a symbolism there that belies the construction of the lyrics, because the relationship between Laura and Lee will always have echoes of the potential they had together at the start - the hope for the future of humanity, such as it could possibly be.
I think it's those echoes that have carried so strongly through their interactions from Pegasus onwards; whereas Lee broke under the pressure of survival and lost his way, Laura went another way... she hardened herself, became increasingly unwillingly to bend or compromise.
I think their clash during Crossroad was inevitable, but while you reference this on your vid, you don't make it a climax or finishing point;
The world of make believe that you create around the lyric is... chilling. The flickering images of a funeral coffin, the transitory happiness of the Pegasus joining the fleet before the reality of the situation catches up with them - the threat Cain poses, the inveitable clash as society begins to tear itself apart.
I found your comparison of both the quorom and the press room to the voices singing off key to be striking; each is the voice of public accountability, but Laura has used and manipulated both of them - and Lee has walked into the midst of it all. With Lee in the quorum, the relationship shifts; I don't know if you were deliberately making the comparison, but it's there when the quorum returns later, with Lee standing in the middle of them.
I found it interesting that of all the symbols you could pick to use as a symbol of belief, you went for the Arrow of Apollo (with some gorgeous key effects used to overlay the Arrow and Kara and Laura's hands at about the 1:10 mark). It made an interesting contrast between the shots that followed it immediately of Lee leading the Pegasus into battle, and then the price of dishonesty - the flicker of Gina firing, Lee's choice in the assassination conspiracy, and then hard cuts into the trial, and the looks between Laura and Lee, with Baltar in the middle.
The demon comparisons were perhaps the most chilling of the video; Laura's seems to be death, but Lee's have become the absence of Laura - or perhaps the need for someone to step into that empty space she'll leave behind; while it's easy to criticise the actions of those in charge, it's much harder to take on those decisions and the consequences that follow with them.
Of course, if I had to describe this vid in two words, rather than one... they would be deliciously complex.
Reply
No sweat :) Vidding is primary, right? ;)
…vids like this are a good reason for you to continue your flirtation with Poets of the Fall.
You think so? I don’t know... After this vid I have a strong urge to make myself stop pondering on creating another video to their composition.
I don't know if you were deliberately making the comparison, but it's there when the quorum returns later, with Lee standing in the middle of them.
Yes, this connection and comparison is deliberate, as well as pretty much everything else in this vid.
I found it interesting that of all the symbols you could pick to use as a symbol of belief, you went for the Arrow of Apollo (with some gorgeous key effects used to overlay the Arrow and Kara and Laura's hands at about the 1:10 mark). It made an interesting contrast between the shots that followed it immediately of Lee leading the Pegasus into battle,
I think I did it because I find it interesting that Roslin’s blind belief in her visions, the Arrow, the Tomb and somesuch aren’t Lee’s basis to follow her and go against his dad, splitting the fleet; in fact, her symbol of belief - for him is a symbol of the price (Kara’s probable death and his father’s further disappointment in him) that he has to pay… Lee is willing to pay that price because he can do nothing about Kara’s decision when she already jumped away and he believes the cause is right and that restoring some form of democratic leadership is an important thing to do. It was hard to pack his whole story of personal disappointment in Rolsin’s methods and his choice to sacrifice honesty for Kara’s life that Roslin forced him to make indirectly in RS2, but I tried…
This whole video is made of going back and forth, I deliberately jump in time… and when Roslin faces the same evidence of unexplainable mystery in form of Kara’s reappearance and a brand new Viper on the deck - what does she do? For Lee she refuses to recognize the possibility of that same mystery being before her very eyes… and not just because Kara might be the enemy, but also because she might pose a threat to Roslin’s own vision of the right way to Earth and more importantly - to the existential meaning of Roslin’s sacrificial death. That’s partly why her decision-making becomes even more autocratic - and from that time on Lee practically represents the opposition.
And when later Lee shares with her the feeling of the Quorum representatives’ despair that he experienced - in order to persuade her to talk to the people - Roslin basically makes a point that he’s never tried holding their lives in balance so he can’t possibly understand her choice to minimize contacts and maximize distance - which I address with the help of that shot of Lee leading Pegasus into battle and some S1/2 footage again - and by doing so I continue the polemics.
Reply
I’m very glad if it worked! It’s one of the sequences in the video that I like the most because of the Cain/Baltar assassination/capital punishment comparison and Roslin’s rational (or rather personal and irrational) judgment in both cases with Lee’s internal reactions and actions in the middle, that highlight two characters’ differences.
...while it's easy to criticise the actions of those in charge, it's much harder to take on those decisions and the consequences that follow with them.
Yes, I'm happy that this imagery came across the way I wanted it too. :)
Of course, if I had to describe this vid in two words, rather than one... they would be deliciously complex.
I think one of the reasons why this video didn't get as much feedback as even the first one I made a few years ago may be its complexity, and I don't mean technical in this case. I guess an average viewer's brain has a good chance to start hurting attempting to translate this visual story into verbal conclusions. There are few people who get and like both of these characters. I know how much time I had to spend thinking about Laura and Lee... their mutual journey as much as their individual transformations, trying to put my finger on many nuances and not being judgmental; I spent hours debating with one of my friends who is a big fan of Laura by phone because I wanted to be as objective as it’s possible for me with her character's POV. One of the hardest things about making this vid was that I had to shift focus from one POV to another in the second half of this story... and well, it was rather difficult, given that it's much more natural for me to think and create from Lee's perspective than Laura's.
So thank you very much for commenting Ed! Your feedback makes it less disappointing for me to realize that the more thoughts I put into my vidding projects the less reaction I get.
Reply
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