Vidding Thoughts of the Day
I have been thinking quite a lot lately about context in vidding. Specifically, how much should you rely on context when making a vid?
( In which I blab on and on and on for, like, EVER, possibly without saying anything of value )
( In which I blab on and on and on for, like, EVER, possibly without saying anything of value )
Secondly, you were indeed a great deal of help. I wasn't really looking for concrete answers anyway; I mainly posted this just to (hopefully) start an intriguing discussion and learn from other vidders' perspectives.
I know a lot of that has to do with the fact that as I've continued to vid, I've become a Context Addict.
Which is pretty funny, because the opposite has happened to me. I mean, as far as watching other people's work, my appreciation for context has definitely grown; but when it comes to my own stuff, I keep getting more and more reluctant to move past the superficial and obvious. And I have no idea why that is. I'm just a freak. :)
I'm so glad that you responded to this, because one of the things that actually got me thinking about this topic was your vid "Red Oyster Cult", which I've been watching obsessively the past few days. And every time I watch it, after all the squealing and clapping, I think "I could never do that." Not because I wouldn't have come up with the idea (although that's certainly true), but because there are portions of that vid that rely very heavily on context, like the scene from WSWB where Buffy leads Xander out onto the dance floor, or the scene from "Choices" where Buffy trades the Box of Gavrok for Willow, and the juxtaposition of those scenes with present-day Evil!Magic!Willow. And I LOVE those clips, and I love the fact that every time I watch your vid I pick up on something new, and I love that it uses the context to make me think deep thoughts about Willow's friendships and issues and blah blah blah insightfulcakes. But if I had been the one making it, I would have been all "but, but, but what if people don't understaaaaaand? What if they can't recognize that clip? What if the point I'm trying to make is a stupid one? What if people don't get it? What if what if what if ... Maybe I should dumb it down." And I would have dumbed it down, and it would have been horrible.
Basically, I need to learn to not be afraid of context, or of digging a little deeper. After all, I enjoy it so much when other people (like you) do it. It stems partly from the whole limiting-my-audience thing, but it also has a lot to do with feeling that I'm not particularly qualified to analyze the show on a deeper level, and that whatever I have to say won't be smart or entertaining or worthwhile. Which comes from being mostly stuck in the shallow end of the pool when it comes to understanding ficticious universes, as I said above, and to which you mentioned that you can relate. And now I'm rambling again. :)
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