BtVS Video: Anything But Love

[raspberry_splat]

Title: Anything But Love
Music: SOS: Anything But Love by Apocalyptica with vocals by Cristina Scabbia
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters: Spike/Buffy
Formats: wmv; zipped or streamed
Betas: leviathan101, rhoboat, humansrsuperior
Description: Spike and Buffy's dark...and beautiful story through Spike's eyes.

Special thanks to rhoboat for gifting me with this beyond perfect

Comments

[rhoboat]

I'm baaaack! Witha time stamp review, no less. XD

First off, let me say how hugely thankful I am that you took this song and did AMAZING things with it. Your vidding was so inspired and thoughtful... I couldn't have done the song the justice it needed. And this song is so PERFECT for Spike and Buffy, and what you've done with it... it SHINES.

0:00-0:12 I love this opening with the moment that Spike first sees Buffy at the Bronze way back in S2, and you can just see how drawn he is to her. And the way you do those little zooms of yours to the music? That's so very you, and I ♥ it. I wish I could do zooms like that. ;)

0:18-0:23 THANK YOU for using that scene in the Bronze. Isn't it just perfect there with the lyric "Bound to your side and trapped in silence"?? And I adore how you zoom in on Spike, making the focus on him, and less so on Buffy. This vid is Spike's POV, and it SHOWS.

0:24 *drool* Possession, indeed!

0:33 The coloring on Buffy here is gorgeous.

0:37-0:52 I'm gonna echo HRS's comments in that I love what you did with the "Fool for Love" clips here. And given that HRS doesn't know the backstory behind these clips, that it shows how much it pains Spike that Buffy treated him as something so beneath her, given the parallel with Cecily in the same episode. Beautifully done, especially with the layering of the William clips.

0:53-0:56 I know how long you worked on this section, and I have to tell you again how amazingly well your quick clips work with the build up in music here, with the William clips interspersed with Spike clips.

0:58-1:04 Oh, I just love the "Smashed" clips here with the lyric "scare me to death." That moment must've absolutely scared Spike, given how much Buffy professed to hate him. And by "scared," I mean in that confused, what the heck are we doing, is Buffy gonna kill me after this, but OH MY GOD, this is just... wow... sorta way. Uh. Did that make any sense? I thnk that last scene in "Smashed" does funny things to the brain...

1:05-1:10 It hurts to see Spike take those shots from Buffy. But I think he loves her too much to hit back, knows that it's something she needed to do.

1:08-1:10 Wonderful lyric matching here with the drink they share for "never forget" and I like how it's layered/juxtaposed with the more violent clip of Buffy punching.

1:12 I've been meaning to ask... when's this clip from with Spike tossing the drink? S3?

1:15-1:26 The tenderness of the hand holding mixed in with the hotness of all the sex scenes is just... *guh* ♥

1:33-1:35 I really ♥ the little zooms here with the plucking cello bits.

1:36-1:53 I LOVE his mix of that super HOT lighter scene with the the "Tabula Rasa" clips, then the clips you used to with the super powerful "mindfucking" lyric as a sort of punctuation. *GUH* ♥ ♥

2:00-2:12 Buffy being the Slayer in the graveyard clips layered with the William clips is such an amazing use of the "darkest corners of my mind are yours" lyric. Spike is SOOO in love with everything that Buffy is, dark Slayer bits included.

2:13-2:32 I love love LOVE how you hit all the beats with the fighting mixed with the oh-so-HOT kissing here. JUST LOVE IT.s

2:41 OH! That face!! *melts*

Ack! Apparently my review requires two posts. And sorry for the initial deleting there. In my haste to post part two, I used the wrong icon here. ^_^'

[rhoboat]

2:52-2:59 I imagine that vidding the attempted rape scene from "Seeing Red" can be SUPER difficult, but it works SO WELL here with the "without any faith" lyric.

3:00-3:03 "Condemn me to live" with Spike getting his soul? HOW PERFECT IS THAT?!! *flail*

3:07 Oh, that yelling clip from "Beneath You" hits the note so perfectly the way Cristina Scabbia just belts out "condemn me to lie."

3:13-3:16 Spike leaving behind his coat in "Seeing Red" with him struggling with his soul with the "I am dead" lyric leaves me.... *falls over ded*

3:17-3:26 I ♥ SO MUCH how you stretched that clip of William/Spike crouching underneath here. Only you would think to do such an amazing bit of layering like that. I ... just WOW.

3:27 Buffy showing Spike any amount of tenderness like that... it really MUST scare Spike to death. JUst wow.

3:28-3:38 "Beneath You"!! Oh, how I love this episode so, and how you vidded it here. I especially liked the subtle layering of Spike going crazy with "voice in my head" here.

3:39-3:41 I'm not sure what exactly you did here with the editing (kinda reminds me of MOTP with the quickness of it), but it's really, really cool. I may just have to go through it frame by frame to see. ;)

3:45 Spike opening himself up like that to Buffy. Oh, that just hurts to see.

3:53-3:55 YAY! for the hands clip here!!! I know we've talked about this moment, but I think I'll say out loud here that it takes such an eye to see how much Spike cares for Buffy by not swatting her hand away when she wanted to take a closer look at his injury. He's got such pride, but he also has that tender side to him that manifests itself whenever he truly loves someone, from his mother, to Dru, and to Buffy here.

3:56-4:00 Spike gets his mojo (the coat) back so he can be strong for Buffy. YESSSS. And again, I really love how him putting the coat on hits those beats.

4:05 Oh! This is one of my favorite scenes from S7, and it really highlights how Buffy truly gives him "anything but love."

4:12 More hands!!! Really, how DO YOU DO THAT? The way you focus in on things like that. It's just... GAHH!! ♥ *hearts; ♥

4:14 This was definitely the BEST clip with which to end this AMAZING, GORGEOUS, and WONDERFULLY LAYERED vid. The separation there, both literal and physical... it's PERFECT.

[raspberry_splat]

First off, let me say how hugely thankful I am that you took this song and did AMAZING things with it. Your vidding was so inspired and thoughtful... I couldn't have done the song the justice it needed. And this song is so PERFECT for Spike and Buffy, and what you've done with it... it SHINES.

Oh my..where do I begin? I think I am walking through timestamp heaven! I just don't know how to thank you for all your support, patience, help and glorious encouragement while I made this vid...not to mention having gifted me with this equisite song in the first place. And now....look at this beyond beautiful feedback!!! The fact that you took the time to go through the vid so carefully...and mention all these bits...I'm just overwhelmed. I just want to dive in and respond to each and every one of your shiny comments...each one feels like a hug. I'm so thrilled you feel pleased with how this turned out...you just can't know. I fell more and more in love with this song as the project went on and now it just feels like Spike's 'voice' spilling out everytime I hear it.

You just have spoiled me terribly with this brimming reply..and you know me, if I respond to as much of it as I'd like, I'll never get this thank you response posted at all! I'm trying to touch on just a few, but it's tough...

I am thrilled you like how the Balcony clip turned out....but it was your suggestion that was pure perfection!!

1:08-1:10 Wonderful lyric matching here with the drink they share for "never forget" and I like how it's layered/juxtaposed with the more violent clip of Buffy punching.

1:12 I've been meaning to ask... when's this clip from with Spike tossing the drink? S3?

Hugs to you for 'getting' that drinking scene...and liking it so! And yes, Spike tossing the drink is from Season 3...Lovers Walk. But it just felt as if it could work here. :) :)

1:33-1:35 I really ♥ the little zooms here with the plucking cello bits.
oooohh..you don't know how happy I am you like those!!

1:36-1:53 I LOVE his mix of that super HOT lighter scene with the the "Tabula Rasa" clips, then the clips you used to with the super powerful "mindfucking" lyric as a sort of punctuation. *GUH* ♥ ♥
I was so excited that you described those clips being sort of punctuation there... that it worked and you saw it that way....and liked it!!!!

3:00-3:03 "Condemn me to live" with Spike getting his soul? HOW PERFECT IS THAT?!! *flail*

3:07 Oh, that yelling clip from "Beneath You" hits the note so perfectly the way Cristina Scabbia just belts out "condemn me to lie."

You told me before how much you liked the getting his soul back for the "condemn me to live" ,but I am excited to hear too that you like the yelling clip coming in with "condemn me to lie"..with that gorgeous wrenching vocal of hers there, yes, as if she's giving voice to his own 'screaming' there.

Goodness..I am going on forever here, but you just poured so much feedback wonderfulness upon me. I love that you liked crouching Will/Spike stretched undeneath in the 3:17-3:26 sequence...and that you liked the quick clips at 3:39-3:41, that makes me terribly happy...and bless you for loving the coat on the beats...and the whole getting the mojo back....and for understanding the hands at 3:53..and...and...just EVERYTHING. I just treasure every single word here...you outdid yourself like mad. Thank you thank you thank you...{{{{{{rho}}}}}}}

[tinuvielberen]

This is amazing. Truly a wonderful video: technically and emotionally breathtaking.

[raspberry_splat]

Thank you soooo much tinuvielberen for these very beautiful comments. I must have thought I'd responded to you already, but just noticed I hadn't, please forgive the delay! Thank you again for watching, your comments made me so happy. :)

[raspberry_splat]

Rho, I can't believe I neglected to include my thank you for your gorgeous rec in my reply to you here. I kept reading it over and over when I first saw it. You are just too wonderful. Thank you again for everything.