A collection of vids for the non-fannish
So, um, yes. Despite my very best intentions I ended up writing Merlin finale!fic last night. Oh dear. But dipping into a new fandom is always fun, and I shall answer comments soon!
(I know I keep promising it, but really, promo post coming soon. I actually don't have time to screencap and so on right now.)
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Onto content that is not (entirely) Merlin related! I'm constructing a vid playlist for when I go home, because it is traditional that I inflict a few fanvids on my dad every time I go back. Playing vids to people is one of my favourite things to do, when they're sufficiently geeky in a non-fandom way that I think they'd appreciate them. But it's really an art form, and my selections for offline friends has always been a bit hit and miss.
I think I've managed to find some general rules, however. Number one is definitely that just because I love a vid does not necessarily mean someone else will get it at all. I have to sit down and think about why I think Vid X is so great, and often it's more to do with a particularly fannish interpretation of the characters, vidding language or other fandom-specific things that someone who doesn't engage with canon the way we all do just won't get. Non-fandomers, and generally people who don't watch vids regularly, tend to view things differently at first, also. When someone isn't used to talking about a canon pretty often, vids can often be simply confusing, or they'll get distracted by the footage rather than following the vidder's narrative.
Case in point: I showed my dad 'Handlebars' last time, and it's not that he didn't get it, but he wasn't as swept along with the build up of the lyrics as we all were because he would interject at various points with 'ooh, I'd forgotten about her!' or whatever. He's a Doctor Who fan, but having only watched most episodes once or twice, it's difficult to recontextualise even to the extent that 'Handlebars' does because mostly he was being reminded of parts of the programme he liked but hadn't considered for a while.
Also, the music's usually important in getting people into vids. If they already know and like the songs that's going to be a big factor in how much they enjoy a vid. Also, if the vid's about a particular theme then it should probably be something they've considered before - a shipping vid, say, unless it really lays out the whole reason for the pairing in the way that sol_se's SGA vid 'Red Moon' does, say. After they've got the way vids work, you can start introducing the subversion. *g*
Then you must consider your particular subject carefully. So for my dad, various hits and misses before have concluded: music choice is very important, and he enjoys things that match up to the lyrics quite precisely. He enjoys clever editing and effects, mash-ups and parallels and so on. The biggest success I've had with him so far was still the first vid I showed him, the joy of my heart that is hollywoodgrrl's Boulevard of Broken Songs, which I've found works brilliantly as a first vid to show to anyone who's a big Who fan. Also, I know that I'll only keep his attention for so long before he gets bored and wanders off, so I've really whittled this list down and hope that he'll willingly sit through them all. We shall see!
The list as it now stands:
To Touch The Face Of God by destina (fandom: space!)
I have no idea why I haven't shown him this already. It's gorgeous and incredibly easy to watch, and a must-see for anyone interested in space, which we both certainly are.
Meet the Doctor by humansrsuperior (fandom: Doctor Who)
Well this is just adorable. It's short and fun and I always love what humansrsuperior does with sound and dialogue.
Shine by humansrsuperior (fandom: Doctor Who)
To my embarrassment, my dad is a big fan of Take That's comeback stuff. (I mean, I quite like it, but really now.) And this is the sort of vid that actively invites you to appreciate the clips in their original context as it pulls out all sorts of moments from the programme.
OMG! by obsessive24 (fandom: Doctor Who)
Ahahaha, okay, I only found this vid quite recently and it is so, so hilarious and the editing is incredible! You can't possibly like the programme and not love this, I swear.
Destiny Calling by charmax (multfandom: superheroes)
We watch a lot of superhero films, my dad and I, and dude. This vid has The Incredibles. Instant win!
Run For Your Life by hollywoodgrrl (fandom: Ashes To Ashes)
hollywoodgrrl strikes again with the mash-up and fantastic editing to match!
-- I did say this post wasn't going to be entirely Merlin-free, didn't I? And lo and behold, my parents have been watching the programme. Needless to say I am pleased by this turn of events!
Beverly Hills by giandujakiss (fandom: Merlin)
This is the perfect introduction to the show, and it's breezy and witty and lots and lots of fun. Beverly Hills! That's where Merlin wants to be! :D
Red by obsessive24 (fandom: Merlin)
a;lsdkja, this just got posted this morning and IT'S AMAZING. Beautifully put together, and my dad's a big Elbow fan, I think he'll get a kick out of this.
And then, as he'll no doubt ask, I'll dig out a vid or two of mine as well. I was on holiday with the family when I made 'Love Is All You Need', and he got quite into the whole concept of editing video and how it worked. I'm not sure if he'll really get 'The Book Of Love' or 'Tristan' otherwise I'd probably show him those, but I do think that he'll like 'Butterflies and Hurricanes' and it's a good demonstration of the fact my editing abilities have progressed since I started, hurrah!
(I know I keep promising it, but really, promo post coming soon. I actually don't have time to screencap and so on right now.)
---
Onto content that is not (entirely) Merlin related! I'm constructing a vid playlist for when I go home, because it is traditional that I inflict a few fanvids on my dad every time I go back. Playing vids to people is one of my favourite things to do, when they're sufficiently geeky in a non-fandom way that I think they'd appreciate them. But it's really an art form, and my selections for offline friends has always been a bit hit and miss.
I think I've managed to find some general rules, however. Number one is definitely that just because I love a vid does not necessarily mean someone else will get it at all. I have to sit down and think about why I think Vid X is so great, and often it's more to do with a particularly fannish interpretation of the characters, vidding language or other fandom-specific things that someone who doesn't engage with canon the way we all do just won't get. Non-fandomers, and generally people who don't watch vids regularly, tend to view things differently at first, also. When someone isn't used to talking about a canon pretty often, vids can often be simply confusing, or they'll get distracted by the footage rather than following the vidder's narrative.
Case in point: I showed my dad 'Handlebars' last time, and it's not that he didn't get it, but he wasn't as swept along with the build up of the lyrics as we all were because he would interject at various points with 'ooh, I'd forgotten about her!' or whatever. He's a Doctor Who fan, but having only watched most episodes once or twice, it's difficult to recontextualise even to the extent that 'Handlebars' does because mostly he was being reminded of parts of the programme he liked but hadn't considered for a while.
Also, the music's usually important in getting people into vids. If they already know and like the songs that's going to be a big factor in how much they enjoy a vid. Also, if the vid's about a particular theme then it should probably be something they've considered before - a shipping vid, say, unless it really lays out the whole reason for the pairing in the way that sol_se's SGA vid 'Red Moon' does, say. After they've got the way vids work, you can start introducing the subversion. *g*
Then you must consider your particular subject carefully. So for my dad, various hits and misses before have concluded: music choice is very important, and he enjoys things that match up to the lyrics quite precisely. He enjoys clever editing and effects, mash-ups and parallels and so on. The biggest success I've had with him so far was still the first vid I showed him, the joy of my heart that is hollywoodgrrl's Boulevard of Broken Songs, which I've found works brilliantly as a first vid to show to anyone who's a big Who fan. Also, I know that I'll only keep his attention for so long before he gets bored and wanders off, so I've really whittled this list down and hope that he'll willingly sit through them all. We shall see!
The list as it now stands:
To Touch The Face Of God by destina (fandom: space!)
I have no idea why I haven't shown him this already. It's gorgeous and incredibly easy to watch, and a must-see for anyone interested in space, which we both certainly are.
Meet the Doctor by humansrsuperior (fandom: Doctor Who)
Well this is just adorable. It's short and fun and I always love what humansrsuperior does with sound and dialogue.
Shine by humansrsuperior (fandom: Doctor Who)
To my embarrassment, my dad is a big fan of Take That's comeback stuff. (I mean, I quite like it, but really now.) And this is the sort of vid that actively invites you to appreciate the clips in their original context as it pulls out all sorts of moments from the programme.
OMG! by obsessive24 (fandom: Doctor Who)
Ahahaha, okay, I only found this vid quite recently and it is so, so hilarious and the editing is incredible! You can't possibly like the programme and not love this, I swear.
Destiny Calling by charmax (multfandom: superheroes)
We watch a lot of superhero films, my dad and I, and dude. This vid has The Incredibles. Instant win!
Run For Your Life by hollywoodgrrl (fandom: Ashes To Ashes)
hollywoodgrrl strikes again with the mash-up and fantastic editing to match!
-- I did say this post wasn't going to be entirely Merlin-free, didn't I? And lo and behold, my parents have been watching the programme. Needless to say I am pleased by this turn of events!
Beverly Hills by giandujakiss (fandom: Merlin)
This is the perfect introduction to the show, and it's breezy and witty and lots and lots of fun. Beverly Hills! That's where Merlin wants to be! :D
Red by obsessive24 (fandom: Merlin)
a;lsdkja, this just got posted this morning and IT'S AMAZING. Beautifully put together, and my dad's a big Elbow fan, I think he'll get a kick out of this.
And then, as he'll no doubt ask, I'll dig out a vid or two of mine as well. I was on holiday with the family when I made 'Love Is All You Need', and he got quite into the whole concept of editing video and how it worked. I'm not sure if he'll really get 'The Book Of Love' or 'Tristan' otherwise I'd probably show him those, but I do think that he'll like 'Butterflies and Hurricanes' and it's a good demonstration of the fact my editing abilities have progressed since I started, hurrah!