A few random cents and part one of VVC Vid Reviews!
I am doing my best not to get terribly involved in the recent post-VVC discussion -- it helps that I have been struck by con crud and am too busy blowing my nose to think coherently. However, I think it is important to remember a couple of things.
1) VividCon is subject to the same prejudices, accessibility problems, and other shortcomings as the rest of the world. However, it also has an awesome concom. I've read several first-hand accounts over the past few days about the concom's ability and willingness to assist congoers with mobility issues, and their efforts to make the con enjoyable and successful for everyone. There has been a lot of good discussion about further steps that they could take -- and I certainly hope people have been emailing the concom directly with their suggestions -- but it seems to me that a lot of this discussion could have been more productive at the con itself.
You or someone you know has problems finding comfortable seating in the vidshow room? Talk to the concom.
People are taking pictures on the dancefloor and you don't feel comfortable approaching them directly? Talk to the concom.
This is what they're there for. When possible -- and I understand that it isn't always -- it is probably better in the long-and-short run to address problems as they happen than stir up a giant can of bad feelings post-con.
2) VividCon is fun. Most of the people I have spoken with or read reports from -- which included several newbies -- had a great time. I think most of us can agree that of most cons, VividCon, with its relatively small membership cap, is one of the most likely to pay attention to the individual congoer and help them with any issues that arise. I think that's pretty nifty.
Anyway. Let's talk about VIDS! (With the amount of stuffiness in my head, this should be interesting.)
Premieres! Part One!
Intro (Star Trek in 60 Seconds) by Lithium Doll: "Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor not a llama!" totally made the first half of the show for me. Awesome.
Metaphor (Multi) by Speranza, Seah & Margie: Catchy fun! I thought this was cute and hilarious -- a couple of times I couldn't figure out the intended metaphor, but it wasn't enough to detract from the vid for me.
Sea Fever (Slings & Arrows) by here's luck: Speaking of metaphor! I adore this vid. The pacing, the atmosphere, everything. God. I suspect that the vid is especially powerful for people who have seen the show, but people at VVC were saying that they got a lot out of it regardless, which makes me happy.
Fight The Power (Tropic Thunder/other) by Deejay: I... am not sure how to feel about this vid. It played well at the con, but a few people raised the concern that it wouldn't have quite the same effect when viewed individually at home, a concern I can now attest to. I find the concept interesting -- and I am all for breaking rules! -- but despite my support of the vid's conceit, it wasn't enjoyable to view a second time. Perhaps I would get more mileage out of the vid if I shared the vidder's appreciation of RDJ. (I do, however, ditto the question of why they haven't made Satan's Alley yet, because yes -- that movie needs to happen.)
All Apologies (Twilight) by Cappy: Oh, Edward. I love that this vid is so full of gorgeous imagery and editing and yet so hilarious as well -- I crack up every time Bella's dad cocks his shotgun. For me, this vid sums up Twilight -- it is Srs Bsns but also completely ridiculous in turns. The ending minute and last shot brings the vid back to 'scary emo vampire,' because Edward, despite his extensive mockability, is dangerous too.
Grown So Ugly (Angel, Buffy) by Acridnym: I will go ahead and be the odd one out who says that the black flashes totally worked for me. I loved the editing and clip choices in this vid -- the vidder made the Buffyverse seem fresh and interesting, which by now is a hard feat. The only part tripping me up is that I'm not sure of the vid's thesis, if you will. The Angelus/Darla vs. Angel/Buffy section seems the most clear, and is probably my favorite, but when extrapolating that idea onto the rest of the vid I get... hmm. Angelus is always within Angel? Maybe it's that simple. Anyway, despite my suspicion that I'm not quite parsing what the vidder wants me to, I like this vid a lot and will be rewatching it.
We Are (TSCC) by dragonchic: Action-packed and gripping. I'm getting more from this vid upon second viewing; in Premieres (and still now, to some extent) I felt that the song slowed too much in some sections to support the speed of the cuts. Second time around, I'm enjoying the vid a lot more. I love the last minute or so of the vid with the chaotic series of overlays -- awesome!
Cassandra (Merlin) by hellpenguin: I appreciate what this vid is doing -- Morgana totally is Cassandra, isn't she? -- but various tech issues (mismatched aspect ratios, stray frames, distracting flashes of other clips around the edge of the screen) kept me from enjoying the vid as much as I wanted to. I'd be interested in seeing a version in which these distractions have been removed.
Hard Sun (Firefly, Us) by bradcpu and laura shapiro: You know, I am actually kind of surprised that this vid got the mixed reception it did at VVC. Maybe it just serves rewatching well, but it is gorgeous. We take our fandoms with us. I love the visual connections made -- riding horses to driving a car, the glass of a bus window to the glass of River's space helmet. This vid makes our everyday look as magical as the world of the show. (That said, I would have appreciated a little more variety of outside footage -- not everyone might have this problem, obviously, but when you know the backsides being shown, it is easy -- and a bit distracting -- to spot repeated fans.)
See The USA In Your Chevrolet (Supernatural) by Carol S: ADORABLE. And made me happy to see the Impala again, despite my Supernatural burnout.
Pretty When You Cry (Dollhouse) by diannelamerc: I was surprised no one really mentioned the amount of sexualized violence in this vid. I mean, not that I mind, but it is kind of hard to miss it. I assume that it was part of the vid's point, but having not watched Dollhouse, I think I'm missing a bit of the context. Aside from that, nicely edited and very creepy -- although I'm not quite sure of the purpose the borders serve and found them rather distracting. Love the last clip.
Mad About You (Mad Men) by gwyneth: I had this moment about two-thirds of the way through where I went "OMG IT'S CONNOR"... other than that, I love this vid and the way it bookends the narrative with dressing/undressing. I might need to watch this show.
Learn To Crawl (BSG) by jarrow: Who knew BSG (through jarrow's genius, of course) could so completely bring the femslash? Hot, affecting, and brilliantly edited. I adore this vid.
Sleeping With Ghosts (Star Trek) by butterfly: I sorta wanted this vid to end after the audio clip -- that quote really summed everything up for me, and the next bit of the vid just seemed superfluous. By that point, I had already picked up on the mindmeld-y, eternal love, even-through-multiple-timelines theme, and seeing more of it just hammered the point home kind of too hard. That said... yay, Kirk/Spock! I really appreciate when vids draw together Reboot and Original Series source.
It Comes And Goes In Waves (Varg Veum movies) by M'lyn and Jo: Absolutely beautiful and rather disquieting. I don't particularly have the urge to seek out the source, simply because the vid does an excellent job on its own of showing us this man's life -- and introducing us to mysteries.
Turn Around (Bones) by Lizbetann: On the other hand, this vid made me want to watch Bones. What can I say, my brain is weird! I felt, as some others did, that the vid lasted a bit too long -- but I enjoyed watching the increasingly ridiculous gross-outs. I can forgive a vid its literalism if there are THAT many human skulls on the ground.
Marble House (Doctor Who) by hollywoodgrrl: I kept meaning to accost hollywoodgrrl and fangirl all over her at some point during the weekend, but I never did. This vid, however -- man, this vid! So well-structured, so fantastically-edited, and a wicked song choice. I adore it, and I love that it offers glimpses at the 'future' of the show -- with Martha's "things I'll do for free" and the glimpses we get of the grandeur and danger of the Doctor's life.
Video Killed The Radio Star (Wizard of Oz) by dualbunny: I have read Wicked, but even with my spotty memory of the book, I could appreciate what was happening here re: Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) and Dorothy's realization of her actions. I think the vid also works on a surface-level, though, simply because of the bright colors and snappy editing. My inner eight-year-old was SO pleased.
American Tune (West Wing) by greensilver: What a whore, I hate her. Also, I was one of the betas for this vid, so HA, I cried before any of the rest of you! The ups and downs of the Bartlet (and later, Santos) team, with beautiful pacing and deft clip selection. The part that always gets me, even more than the evil Leo section, is "the age's most uncertain hours." From then on, I'm a mess. I love it.
Make Your Own Kind of Music (Multi) by Barkley: Awwwww. This vid is like a gazillion ounces of happy.
Also Premiering!
Elevation (Iron Man) by Andraste: Well-edited and fun, but I hit Elevation overload this VVC and couldn't quite view the vid without 'not this song AGAIN' in the back of my mind. It's a shame, really, because the song is totally appropriate for the source.
Stars (Dexter) by Keely: I love that the reaction to this was the opposite of when my Dexter vid aired in 2007, thanks in part to more people having seen the source. Instead of the shock twist, the audience was just WAITING for the reveal. And then -- at the very end! A single drop of blood! Deft and awesome. Oh, Rita.
Stricken (Buffy) by beerbad: Buffy through the years! But I'm afraid I didn't get much from this vid in regards to theme or narrative.
Legion (Supernatural) by The Shimmertwins: I stopped watching Supernatural this past season, but I still adored this vid and appreciated its focus on the demons of the show, particularly Ruby. Creepy and snarly and awesome, and the face morphing effect is for the win.
This Is The Place (Burn Notice) by Lithium Doll: Usually I don't have much of a problem with vids set to songs used by previous vids, but this one really reminded me of the Once a Thief vid on first viewing, so much so that I got completely distracted. I enjoyed it a lot more the second time around, though, and I love the bookending (and repeating motif) of Jeffrey Donovan's character leaping into the water. Nice.
This Place Is Trying To Change Us (Angel) by Stacia Yeapanis: This vid was interesting, but I'm not sure I grasped all the parallels that were being made between Lindsey, Angel, and Gunn.
Welcome To The Real World (Life On Mars) by jagwriter78: I liked the concept of this vid, and some of the effects, but there was such an abundance of them that I felt my eyes weren't given a chance to rest. Not an unsuccessful vid, but not for me.
Oh My God (Better Than Chocolate) by butterfly: Oh my God, lesbians! I am ... not averse to sexy lesbians. If there was anything deeper to the vid, I was too distracted by the boobage.
Beast of Burden (Merlin) by sweetestdrain: This vidder obviously has severe emotional problems and possibly an Electra complex.
Bachelorette (Buffy) by obsessive24: I really like the intro section to this vid -- linking together vampires, Watchers, and army dudes, etc. -- as well as the last minute or so in which the female characters take back their power and agency. However, I find myself a little confused about the message the vid is trying to convey... is it anti-Joss Whedon's portrayal of women? (In which case, I don't quite agree.) Or is it trying to say something about the world outside the show? And that last clip of Buffy alone in the wilderness -- what feeling is it supposed to leave us with? If this vid was supposed to raise questions, it did a good job, but otherwise I'm afraid the argument is a bit muddied.
Unforgiveable? (Harry Potter) by Keely: Man, the wizarding world is a cruel place, isn't it? But a gorgeous one -- and I adore both the lush visuals paired with the childlike vocals, and the interesting minor-character POV. This vid makes me want to rewatch all the Harry Potter films.
1) VividCon is subject to the same prejudices, accessibility problems, and other shortcomings as the rest of the world. However, it also has an awesome concom. I've read several first-hand accounts over the past few days about the concom's ability and willingness to assist congoers with mobility issues, and their efforts to make the con enjoyable and successful for everyone. There has been a lot of good discussion about further steps that they could take -- and I certainly hope people have been emailing the concom directly with their suggestions -- but it seems to me that a lot of this discussion could have been more productive at the con itself.
You or someone you know has problems finding comfortable seating in the vidshow room? Talk to the concom.
People are taking pictures on the dancefloor and you don't feel comfortable approaching them directly? Talk to the concom.
This is what they're there for. When possible -- and I understand that it isn't always -- it is probably better in the long-and-short run to address problems as they happen than stir up a giant can of bad feelings post-con.
2) VividCon is fun. Most of the people I have spoken with or read reports from -- which included several newbies -- had a great time. I think most of us can agree that of most cons, VividCon, with its relatively small membership cap, is one of the most likely to pay attention to the individual congoer and help them with any issues that arise. I think that's pretty nifty.
Anyway. Let's talk about VIDS! (With the amount of stuffiness in my head, this should be interesting.)
Premieres! Part One!
Intro (Star Trek in 60 Seconds) by Lithium Doll: "Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor not a llama!" totally made the first half of the show for me. Awesome.
Metaphor (Multi) by Speranza, Seah & Margie: Catchy fun! I thought this was cute and hilarious -- a couple of times I couldn't figure out the intended metaphor, but it wasn't enough to detract from the vid for me.
Sea Fever (Slings & Arrows) by here's luck: Speaking of metaphor! I adore this vid. The pacing, the atmosphere, everything. God. I suspect that the vid is especially powerful for people who have seen the show, but people at VVC were saying that they got a lot out of it regardless, which makes me happy.
Fight The Power (Tropic Thunder/other) by Deejay: I... am not sure how to feel about this vid. It played well at the con, but a few people raised the concern that it wouldn't have quite the same effect when viewed individually at home, a concern I can now attest to. I find the concept interesting -- and I am all for breaking rules! -- but despite my support of the vid's conceit, it wasn't enjoyable to view a second time. Perhaps I would get more mileage out of the vid if I shared the vidder's appreciation of RDJ. (I do, however, ditto the question of why they haven't made Satan's Alley yet, because yes -- that movie needs to happen.)
All Apologies (Twilight) by Cappy: Oh, Edward. I love that this vid is so full of gorgeous imagery and editing and yet so hilarious as well -- I crack up every time Bella's dad cocks his shotgun. For me, this vid sums up Twilight -- it is Srs Bsns but also completely ridiculous in turns. The ending minute and last shot brings the vid back to 'scary emo vampire,' because Edward, despite his extensive mockability, is dangerous too.
Grown So Ugly (Angel, Buffy) by Acridnym: I will go ahead and be the odd one out who says that the black flashes totally worked for me. I loved the editing and clip choices in this vid -- the vidder made the Buffyverse seem fresh and interesting, which by now is a hard feat. The only part tripping me up is that I'm not sure of the vid's thesis, if you will. The Angelus/Darla vs. Angel/Buffy section seems the most clear, and is probably my favorite, but when extrapolating that idea onto the rest of the vid I get... hmm. Angelus is always within Angel? Maybe it's that simple. Anyway, despite my suspicion that I'm not quite parsing what the vidder wants me to, I like this vid a lot and will be rewatching it.
We Are (TSCC) by dragonchic: Action-packed and gripping. I'm getting more from this vid upon second viewing; in Premieres (and still now, to some extent) I felt that the song slowed too much in some sections to support the speed of the cuts. Second time around, I'm enjoying the vid a lot more. I love the last minute or so of the vid with the chaotic series of overlays -- awesome!
Cassandra (Merlin) by hellpenguin: I appreciate what this vid is doing -- Morgana totally is Cassandra, isn't she? -- but various tech issues (mismatched aspect ratios, stray frames, distracting flashes of other clips around the edge of the screen) kept me from enjoying the vid as much as I wanted to. I'd be interested in seeing a version in which these distractions have been removed.
Hard Sun (Firefly, Us) by bradcpu and laura shapiro: You know, I am actually kind of surprised that this vid got the mixed reception it did at VVC. Maybe it just serves rewatching well, but it is gorgeous. We take our fandoms with us. I love the visual connections made -- riding horses to driving a car, the glass of a bus window to the glass of River's space helmet. This vid makes our everyday look as magical as the world of the show. (That said, I would have appreciated a little more variety of outside footage -- not everyone might have this problem, obviously, but when you know the backsides being shown, it is easy -- and a bit distracting -- to spot repeated fans.)
See The USA In Your Chevrolet (Supernatural) by Carol S: ADORABLE. And made me happy to see the Impala again, despite my Supernatural burnout.
Pretty When You Cry (Dollhouse) by diannelamerc: I was surprised no one really mentioned the amount of sexualized violence in this vid. I mean, not that I mind, but it is kind of hard to miss it. I assume that it was part of the vid's point, but having not watched Dollhouse, I think I'm missing a bit of the context. Aside from that, nicely edited and very creepy -- although I'm not quite sure of the purpose the borders serve and found them rather distracting. Love the last clip.
Mad About You (Mad Men) by gwyneth: I had this moment about two-thirds of the way through where I went "OMG IT'S CONNOR"... other than that, I love this vid and the way it bookends the narrative with dressing/undressing. I might need to watch this show.
Learn To Crawl (BSG) by jarrow: Who knew BSG (through jarrow's genius, of course) could so completely bring the femslash? Hot, affecting, and brilliantly edited. I adore this vid.
Sleeping With Ghosts (Star Trek) by butterfly: I sorta wanted this vid to end after the audio clip -- that quote really summed everything up for me, and the next bit of the vid just seemed superfluous. By that point, I had already picked up on the mindmeld-y, eternal love, even-through-multiple-timelines theme, and seeing more of it just hammered the point home kind of too hard. That said... yay, Kirk/Spock! I really appreciate when vids draw together Reboot and Original Series source.
It Comes And Goes In Waves (Varg Veum movies) by M'lyn and Jo: Absolutely beautiful and rather disquieting. I don't particularly have the urge to seek out the source, simply because the vid does an excellent job on its own of showing us this man's life -- and introducing us to mysteries.
Turn Around (Bones) by Lizbetann: On the other hand, this vid made me want to watch Bones. What can I say, my brain is weird! I felt, as some others did, that the vid lasted a bit too long -- but I enjoyed watching the increasingly ridiculous gross-outs. I can forgive a vid its literalism if there are THAT many human skulls on the ground.
Marble House (Doctor Who) by hollywoodgrrl: I kept meaning to accost hollywoodgrrl and fangirl all over her at some point during the weekend, but I never did. This vid, however -- man, this vid! So well-structured, so fantastically-edited, and a wicked song choice. I adore it, and I love that it offers glimpses at the 'future' of the show -- with Martha's "things I'll do for free" and the glimpses we get of the grandeur and danger of the Doctor's life.
Video Killed The Radio Star (Wizard of Oz) by dualbunny: I have read Wicked, but even with my spotty memory of the book, I could appreciate what was happening here re: Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) and Dorothy's realization of her actions. I think the vid also works on a surface-level, though, simply because of the bright colors and snappy editing. My inner eight-year-old was SO pleased.
American Tune (West Wing) by greensilver: What a whore, I hate her. Also, I was one of the betas for this vid, so HA, I cried before any of the rest of you! The ups and downs of the Bartlet (and later, Santos) team, with beautiful pacing and deft clip selection. The part that always gets me, even more than the evil Leo section, is "the age's most uncertain hours." From then on, I'm a mess. I love it.
Make Your Own Kind of Music (Multi) by Barkley: Awwwww. This vid is like a gazillion ounces of happy.
Also Premiering!
Elevation (Iron Man) by Andraste: Well-edited and fun, but I hit Elevation overload this VVC and couldn't quite view the vid without 'not this song AGAIN' in the back of my mind. It's a shame, really, because the song is totally appropriate for the source.
Stars (Dexter) by Keely: I love that the reaction to this was the opposite of when my Dexter vid aired in 2007, thanks in part to more people having seen the source. Instead of the shock twist, the audience was just WAITING for the reveal. And then -- at the very end! A single drop of blood! Deft and awesome. Oh, Rita.
Stricken (Buffy) by beerbad: Buffy through the years! But I'm afraid I didn't get much from this vid in regards to theme or narrative.
Legion (Supernatural) by The Shimmertwins: I stopped watching Supernatural this past season, but I still adored this vid and appreciated its focus on the demons of the show, particularly Ruby. Creepy and snarly and awesome, and the face morphing effect is for the win.
This Is The Place (Burn Notice) by Lithium Doll: Usually I don't have much of a problem with vids set to songs used by previous vids, but this one really reminded me of the Once a Thief vid on first viewing, so much so that I got completely distracted. I enjoyed it a lot more the second time around, though, and I love the bookending (and repeating motif) of Jeffrey Donovan's character leaping into the water. Nice.
This Place Is Trying To Change Us (Angel) by Stacia Yeapanis: This vid was interesting, but I'm not sure I grasped all the parallels that were being made between Lindsey, Angel, and Gunn.
Welcome To The Real World (Life On Mars) by jagwriter78: I liked the concept of this vid, and some of the effects, but there was such an abundance of them that I felt my eyes weren't given a chance to rest. Not an unsuccessful vid, but not for me.
Oh My God (Better Than Chocolate) by butterfly: Oh my God, lesbians! I am ... not averse to sexy lesbians. If there was anything deeper to the vid, I was too distracted by the boobage.
Beast of Burden (Merlin) by sweetestdrain: This vidder obviously has severe emotional problems and possibly an Electra complex.
Bachelorette (Buffy) by obsessive24: I really like the intro section to this vid -- linking together vampires, Watchers, and army dudes, etc. -- as well as the last minute or so in which the female characters take back their power and agency. However, I find myself a little confused about the message the vid is trying to convey... is it anti-Joss Whedon's portrayal of women? (In which case, I don't quite agree.) Or is it trying to say something about the world outside the show? And that last clip of Buffy alone in the wilderness -- what feeling is it supposed to leave us with? If this vid was supposed to raise questions, it did a good job, but otherwise I'm afraid the argument is a bit muddied.
Unforgiveable? (Harry Potter) by Keely: Man, the wizarding world is a cruel place, isn't it? But a gorgeous one -- and I adore both the lush visuals paired with the childlike vocals, and the interesting minor-character POV. This vid makes me want to rewatch all the Harry Potter films.