"Are We The Lucky Ones?", commentary by jagwriter78
Title: Are We The Lucky Ones?
Vidder:
jagwriter78
Fandom: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer
Link to vid: Are We The Lucky Ones?
Commentary by jagwriter78
Intro:
I first started watching Buffy just a few weeks before I made this vid. I didn't start out watching the series with the intention to ever make a vid for it, but as most people know, things usually turn out different. The song I used for the vid was featured in the series in season 4 and I couldn't help but be hit with the vidding bug immediately. In a way, the song seemed to touch everything that Buffy and Angel had come to mean to me in such a short time.
I have to confess, when I start a vid, I don't have a storyboard or know what clips will go where. I start with a basic idea and let the music guide me. Sometimes my original idea gets changed while I am working on the vid, sometimes it doesn't. It all depends on where the music and the clips I chose guide me. I also don't vid in chronological order. I vid the sections first that speak the me the most and then model the rest around it. Maybe that's not the perfect way to do a vid, but it's always proven to work just right for me.
When I started this vid, I had gone through seasons 1 to 4 of Buffy and season 1 of Angel in just about 3 weeks. I had never indulged into anything Buffy before, so it was a wild experiment to try to work on something that was still so new to me. I would like to think of it as an advantage as I can say that the view on the series is solely mine and has not been tainted by reading other people's opinions or watching other people's vids about the show.
So when I sat down to start on the vid, my basic premiss was that even though it wasn't all happy days for Buffy and Angel, they still managed to take something good out of their relationship. I stuck some clips into the timeline and suddenly realized that maybe my assumption may not have been so true after all. The vid slowly morphed into a piece about trying to decide whether everything they had to go through really made them the lucky ones or not.
Commentary:
0:00 - 0:12
"What I want from you, I can never have." "There's gotta be some way we can still see each other.""Tell me that you don't love me."
The opening was intended to show how conflicted the relationship between Buffy and Angel really is. You have two people who are in love and want to be together but the only way they can do that is if they deny their love. They are going their own ways, yet neither is able to really let go of the other.
0:12 - 0:24
This was the sequence that made me rethink my original idea and change it to question the fact whether they really are the lucky ones or not.
Buffy and Angel on opposing sites of the street, both knowing that though they want to be together, they can't.
Memories of good times come up and we see Angel walking away from the pain that comes with them. The ghosting of Angel in the first clip was both an artistic and stylistic choice. I wanted to emphasize just how important the turning point was right there. He couldn't do what Buffy asked of him, so he walked away. The other reason why I decided to ghost him in full and not lower the opacity is that I wanted him to walk out on their happy memories. The clip I had chosen for that was the very first kiss they shared as I thought it would bring it together in full circle. You have how it started and how it ended in one shot.
0:24 - 0:30
The lyrics in this part seemed to perfectly explain why Angel cannot go through with Buffy's request. The line "What can I say to you except 'I love you'" is exactly the problem that Angel has. He cares too deep for Buffy to tell her that he doesn't love her.
He promised her "always", but as the lettering slowly fades in the book he gave her, they both realize that "always" was never meant to be for them. The decision to have the letters fade from the page was an easy to make. The word itself holds the power that many lovers tell each other, "love always", just that for Angel "always" is the constant reminder that he cannot have always and forever with Buffy. Just as the words fade from the page, Buffy is doomed to fade from his life and he will be left behind just like the blank page.
All that is left is the pain of knowing that nothing can ever be the way it was before. It's a sudden realization that hits Buffy when she realizes how tormented Angel is over her request, and as much as she had tried to hide the pain before, it surfaces at the sight of Angel crying over her.
0:30 - 0:34
This line in the lyrics is what originally sold the song to me.
"I'd give my life for you". This was what Buffy was willing to do for Angel, even after they had parted ways. The reason I chose to go with Buffy giving her life for Angel in this instance is simple. She was the one asking him to deny her, yet when he is in need, she cannot help but violate her own rules and sacrifice herself for him. It shows just how corrupted her asking him to deny his love for her was in the first place because when it comes push to shove, she is not able to deny her love for him either.
0:34 - 0:46
I originally wanted to use the lyrics in the chorus of the song to illustrate that they indeed were the lucky ones. After all, that's what the lyrics say, "we are the lucky ones". I thought this was the best opportunity to bring it down to the point. Were they lucky or not?
We have Buffy eyeing Angel, who is observing her from the outside. Is it really lucky that the moment you see someone you love, the memories of the good times become too much to bear? Again, Angel can't help but walk away from Buffy and the pain. I made parts of the clips black and white to emphasize the fact that Vampire!Angel is not human, that from the beginning their relationship was doomed. It was destined to end in heartbreak and sorrow.
0:46 - 0:52
Since this short section is instrumental, I used audio from the show again. I decided to underline the dialog with text to emphasize the dilemma they both are in even more. For me, this section has a much stronger effect with the on screen text appearing as the actual words are spoken than without. Your eyes immediately move to the section of the screen that is in motion - which is the text - thus putting just the extra strength into the scene that I was going for.
0:52 - 1:10
This section features a tormented couple of lovers torn apart, interspersed with a lot of flashbacks as well as the return of the friendship ring that was featured shortly before in the video.
We saw Buffy returning the ring earlier in the vid, so the video comes full circle again when we see that she not only couldn't return the ring, but also how torn she is about the dilemma she put herself in. It was important for me to show that they are like the ring, two people joined in love, friendship and loyalty. The ring can only hold up if all three things work with each other. If one falls away, the whole construct crumbles.
Again, we have the fading of something that Buffy scribbled on one of her notebooks into oblivion. It's the perfect example that in contrast to Angel's "always" earlier in the vid, Buffy's "forever" was never meant to be either.
1:10 - 1:13
Another section in the vid comes full circle. I used the repeat of the lines "I would give my life for you" to show that even Angel would give his life for Buffy.
1:13 - 1:31
I took this section as the opportunity to show just how corrupted the situation is that they both maneuvered them into. They can't be with each other, yet they also can't be without. The scenes I chose for this section where the ones that had the most impact on me and illustrated perfectly that the construct of their relationship is crumbling once the love has been removed.
1:31 - 1:50
"It's time to say 'I thank God for you'". And it's time for them to realize that they can rise to a state in their relationship beyond the physical kind of love. There has always been more to their relationship, therefore I opted to begin the sequence with clips of Savage!Angel and end it with the scene at Joyce's grave. For me, both scenes are the perfect example of a deep relationship that goes way beyond anything physical.
1:50 - 2:09
"It's time to let you know..." The essence of this sections boils down to 3 little words.
Again, I chose to animate text as the words are spoken to emphasize the importance of them. It might also be interesting to know that the audio of Buffy saying "I love you" was not taken from the episode that the clip originated from. In fact, she whispers something completely different into Angel's ear, but I felt it important that like the lyrics suggested, the 3 words needed to be said. And they needed to be spoken between two lovers at odds.
2:09 - 2:26
I confess, this section consists mostly of cute Buffy and Angel scenes, but for me they encompass everything that "could have been". When we see Angel walk out into the sunlight, everything changes for them and a whole new of "what you happen" opens up for them. Their relationship can rise to a new level, something other relationships can't. And in a way, that is something that makes them the lucky ones. I used an edge blur for the "what could have" been clips, giving them a rather ghostly look and thus separating them from the here and now. I ended the section with a clip of Buffy looking very insecure and not knowing what to do about this whole new situation.
2:26 - 2:45
Is the new world they find themselves in just wishful thinking or is it something that really could happen? I decided to use the edge blur again to continue the editing from the short sequence before. Parts of this sections are also black and white and turn into color with the turn of the music. I tried to show that this is not a look of what is now, but what could have been now.
2:24 - the end
"This isn't some fairy tale." "When I kiss you, you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after." "No. When you kiss me, I wanna die."
A lot of people told me that the lines I used for the ending of the vid are rather clichéd. Maybe they are, but for me they say everything I needed to say to round up this vid. Their relationship isn't a fairy tale by far, and the only way they can truly be together is if Angel turns Buffy - which is something she has finally realized. Once again, I emphasized the most important words of their conversation by the use of text.
For me, the story of Buffy and Angel has come full circle at this point. They have tried their share to make it work as vampire and human and have both come to realize that no matter what they try, it is always ending in heartbreak. They had their happy times together, but in the end, it's up to each viewer to decide if that is enough to make them the lucky ones. I deliberately tried to end the vid open ended and not put my own statement on things but rather give each one of you the chance to decide for yourself.
As I come to the end of my rather lengthy review, I thank you for staying with me and hope you enjoyed at least part of my rambles.
Vidder:
jagwriter78
Fandom: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer
Link to vid: Are We The Lucky Ones?
Commentary by jagwriter78
Intro:
I first started watching Buffy just a few weeks before I made this vid. I didn't start out watching the series with the intention to ever make a vid for it, but as most people know, things usually turn out different. The song I used for the vid was featured in the series in season 4 and I couldn't help but be hit with the vidding bug immediately. In a way, the song seemed to touch everything that Buffy and Angel had come to mean to me in such a short time.
I have to confess, when I start a vid, I don't have a storyboard or know what clips will go where. I start with a basic idea and let the music guide me. Sometimes my original idea gets changed while I am working on the vid, sometimes it doesn't. It all depends on where the music and the clips I chose guide me. I also don't vid in chronological order. I vid the sections first that speak the me the most and then model the rest around it. Maybe that's not the perfect way to do a vid, but it's always proven to work just right for me.
When I started this vid, I had gone through seasons 1 to 4 of Buffy and season 1 of Angel in just about 3 weeks. I had never indulged into anything Buffy before, so it was a wild experiment to try to work on something that was still so new to me. I would like to think of it as an advantage as I can say that the view on the series is solely mine and has not been tainted by reading other people's opinions or watching other people's vids about the show.
So when I sat down to start on the vid, my basic premiss was that even though it wasn't all happy days for Buffy and Angel, they still managed to take something good out of their relationship. I stuck some clips into the timeline and suddenly realized that maybe my assumption may not have been so true after all. The vid slowly morphed into a piece about trying to decide whether everything they had to go through really made them the lucky ones or not.
Commentary:
0:00 - 0:12
"What I want from you, I can never have." "There's gotta be some way we can still see each other.""Tell me that you don't love me."
The opening was intended to show how conflicted the relationship between Buffy and Angel really is. You have two people who are in love and want to be together but the only way they can do that is if they deny their love. They are going their own ways, yet neither is able to really let go of the other.
0:12 - 0:24
This was the sequence that made me rethink my original idea and change it to question the fact whether they really are the lucky ones or not.
Buffy and Angel on opposing sites of the street, both knowing that though they want to be together, they can't.
Memories of good times come up and we see Angel walking away from the pain that comes with them. The ghosting of Angel in the first clip was both an artistic and stylistic choice. I wanted to emphasize just how important the turning point was right there. He couldn't do what Buffy asked of him, so he walked away. The other reason why I decided to ghost him in full and not lower the opacity is that I wanted him to walk out on their happy memories. The clip I had chosen for that was the very first kiss they shared as I thought it would bring it together in full circle. You have how it started and how it ended in one shot.
0:24 - 0:30
The lyrics in this part seemed to perfectly explain why Angel cannot go through with Buffy's request. The line "What can I say to you except 'I love you'" is exactly the problem that Angel has. He cares too deep for Buffy to tell her that he doesn't love her.
He promised her "always", but as the lettering slowly fades in the book he gave her, they both realize that "always" was never meant to be for them. The decision to have the letters fade from the page was an easy to make. The word itself holds the power that many lovers tell each other, "love always", just that for Angel "always" is the constant reminder that he cannot have always and forever with Buffy. Just as the words fade from the page, Buffy is doomed to fade from his life and he will be left behind just like the blank page.
All that is left is the pain of knowing that nothing can ever be the way it was before. It's a sudden realization that hits Buffy when she realizes how tormented Angel is over her request, and as much as she had tried to hide the pain before, it surfaces at the sight of Angel crying over her.
0:30 - 0:34
This line in the lyrics is what originally sold the song to me.
"I'd give my life for you". This was what Buffy was willing to do for Angel, even after they had parted ways. The reason I chose to go with Buffy giving her life for Angel in this instance is simple. She was the one asking him to deny her, yet when he is in need, she cannot help but violate her own rules and sacrifice herself for him. It shows just how corrupted her asking him to deny his love for her was in the first place because when it comes push to shove, she is not able to deny her love for him either.
0:34 - 0:46
I originally wanted to use the lyrics in the chorus of the song to illustrate that they indeed were the lucky ones. After all, that's what the lyrics say, "we are the lucky ones". I thought this was the best opportunity to bring it down to the point. Were they lucky or not?
We have Buffy eyeing Angel, who is observing her from the outside. Is it really lucky that the moment you see someone you love, the memories of the good times become too much to bear? Again, Angel can't help but walk away from Buffy and the pain. I made parts of the clips black and white to emphasize the fact that Vampire!Angel is not human, that from the beginning their relationship was doomed. It was destined to end in heartbreak and sorrow.
0:46 - 0:52
Since this short section is instrumental, I used audio from the show again. I decided to underline the dialog with text to emphasize the dilemma they both are in even more. For me, this section has a much stronger effect with the on screen text appearing as the actual words are spoken than without. Your eyes immediately move to the section of the screen that is in motion - which is the text - thus putting just the extra strength into the scene that I was going for.
0:52 - 1:10
This section features a tormented couple of lovers torn apart, interspersed with a lot of flashbacks as well as the return of the friendship ring that was featured shortly before in the video.
We saw Buffy returning the ring earlier in the vid, so the video comes full circle again when we see that she not only couldn't return the ring, but also how torn she is about the dilemma she put herself in. It was important for me to show that they are like the ring, two people joined in love, friendship and loyalty. The ring can only hold up if all three things work with each other. If one falls away, the whole construct crumbles.
Again, we have the fading of something that Buffy scribbled on one of her notebooks into oblivion. It's the perfect example that in contrast to Angel's "always" earlier in the vid, Buffy's "forever" was never meant to be either.
1:10 - 1:13
Another section in the vid comes full circle. I used the repeat of the lines "I would give my life for you" to show that even Angel would give his life for Buffy.
1:13 - 1:31
I took this section as the opportunity to show just how corrupted the situation is that they both maneuvered them into. They can't be with each other, yet they also can't be without. The scenes I chose for this section where the ones that had the most impact on me and illustrated perfectly that the construct of their relationship is crumbling once the love has been removed.
1:31 - 1:50
"It's time to say 'I thank God for you'". And it's time for them to realize that they can rise to a state in their relationship beyond the physical kind of love. There has always been more to their relationship, therefore I opted to begin the sequence with clips of Savage!Angel and end it with the scene at Joyce's grave. For me, both scenes are the perfect example of a deep relationship that goes way beyond anything physical.
1:50 - 2:09
"It's time to let you know..." The essence of this sections boils down to 3 little words.
Again, I chose to animate text as the words are spoken to emphasize the importance of them. It might also be interesting to know that the audio of Buffy saying "I love you" was not taken from the episode that the clip originated from. In fact, she whispers something completely different into Angel's ear, but I felt it important that like the lyrics suggested, the 3 words needed to be said. And they needed to be spoken between two lovers at odds.
2:09 - 2:26
I confess, this section consists mostly of cute Buffy and Angel scenes, but for me they encompass everything that "could have been". When we see Angel walk out into the sunlight, everything changes for them and a whole new of "what you happen" opens up for them. Their relationship can rise to a new level, something other relationships can't. And in a way, that is something that makes them the lucky ones. I used an edge blur for the "what could have" been clips, giving them a rather ghostly look and thus separating them from the here and now. I ended the section with a clip of Buffy looking very insecure and not knowing what to do about this whole new situation.
2:26 - 2:45
Is the new world they find themselves in just wishful thinking or is it something that really could happen? I decided to use the edge blur again to continue the editing from the short sequence before. Parts of this sections are also black and white and turn into color with the turn of the music. I tried to show that this is not a look of what is now, but what could have been now.
2:24 - the end
"This isn't some fairy tale." "When I kiss you, you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after." "No. When you kiss me, I wanna die."
A lot of people told me that the lines I used for the ending of the vid are rather clichéd. Maybe they are, but for me they say everything I needed to say to round up this vid. Their relationship isn't a fairy tale by far, and the only way they can truly be together is if Angel turns Buffy - which is something she has finally realized. Once again, I emphasized the most important words of their conversation by the use of text.
For me, the story of Buffy and Angel has come full circle at this point. They have tried their share to make it work as vampire and human and have both come to realize that no matter what they try, it is always ending in heartbreak. They had their happy times together, but in the end, it's up to each viewer to decide if that is enough to make them the lucky ones. I deliberately tried to end the vid open ended and not put my own statement on things but rather give each one of you the chance to decide for yourself.
As I come to the end of my rather lengthy review, I thank you for staying with me and hope you enjoyed at least part of my rambles.