Festivids vid #2: Recalled to Life (The Secret Garden)
Title: Recalled to Life
Fandom: The Secret Garden (1993 movie)
Rating: PG
Music: "Vintervalsen" by Filarfolket
Length: 3:51
Summary: Mary finds her family.
Warnings: None.
Dedication: Made for Festivids 2010 as a treat for
fizzyblogic, who asked for a happy, nostalgic vid connected with the garden and the children's friendship. This is a happy, nostalgic place for me, too; even though there's nothing fancy here, I hope you enjoy the warmth and the trip down memory lane like I did.
A/N: Wholesome family goodness to balance out the depravity of the other vid. :) Thank you to synn and musicisbelievng for feedback and encouragement. Title is from A Tale of Two Cities.
Streaming on YouTube | Streaming on Vimeo | Download mp4 (32 MB)
As with the Jurassic Park one, I came up with this idea while Festivid-brainstorming. I was listening to "Vintervalsen"-with thanks to isiscolo for introducing me to it a few years ago, btw-and thought it would work well for The Secret Garden if each instrument that joined in along the way corresponded to a character joining Mary as she moved from solitude to having a (part blood, part chosen) family. When I finished my actual assignment, I still wanted to make it. So I skimmed people's Dear Festividder letters to see if anyone might like what I had in mind. Lo, there was fizzyblogic. And after I made the vid, focusing on what he and I liked best about the movie, I found out that fizzy and Dogstar are RL partners! Clearly it was meant to be.
This vid was an exercise in structure. It follows the plot of the film pretty closely, but I actually shuffled around many of the clips to separate the threads of Mary/Dickon, Mary/Colin, trio, full family and garden blooming to suit the build of the music and the journey of the main character. There were elisions, too. (Sorry, Mrs. Medlock and Martha; love you, but there wasn't room for you.) On a personal growth note, I mostly didn't cut on the beat, and did what might be my first intercut (the kids swinging around while Archibald approaches the garden). On a personal fail note, I didn't learn how the import settings work for my new version of Premiere until it was too late, so the frame rate is totally screwed. You may notice that clips are jumpy.
It may be obvious to spell out, but I see the structure like this:
0:01-0:45 - Mary alone. I borrowed a page from heresluck's book and used the opening shot to establish the main character. In this first section, Mary is sad/solemn, by herself, in dim spaces. Other orphans get hugged by their guardians while she's looked at like something on the bottom of a shoe. When she discovers the garden, the melody changes, she smiles, and she finds a green shoot-among the first images of the garden that symbolize her growth. But it's still her secret alone.
0:45-1:29 - Mary and Dickon. A violin comes in, and the boy, Dickon, joins Mary. Again: more images of nascent growth and reaching out to touch as she accepts a friend and lets him in on her secret.
1:29-2:09 - Mary and the Cravens. Another new instrument, another new character. In the first half of this section, Mary meets cousin Colin; more opening up socially, more budding of the plants. I left out their arguments and more blatant images of illness not because they're not relevant but because they just weren't working structurally. So instead, the second half attempts to show the family connection (Colin's mother and Mary's mother having been twins) and then introduces sexy Uncle Archie, who brushes off Mary and runs away. Not sure if this works. I wish I'd found a more elegant solution than holding on the photo for so long with no movement. Still, it was better than showing Archie stalking the manor halls at night and watching his son while he slept. That stuff was creepy taken out of context.
2:10-2:52 - The three children. The music intensifies, so I wanted to use shots that had more energy and light. The shutters tear off; Colin boggles; Dickon runs; Mary kisses and swings and grins. The trio comes alive more than ever, in the garden. Accidental underage slash as Mary smiles to see Colin and Dickon laughing together. Animals of spring awaken, the sun shines, Mary's rose blossoms.
2:53-2:59 - Magic/tension before climax. There's a key change here that made it impossible to edit the music down the way I'd initially wanted to. In the end, I worked with it instead of against it. The children hold their mystical fire dance to try to get Uncle Archie to come home and embrace his family.
3:00-3:50 - The whole family. I love this part of the music the best, and I set it to the parts of the conclusion that I loved best: sexy Uncle Archie approaching, Colin's hands on his face (oh, when he closes his eyes!), everyone's joyful tears and relief. The garden in full bloom. I downplayed Mary's breakdown for reasons of time and confusion; hopefully the lingering shot of the hug got the point across. Et voila: the family is healed, and the hedge provides a perfect backdrop for the end credits. With bonus Dickens reference.
Feedback & concrit are always welcome as I try to improve my vidding.
This vid has shown at: Vividcon 2011 ("Setting: It's Where You Are" vidshow)
Fandom: The Secret Garden (1993 movie)
Rating: PG
Music: "Vintervalsen" by Filarfolket
Length: 3:51
Summary: Mary finds her family.
Warnings: None.
Dedication: Made for Festivids 2010 as a treat for
fizzyblogic, who asked for a happy, nostalgic vid connected with the garden and the children's friendship. This is a happy, nostalgic place for me, too; even though there's nothing fancy here, I hope you enjoy the warmth and the trip down memory lane like I did.
A/N: Wholesome family goodness to balance out the depravity of the other vid. :) Thank you to synn and musicisbelievng for feedback and encouragement. Title is from A Tale of Two Cities.
Streaming on YouTube | Streaming on Vimeo | Download mp4 (32 MB)
You can watch this video on www.livejournal.com
As with the Jurassic Park one, I came up with this idea while Festivid-brainstorming. I was listening to "Vintervalsen"-with thanks to isiscolo for introducing me to it a few years ago, btw-and thought it would work well for The Secret Garden if each instrument that joined in along the way corresponded to a character joining Mary as she moved from solitude to having a (part blood, part chosen) family. When I finished my actual assignment, I still wanted to make it. So I skimmed people's Dear Festividder letters to see if anyone might like what I had in mind. Lo, there was fizzyblogic. And after I made the vid, focusing on what he and I liked best about the movie, I found out that fizzy and Dogstar are RL partners! Clearly it was meant to be.
This vid was an exercise in structure. It follows the plot of the film pretty closely, but I actually shuffled around many of the clips to separate the threads of Mary/Dickon, Mary/Colin, trio, full family and garden blooming to suit the build of the music and the journey of the main character. There were elisions, too. (Sorry, Mrs. Medlock and Martha; love you, but there wasn't room for you.) On a personal growth note, I mostly didn't cut on the beat, and did what might be my first intercut (the kids swinging around while Archibald approaches the garden). On a personal fail note, I didn't learn how the import settings work for my new version of Premiere until it was too late, so the frame rate is totally screwed. You may notice that clips are jumpy.
It may be obvious to spell out, but I see the structure like this:
0:01-0:45 - Mary alone. I borrowed a page from heresluck's book and used the opening shot to establish the main character. In this first section, Mary is sad/solemn, by herself, in dim spaces. Other orphans get hugged by their guardians while she's looked at like something on the bottom of a shoe. When she discovers the garden, the melody changes, she smiles, and she finds a green shoot-among the first images of the garden that symbolize her growth. But it's still her secret alone.
0:45-1:29 - Mary and Dickon. A violin comes in, and the boy, Dickon, joins Mary. Again: more images of nascent growth and reaching out to touch as she accepts a friend and lets him in on her secret.
1:29-2:09 - Mary and the Cravens. Another new instrument, another new character. In the first half of this section, Mary meets cousin Colin; more opening up socially, more budding of the plants. I left out their arguments and more blatant images of illness not because they're not relevant but because they just weren't working structurally. So instead, the second half attempts to show the family connection (Colin's mother and Mary's mother having been twins) and then introduces sexy Uncle Archie, who brushes off Mary and runs away. Not sure if this works. I wish I'd found a more elegant solution than holding on the photo for so long with no movement. Still, it was better than showing Archie stalking the manor halls at night and watching his son while he slept. That stuff was creepy taken out of context.
2:10-2:52 - The three children. The music intensifies, so I wanted to use shots that had more energy and light. The shutters tear off; Colin boggles; Dickon runs; Mary kisses and swings and grins. The trio comes alive more than ever, in the garden. Accidental underage slash as Mary smiles to see Colin and Dickon laughing together. Animals of spring awaken, the sun shines, Mary's rose blossoms.
2:53-2:59 - Magic/tension before climax. There's a key change here that made it impossible to edit the music down the way I'd initially wanted to. In the end, I worked with it instead of against it. The children hold their mystical fire dance to try to get Uncle Archie to come home and embrace his family.
3:00-3:50 - The whole family. I love this part of the music the best, and I set it to the parts of the conclusion that I loved best: sexy Uncle Archie approaching, Colin's hands on his face (oh, when he closes his eyes!), everyone's joyful tears and relief. The garden in full bloom. I downplayed Mary's breakdown for reasons of time and confusion; hopefully the lingering shot of the hug got the point across. Et voila: the family is healed, and the hedge provides a perfect backdrop for the end credits. With bonus Dickens reference.
Feedback & concrit are always welcome as I try to improve my vidding.
This vid has shown at: Vividcon 2011 ("Setting: It's Where You Are" vidshow)