Vid: Middleman
I really should be holding on to this to post as part of my character study challenge, but you know how it is... you work on something for months, getting nowhere, and then finally get so frakking sick of it you just have to post it NOW, dammit! And be done with it.
Title: Middleman
Artist: Bright Eyes
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Character: Lee Adama
Summary: Lee... trapped somewhere between nihilism and idealism/romanticism
Warnings: major spoilers for all three seasons, violence
Download: direct download (34MB) or streaming at Blip, BAM or YouTube
Feedback: Is treasured
Thanks to: supacat (I knew I was on the right track when she said 'it's a bit of a downer, isn't it?') and brokenmnemonic (for invaluable beta feedback and inspirational conversation)
Notes:
I've been working on this for so long, it's not getting posted without a bit of a ramble from me. I guess you could call this a 'meta-y' character study of Lee; it's certainly not a 'hero' vid. It makes (I hope!) no apologies for his poor behaviour and if you don't like Lee now, you probably won't like him any better after watching this. ;) It is, however, an attempt to explore the ways in which he exists in a state of constant tension and inner conflict, governed fully neither by his heart nor his head, and torn between opposing loyalties.
It's not a shippers' vid, but I don't think you could make a meaningful vid about Lee that didn't touch on his relationships. In doing so, the vidder's own bias inevitably comes in to play. I've tried hard to be fair to all the women who are important in Lee's story, but the relative importance of each is very much open to interpretation--this is mine.
I chose this track because I felt it expressed a state of extreme melancholic tension that I associate with Lee. (Yup, roll out the 'Leemo' calls!) Despite his atheism, I think Lee is on a search for truth and I think deep inside he longs to be given some guideposts to steer his life by, but when offered them, his intellect (or his conscience) finds them lacking. He sees their emptiness, just as he sees his own failure. That burden is for the most part a silent one--this is an attempt to explore Lee's internal world.
This vid relies heavily on contextual moments--so I don't expect it to be one that will appeal to people outside the fandom. In fact, it's probably quite tough watching IN the fandom. I suspect it's not an 'easy' vid and anyone that takes the time to watch it has my gratitude. I'm more than curious to know what people think from a meta perspective. (From a vid perspective, I know all too well already how it falls short of my ideals! *g*)
Lyrics
I traveled though the atmosphere as a wall of feedback climbed
The pegs were gold, the band was old, they played in half time
Now every dream gets whittled down just like every fool gets wise
You will never reap of any seed deprived of sunlight
So I have become the middleman
The gray areas are mine
The in-between, the absentee
Is a beautiful disguise
So I keep my footlights shining bright just like I keep my exits wide
Because I never know when it's time to go, it's too crowded now inside
The dead can hide beneath the ground and the birds can always fly
But the rest of us do what we must in constant compromise
So I have become the middleman
The gray areas are fine
The "I don't know," the "maybe so"
Is the only real reply
It is the only true reply
Title: Middleman
Artist: Bright Eyes
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Character: Lee Adama
Summary: Lee... trapped somewhere between nihilism and idealism/romanticism
Warnings: major spoilers for all three seasons, violence
Download: direct download (34MB) or streaming at Blip, BAM or YouTube
Feedback: Is treasured
Thanks to: supacat (I knew I was on the right track when she said 'it's a bit of a downer, isn't it?') and brokenmnemonic (for invaluable beta feedback and inspirational conversation)
Notes:
I've been working on this for so long, it's not getting posted without a bit of a ramble from me. I guess you could call this a 'meta-y' character study of Lee; it's certainly not a 'hero' vid. It makes (I hope!) no apologies for his poor behaviour and if you don't like Lee now, you probably won't like him any better after watching this. ;) It is, however, an attempt to explore the ways in which he exists in a state of constant tension and inner conflict, governed fully neither by his heart nor his head, and torn between opposing loyalties.
It's not a shippers' vid, but I don't think you could make a meaningful vid about Lee that didn't touch on his relationships. In doing so, the vidder's own bias inevitably comes in to play. I've tried hard to be fair to all the women who are important in Lee's story, but the relative importance of each is very much open to interpretation--this is mine.
I chose this track because I felt it expressed a state of extreme melancholic tension that I associate with Lee. (Yup, roll out the 'Leemo' calls!) Despite his atheism, I think Lee is on a search for truth and I think deep inside he longs to be given some guideposts to steer his life by, but when offered them, his intellect (or his conscience) finds them lacking. He sees their emptiness, just as he sees his own failure. That burden is for the most part a silent one--this is an attempt to explore Lee's internal world.
This vid relies heavily on contextual moments--so I don't expect it to be one that will appeal to people outside the fandom. In fact, it's probably quite tough watching IN the fandom. I suspect it's not an 'easy' vid and anyone that takes the time to watch it has my gratitude. I'm more than curious to know what people think from a meta perspective. (From a vid perspective, I know all too well already how it falls short of my ideals! *g*)
Lyrics
I traveled though the atmosphere as a wall of feedback climbed
The pegs were gold, the band was old, they played in half time
Now every dream gets whittled down just like every fool gets wise
You will never reap of any seed deprived of sunlight
So I have become the middleman
The gray areas are mine
The in-between, the absentee
Is a beautiful disguise
So I keep my footlights shining bright just like I keep my exits wide
Because I never know when it's time to go, it's too crowded now inside
The dead can hide beneath the ground and the birds can always fly
But the rest of us do what we must in constant compromise
So I have become the middleman
The gray areas are fine
The "I don't know," the "maybe so"
Is the only real reply
It is the only true reply