Watching vids in a con setting

[bop_radar]

To prove that I learnt something at Vividcon, I am finally getting round to posting my notes on watching vids on a large screen with an audience for the first time. While hopefully more widely interesting than my tl;dr social rambles about the con ( part 1 and part 2), these notes are still highly subjective. I am sure other people's relationship

Comments

[laurashapiro]

I very much enjoyed reading this. (:

[bop_radar]

So glad! :)

[charmax]

Very enlightening post. Great read!

[bop_radar]

Oh good! I'm so glad it was interesting.

[jarrow]

Oh, I love this so much! I will try to come back and leave thinky thoughts after work!

(Okay, back, heh.)

Regarding the fact that a lot of more straight-forward vids or comedy vids play better in a group setting, I do think so much of that is the enjoyment we get as people by seeing others enjoying something. One of my favorite Premieres experiences this year was when "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" showed, simply by how much the audience got into it and loved it. Does that same experience translate when watching it alone at home? Almost never. There is certainly such a thing as a "con vid" that just plays better in that setting. (Oh man, jescaflowne's Another Sunday absolutely KILLED a few years back. That was the most fun we've had in Premieres since I started going.) At the same time, if it were all lighthearted things like that, we'd long for substance. I do really love the balance that comes with cons and how that helps keep it fresh, even when vid fatigue sets in.

Okay, that was just a ramble. In short: I love this post. (And you!)

[bop_radar]

so much of that is the enjoyment we get as people by seeing others enjoying something
Oh yes! I was completely amazed at how swept up in that I got. I had always imagined myself sitting in a Vividcon audience feeling completely out of synch with people around me and all headtilty and confused about it (because that had been my exerience at home), but in person I really got swept up in the moment. There was just so much joy, vicarious and otherwise. I think I loved seeing other people excited about vids in person more than I loved being excited about them myself!

Does that same experience translate when watching it alone at home? Almost never.Right! I feel relieved about this because it no longer means I'm a failed viewer (how I used to feel in LJ-centric vidding fandom after every VVC when I failed to adore the most recced vids of the con

[jarrow]

I just got so much out of the con I'm going to be babbling for months.

There is no bad there :-D

I think the other thing I took away from the con was how skilled it is to be able to pitch successfully to the Vividcon audience.

Right - some people do put a lot of thought into what they submit to a particular vidshow and why and what the blurb is and what to put in the vid because of all that. Sometimes you want something really accessible (like my premiere this year), sometimes you want something they might not've seen otherwise, sometimes it's what you want to see on the big screen for the sake of, or sometimes it's just whatever you've finished around deadline time that seems as good a choice to submit as any. And every year there are surprise hits and ones that we are surprised to hear weren't hits. You just never know. It's not a science, you're right, but there are certainly enough patterns in it that we can talk about it like this. Yay for that!

[bop_radar]

Yay indeed! \o/ I like patterns, they help me work stuff out. :) I'm very interested in understanding audiences because I find knowing what audience I'm vidding for helps a lot in managing anxiety about feedback and posting. Often my intended audiences are very small--as long as I know (and remember!) that, it's not upsetting to not get a lot of fb. Conversely, if I'm deliberately, consciously making something more widely accessible, I do expect more views.

I so see how people get addicted to vidding for the Vividcon audience though--that energy is so unique!

[amnisias]

I admire how much thought you put into this. I mainly went to VVC for the panels and interaction with other vidders, so my vid show experience is limited and I definitely didn't have to fight vid fatigue. I do agree that for Con viewing purposes the simpler, less complicated vids are more accessible, at least for a person with a slow brain like mine. I found that the setting (being in a crowd, respectful silence, big screen etc.) really enhanced the vid viewing experience, but I missed the chance for a more detailed exchange/discussion afterward because of the tight scheduling. Within the settings of VVC I don't think that can be helped, due to time constraints, but for VidUKon 2 I am hoping the programming can incorporate a bit more time in-between sessions to digest and reflect on the vids whilst they are still fresh in my mind.

[bop_radar]

That's interesting to hear! I spoke to several second-year congoers who were very determined to spend more time in panels.

And I think everyone's brains get tired at the con at some point for one reason or another (fatigue, hangover, distraction, anxiety, burnout, whatever).

I think the con viewing experience wasn't better or worse than viewing at home for me (I'm very wed to my little system, LOL!), but it was different--better in some ways (I will never forget the feeling of the crowd) but it had downsides too. This is good for me to remember because in reality I will not always be able to go to cons.

I totally concur with you on the desire for more space for post-viewing discussion. I loved watching vids in room parties for that reason--it facilitated discussion. And I think a smaller con environment would definitely be conducive to that.

[kassrachel]

It's amazing how different an experience it is, isn't it? I'm always struck by how different it feels to be watching a vid in a room full of other vid fans -- that hushed silence before the vid starts, the air of anticipation, the moments of laughter or gasping, the applause afterwards

[jarrow]

I just saw this after writing a comment above, and I'm learning that what I had always referred to as con vids vs living room vids has different roots than what I thought. (Learning, yay!) I always thought it referred to where they play best; it never occurred to me the terms originated from where you can actually view them. But then, I've only been coming to VVC when dvds were available. Huh!

[kassrachel]

On reflection, I think the distinction probably originally had to do with both of these things -- a con vid was one which played best to a large audience, but might also be a vid which was only viewable in that setting, since not everyone made tapes for sale. At least, that's my sense; others may be able to correct me! :-)

[the_shoshanna]

FWIW, back in the day I only ever heard the terms "con vid" and "living-room vid" used to describe where the vids played best, what sort of audience they were intended for; IME it had nothing to do with how they were actually seen or distributed. (Except of course that a vidder might well choose to distribute a vid in a way that they hoped would help it reach its best audiences.)