NEW VID: "Tandemonium"
Yay, I can finally talk about this vid! Doing Challenge is stressful!
"Tandemonium"
Source: Battlestar Galactica
Music: Puscifer (remix of Momma Sed)
Summary: Take it like a man.
Warnings: Excessive violence against women, show-creator ego, and series finale stupidity; may cause relapse of wrath at Ron Moore.
Download: [here] (59MB, xvid)
Big thanks to sweetestdrain for watching drafts and squeeing with me during its development (and helping with that thing that time I forgot decimals exist). Also, much gratitude to obsessive24, laurashapiro and sdwolfpup for being my secret keepers and cheering on the idea at inception. You gave me the courage to go forward with what feels like my boldest vid yet.
Thank you to The 4th Wall for the gracious awards!
password: wtf
Changes come
keep your dignity
take the high road
take it like a man
Mama got something to tell you
Change has come
Tandemonium
(Okay, the last line is really "Mama said, like the rain" which only makes sense in the context of the original version of the song, as it is followed by "this too shall pass.")
As many of you know, I'm one of the thousands millions of people who was very pissed with the finale of BSG, and frankly, much of seasons three and four. I never really thought I'd ever vid that material since I didn't care for it, so it was neat to have that turned on its head. For the first time I was vidding scenes that I specifically don't like. This is my ninth BSG vid (...that is kind of scary. Anyone else noticing that they're getting angrier?) and I finally had to rip Black Market! I'd never bothered to before since I figured I'd never use it. Ha.
This is one of many awesome songs that Pandora Radio introduced me to back in February. The more I listened to it, the more I thought it could make a neat vid if I just found the right source. A few days before bitchinparty it occurred to me that this could make a "fuck you, Ron Moore" vid, and the idea instantly grabbed me. I'd have to cut it down from the full five minutes, but it could be done. (Actually, the section I cut is the prettiest part of the song. I recommend seeking it out.) In addition, the Challenge show theme was Self-Portrait, which could work here on multiple levels. (One, there is the idea of RDM making the show about himself; then, there's my own personal emotional journey through the show as a fan.) I listened to it obsessively and tried to figure out how in the hell I would get that point across. I was emailing with obsessive24 about it, and I amusingly remember her being like, "...I have no idea. Good luck with that," heh. I knew I would have to use some behind the scenes footage, but how much? I knew I wanted to premiere it at VVC, so how could I make it accessible to people who don't know the show? I knew the vid would be almost strictly chronological, but how would I be able to clearly say "the show started going downhill in late S2 and never recovered"? Would there be any coherence to me just stringing together shit that pissed me off? It was all a big pile of mush in my head, but when I actually got into Premiere and poked at it, it fell together much faster than I anticipated. When in doubt, I went for the kill. As sisabet always says, subtlety is for pussies.
I had about a minute of this vid laid down when I was diagnosed with mono. I thought that was going to be the nail in the coffin that would keep me from finishing it by the VVC deadline, as I have never been able to vid while sick. Funny thing, though -- mono gave me a week off with nothing to do. So I did a BSG rewatch! I found the clips from seasons 3 and 4 that I had forgotten existed that were the linchpin of the vid! There was no way I was going to scrub through all that, so it ended up being a blessing that I got sick. This is, literally, The Vid That Mono Built. I was feeling fine by the time I finished my rewatch, and I laid down the rest of the vid in a flash. Yay, mono! \o/
When I first showed this to people, they commented on the section where all the women die. I had some interesting conversation with hollywoodgrrl after the Challenge show about this bit, since it is certainly a construction but is also based on the fact that BSG kills -- at one point or another -- practically every woman with a name. So. That was the first bit I put down; no matter what, I knew that was going to be in this vid. Amusingly, the very last clip I put in is one that I feel now is one of the more important ones -- the text shot near the beginning that says "let the chase begin." Oh, Ron.
Here is where I pulled the vid's quotations from. All are said by Ron Moore.
1) "I have to have the last word, because somebody at the end of the day has to make the decision. Somebody has to say this is the show or this isn't."
online article
2) "[I can honestly say that] we're doing the show just the way I want it."
online article
3) "I was essentially looking for an excuse to put All Along the Watchtower in the show for a long time."
released podcast for "Crossroads, Part 2"
4) "When I started the project I had no particular ending in mind"
special feature "Journey's End" on the season 4.5 dvds
Researching these quotes was another endeavor unto itself. I knew RDM has said a lot of stupid things, many of which I've read/heard myself, but what if I couldn't find him saying the kinds of things I wanted for the vid? And hell, what DID I want to find? It didn't take much digging to find some workable gems (big surprise). What was interesting to me was that over the course of this research, I found myself respecting him more. He really is an incredibly smart and eloquent guy. I'm still mad as hell about my show, but I could see how much intelligence and foresight went into the show's re-conception. It's sad, really, that it turned out as it did. But anyway.
Another result of my research was learning what David Eick was responsible for and trying to sort out how I would separate him from the vid. (For instance, did you know that it was David's idea to put "and they have a plan" in the credits?) In the end I realized that by putting the blanket quote at the front as my thesis of sorts, it also absolved the vid of any need to acknowledge David Eick. The buck stopped with Ron.
This vid means a lot to me. When you've vidded a show as much as I've vidded this one, you have to find ways to keep it fresh and new. I think there are only 3 clips in here I've used before; it was neat altering my lens while clipping to find "new" material. It's the first time I've blatantly criticized a show, I feel, and that was something I had to build up the courage to do. Most of my other vids have been really safe, but I was a little nervous to show this at VVC. As with most things in life, I had to trust that the reward is proportionate to the risk. All the cheering at the con definitely made it worth it, and standing up for the reveal to a thunderous cheer was probably my highlight of the con. This vid has been a great experience for me. I hope you like it, but it's okay if you don't.
"Tandemonium"
Source: Battlestar Galactica
Music: Puscifer (remix of Momma Sed)
Summary: Take it like a man.
Warnings: Excessive violence against women, show-creator ego, and series finale stupidity; may cause relapse of wrath at Ron Moore.
Download: [here] (59MB, xvid)
Big thanks to sweetestdrain for watching drafts and squeeing with me during its development (and helping with that thing that time I forgot decimals exist). Also, much gratitude to obsessive24, laurashapiro and sdwolfpup for being my secret keepers and cheering on the idea at inception. You gave me the courage to go forward with what feels like my boldest vid yet.
Thank you to The 4th Wall for the gracious awards!
password: wtf
Changes come
keep your dignity
take the high road
take it like a man
Mama got something to tell you
Change has come
Tandemonium
(Okay, the last line is really "Mama said, like the rain" which only makes sense in the context of the original version of the song, as it is followed by "this too shall pass.")
As many of you know, I'm one of the thousands millions of people who was very pissed with the finale of BSG, and frankly, much of seasons three and four. I never really thought I'd ever vid that material since I didn't care for it, so it was neat to have that turned on its head. For the first time I was vidding scenes that I specifically don't like. This is my ninth BSG vid (...that is kind of scary. Anyone else noticing that they're getting angrier?) and I finally had to rip Black Market! I'd never bothered to before since I figured I'd never use it. Ha.
This is one of many awesome songs that Pandora Radio introduced me to back in February. The more I listened to it, the more I thought it could make a neat vid if I just found the right source. A few days before bitchinparty it occurred to me that this could make a "fuck you, Ron Moore" vid, and the idea instantly grabbed me. I'd have to cut it down from the full five minutes, but it could be done. (Actually, the section I cut is the prettiest part of the song. I recommend seeking it out.) In addition, the Challenge show theme was Self-Portrait, which could work here on multiple levels. (One, there is the idea of RDM making the show about himself; then, there's my own personal emotional journey through the show as a fan.) I listened to it obsessively and tried to figure out how in the hell I would get that point across. I was emailing with obsessive24 about it, and I amusingly remember her being like, "...I have no idea. Good luck with that," heh. I knew I would have to use some behind the scenes footage, but how much? I knew I wanted to premiere it at VVC, so how could I make it accessible to people who don't know the show? I knew the vid would be almost strictly chronological, but how would I be able to clearly say "the show started going downhill in late S2 and never recovered"? Would there be any coherence to me just stringing together shit that pissed me off? It was all a big pile of mush in my head, but when I actually got into Premiere and poked at it, it fell together much faster than I anticipated. When in doubt, I went for the kill. As sisabet always says, subtlety is for pussies.
I had about a minute of this vid laid down when I was diagnosed with mono. I thought that was going to be the nail in the coffin that would keep me from finishing it by the VVC deadline, as I have never been able to vid while sick. Funny thing, though -- mono gave me a week off with nothing to do. So I did a BSG rewatch! I found the clips from seasons 3 and 4 that I had forgotten existed that were the linchpin of the vid! There was no way I was going to scrub through all that, so it ended up being a blessing that I got sick. This is, literally, The Vid That Mono Built. I was feeling fine by the time I finished my rewatch, and I laid down the rest of the vid in a flash. Yay, mono! \o/
When I first showed this to people, they commented on the section where all the women die. I had some interesting conversation with hollywoodgrrl after the Challenge show about this bit, since it is certainly a construction but is also based on the fact that BSG kills -- at one point or another -- practically every woman with a name. So. That was the first bit I put down; no matter what, I knew that was going to be in this vid. Amusingly, the very last clip I put in is one that I feel now is one of the more important ones -- the text shot near the beginning that says "let the chase begin." Oh, Ron.
Here is where I pulled the vid's quotations from. All are said by Ron Moore.
1) "I have to have the last word, because somebody at the end of the day has to make the decision. Somebody has to say this is the show or this isn't."
online article
2) "[I can honestly say that] we're doing the show just the way I want it."
online article
3) "I was essentially looking for an excuse to put All Along the Watchtower in the show for a long time."
released podcast for "Crossroads, Part 2"
4) "When I started the project I had no particular ending in mind"
special feature "Journey's End" on the season 4.5 dvds
Researching these quotes was another endeavor unto itself. I knew RDM has said a lot of stupid things, many of which I've read/heard myself, but what if I couldn't find him saying the kinds of things I wanted for the vid? And hell, what DID I want to find? It didn't take much digging to find some workable gems (big surprise). What was interesting to me was that over the course of this research, I found myself respecting him more. He really is an incredibly smart and eloquent guy. I'm still mad as hell about my show, but I could see how much intelligence and foresight went into the show's re-conception. It's sad, really, that it turned out as it did. But anyway.
Another result of my research was learning what David Eick was responsible for and trying to sort out how I would separate him from the vid. (For instance, did you know that it was David's idea to put "and they have a plan" in the credits?) In the end I realized that by putting the blanket quote at the front as my thesis of sorts, it also absolved the vid of any need to acknowledge David Eick. The buck stopped with Ron.
This vid means a lot to me. When you've vidded a show as much as I've vidded this one, you have to find ways to keep it fresh and new. I think there are only 3 clips in here I've used before; it was neat altering my lens while clipping to find "new" material. It's the first time I've blatantly criticized a show, I feel, and that was something I had to build up the courage to do. Most of my other vids have been really safe, but I was a little nervous to show this at VVC. As with most things in life, I had to trust that the reward is proportionate to the risk. All the cheering at the con definitely made it worth it, and standing up for the reveal to a thunderous cheer was probably my highlight of the con. This vid has been a great experience for me. I hope you like it, but it's okay if you don't.