Lightning Field by bradcpu, commentary by such heights

[such_heights]

Title: Lightning Field
Vidder: bradcpu
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Link: http://bradcpu.livejournal.com/106629.html

Commentary By: such_heights

Comments

[bradcpu]

This is SO beautiful, as well as insightful and flattering! Thank you so much for doing it. It's so enormously reassuring that the themes and connections came through the way you describe them here. As a vidder it's never easy to guage that kind of thing based on feedback, but this really helps me see the vid from the viewer's POV, in the best possible sense.

Cara's overall emotional journey the way you portray it here is roughly what I originally had as my narrative outline for the vid, before I started working on it. That's such a rewarding feeling.

keysmashing over how great Cara is (and how much she loves Kahlan omg OTP, ahem)
VERY MUCH ALLOWED! Encouraged, even. :)

I love how you describe the opening. The idea there was to sort of expand on the dream at the beginning of 2x03 Broken, with Kahlan surrounded by beauty, magic, love, the other confessors... and then have Cara's violent entrance sort of interrupt and tarnish that.

alone she seems - we see her being rejected by her Mord'Sith sisters and confronted first by Kahlan's

[bradcpu]

Blooming flowers and happiness abound! Briefly, at least: the reintroduction of the stormy sky from the opening of the vid at 2:08 reminds us that it's not exactly plain sailing
I wanted the lighting and weather to follow Kahlan's emotions and, specifically, her approval and disapproval of Cara's actions.... as though Kahlan was sort of defining Cara's world. There's a lot of really heavily contextual stuff in there - Cara urging Kahlan to kill the girl who confessed Richard (and Kahlan stopping her with a glare); Kahlan grabbing Cara by the arm and telling her not to be afraid to open her heart and love; and of course the talk with Denna that was the cornerstone for the whole segment.

then we see that desire to defend and protect her play out physically at 2:22 as she pushes Kahlan out of the path of an arrow
So glad that came through! This whole chorus was about Cara giving all of herself and sacrificing everything she has (including Leo) to protect Kahlan.

The sequence at 2:44 with the Richard/Kahlan shots juxtaposed with Cara

[such_heights]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply, it's very cool to get more of an insight!

It actually reminded me a lot of the Faith/Buffy scene at the end of Revelations, though with the relationship turning in the opposite direction. I often got the sense that Cara/Kahlan is what Faith/Buffy *would* have been, if Faith had stuck around for the entire series.

Yes yes, agree! The parallels in the dynamics are quite striking in places, and also a lot of fun.

I don't think any of that would have really hurt her, in that way, before Kahlan's love (THERE! I said it!) opened her up to feelings again and helped her rediscover her humanity.OH THE ANGST. But I really like what you articulate here about the downsides Cara suffers by developing her sense of empathy and compassion again - in some ways, it's really not helpful given the kinds of situations they find themselves in on the show

[thuviaptarth]

I really liked this.

[such_heights]

I'm glad, thank you!

[halfabubble]

The shot of her opening her eyes at 1:27 is perhaps my favourite of the vid - it's literally an open-eyed acceptance both of who she has been and who she might go on to be now, shown with the shot of the four of them riding off into the mountains
Agreed! My favourite part too, the eyes are so striking with the fade.

[such_heights]

It's such a great piece of editing - simple and hugely effective.

[redbrunja]

I squeed so hard when I saw commentary for this vid. It's one of my all time favorites and despite having watched it 1,727 times, you pointed out things I hadn't realized - especially with the transitions.

[such_heights]

That's great to hear, thank you! I'm very glad to have brought out some new things for you to enjoy.