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Escapade vid show review and panel
I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get a report done of the Escapade vid show and the review panel the next day. To tell the truth, I didn't want to relive the horror, and I was busy, so it was easy to avoid. We had some really old style technical glitches with no sound on a bunch of vids, which we discovered only about an hour before the show was supposed to start; I'll leave out the rest of the gory details but suffice to say, we were really late, and the solution we used was glitchy in and of itself, but the audience was really nice about it. The DVDs all have the same sound problem, and so for those of you who weren't there and don't know, these won't really play (after the first three vids, the sound disappears on most of the vids) in a DVD player but they will often play on a computer IN a program like VLC. They are getting newly remastered discs though, and you can request a replacement from the con comm, probably soonish.
Me and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mlyn ran the vidshow review panel the next morning. It was sparsely attended, and it was hard to get people to talk about things. But there were a few places people spoke up and offered some really interesting insights. A lot of the vids didn't get talked about due to my horrible sense of judging time; I totally misunderestimated how much time we had this year, a bit different from previous years, and getting set up took some time. These comments are pretty much my recollection and opinion of the vids; I'd love others to please add comments about what they thought. Especially since so many people who usually talk a lot at the review panel weren't there this year - here's your chance. par_avion has put together a complete list of the vids with the LJ names of the vidders and the locations of the vids online, if available, here.
First half
Good Touch, Bad Touch: PSA Clucking Belles: Stargate Atlantis
This is one you really can't describe to people, you kind of have to see it. It's incredibly short, basically just a PSA about people touching you in the wrong places, and it was a great opener for the show. The only problem with it is simply the speed: you're laughing at the silliness of it and you miss a good section of the 30-second humor. I wish there was some way to slow it down, to add something in between the hilarious lines just so we can hear it all without having to rewatch.
New Math Catyah: Riptide
For me, this didn't work in a lot of ways, and many people seemed to agree. This reminded me very much of an old skool vid, with super looooong talky-face clips, no song editing when it really needed it, and an old fandom from the '80s. That was the big theme I noticed this year: a number of very old skool feeling vids mixed in with the new skool kidz. And this was also a good example of how many joke vids really do need to be shorter. You can get away with a longer vid for humor, but you really have be both a good editor and clip finder, and use something that doesn't rely on a single joke. Otherwise, get in, tell your joke, then get out. Later in the show, Sandy and Rache's SGA vid counterpointed this vid perfectly with merciless cutting of the song. This just goes on forever because of the spoken-word intro Tom Lehrer uses in the song, and it often felt like the song wasn't edited simply because specific clips were perfect for certain lines that unfortunately come much later in the song. I was done by the first 45 seconds.
Still the One Laura McEwan: Starsky & Hutch
Another great example of something going on way too long. It's got a funny little bit in the beginning, but between a too-long clip/talking intro, the first verse of the song, then a reset, then the entire song, then another clip tag at the end... I was so done by then. And I think a lot of people were too. The vid ends up torpedoing its own inherent cuteness and joke by not knowing when to stop.
Dirty Little Secret Diana Williams: Torchwood/Whoniverse
I had mixed opinions on this, but others seemed to have stronger feelings that the first part of this vid is fine, but then is completely ruined by the use of Jack and Ianto's relationship in the end, because Ianto is most emphatically not Jack's dirty little secret. I hadn't thought of that at first, but I see the point. I think the vidder has gotten better at a lot of the technical stuff, but there is still an aspect ratio problem on the vids and I find that incredibly distracting, maybe because when I vid, aspect ratio is always my bete noir. But people felt really strongly about that last section, and I think it really spoiled the vid for many people.
Everything's Not Lost Greensilver: Multi (TW/Who)
This was an interesting vid to talk about. Most of us had the same reaction: D'aaaawwwwwwww. A lot of people call it the hugging vid. But there was also a contingent that felt it was way too reliant on the same style of shot and the same length of clip, which creates a somewhat soporific effect. Coldplay as it is uses 4/4 time so much, and when the clip length doesn't vary and the music doesn't vary, and many of the clips are medium or closeup shots over and over, it feels boring to people. I was in the D'aww camp, and didn't really think about that whole clip thing until later, but it was a good point. I don't think it's quite as dramatic as people said in the panel, but I can see what they meant.
Creator talitha78: Chuck
I really loved this vid, especially the way it subverts a humorous show into something darker and edgier and that it's totally about Sarah; for others it was a harder sell, because they were either completely unfamiliar with the source or because they couldn't stand Santogold's screechy voice, which I realize is sometimes a hard sell for folks. One question came up in the review, and that was why the vidder waited until the last part of the vid to use effects and the Intersect effects stuff as well. It didn't bug me, but it did for some viewers. And even though some hated the song, a few people commented that they hated the song until they saw it used in the vid, which changed their impression of it. And there you have one of vidding's great strengths, if you ask me.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Karita Wyr: The Trouble with Angels
Wow, did this one conjure up some wild reactions. I thought it was just a cute little bit of retro femslash fun, but some people just found it annoying and... I'm not sure what-all, to tell the truth. It was possibly a mix of using a cover version of the song and the fact that people don't like watching Disney movies from their youth, or something, that seemed to generate the antipathy. It seemed like a nice break from the usual, for me, anyway!
Brand New Key wyomingnot: SG1
I barely remember this other than that I wrote "not for me" on my notes sheet, and I don't remember anyone speaking up in the panel to comment on it except one person who mentioned how the song immediately conjures up happy thoughts for her and she thought it a perfect song choice for the fandom. The vid isn't especially skillful, but it's possible if it were a fandom of mine, I could have gotten more out of it. As it was, it was passable, for me.
Believe Gianduja Kiss: SPN
Technically, this was excellent. SPN is my antifandom, though, and so the best I can do is appreciate the aesthetic quality of a vid in it. It seemed to get rave comments from people in the panel, though, but I can't remember any of them specifically, so those of you who said something, please feel free to comment.
Love Thee Dearest Helen: Original Star Trek
Oy. Possibly the least favorite of the show for many of us. I really didn't know if the vidder was making a connection to the old-style original slideshow "vids" from back in the ST:TOS days, or what, and I normally have no trouble with kinesthetic interpretations, or slideshows, I think they can often be a really beautiful break from modern-day vidding. But this wasn't that -- the vid has possibly every single cheesy transition in the software toolkit -- oh look, there's an iris wipe, oh, there's a venetian blind wipe, and so on. I mean, every single one. And show tunes are my most hated song choice, so this made the whole thing feel bombastic and sloooooow as molasses in January and OTT cheesy. It just did not work for me or a lot of people; I would, however, be really interested in hearing from someone who felt differently. And I'm not being facetious about that, 'kay?
If I ever Lose My Faith in You Diana Williams: Donald Strachey Mysteries
Again with aspect ratio annoyances, but the vid did do its job admirably, which was to intro the movies and generate interest. It certainly piqued mine. It's not necessarily something I'd watch again, but it was successful, most of us agreed.
Freedom talitha78: Crusoe
I liked all talitha's vids in the show, and this was no exception: the song made some folks balk because they felt it didn't work for an 18th century based fandom, but almost everyone who felt that way said they ended up changing their mind by the end of the vid. She cut the song, and that was great. This just really shows how incredibly slashy Crusoe was, and other than the fact that I wondered why the output file was so small on the screen, it was one of my faves of the show.
Strange Angels KassRachel: SGA
This was an interesting one for me. I'd seen it before the show when I helped her output the file, and it is one of my all-time favorite songs, but I didn't really feel like I got what the vid was saying even after watching it a few times. Which is why vid review panels are so great --nakedbee commented that she read it as the city sort of commenting on these strange people who have come to live in it, and suddenly it all clicked into place for me, and a few other people, I think. It definitely helps to know the source, but once I got it a bit more, I liked how it made use of the odd lyrics and rhythms Laurie Anderson provides. I would have liked to see a bit more cutting and some more use of the beats for cutting, but that's something that comes with experience sometimes.
Read My Mind Laura McEwan: S&H
This was cute & sweet, but that's about all I remember. I don't know how much we talked about this at the panel.
Hard Times Come Again No More Jill & Kay: Peacemakers
I've commented before after VVC how much I love this vid, but it was interesting hearing some other opinions, especially since a couple people felt like they didn't understand who this person in the vid really was and what was happening. Kay provided some info, and I think there was a good discussion of it and how we view things when we're unfamiliar with the material.
Big Big Love wyomingnot: SG1
I don't remember if we discussed this one specifically, I don't think we did. I felt you really had to know this source to get any of the jokes, and so I got tired of it really fast.
Second Half
Queen Bitch Laura Shapiro: Hedwig & the Angry Inch
This seemed to be a perfect match of song and fandom, and many people really loved the fact that the vid focuses on a secondary character.
Stunna Glasses talitha78: Invisible Man
Fabulous mashup song choice and exciting visuals, just an overall great vid and I honestly felt like it would make a great recruiter vid, though some people disagreed with me.
Counting Bodies Milly: Angel
I was bummed we didn't end up with time enough to discuss this one, because it was a favorite of the show for me and many other folks. Brilliant editing, use of black and white, subversion of text, and a whole bunch of other things. It got lots of deserved applause.
The Lies of Handsome Men Diana Williams: Multi
This didn't work for me at all, it's a garbage can vid of bunches of fandoms, and a lot of us felt the same thing, that it was a rather bizarre collection of fandoms. I would have liked to see more focus on fewer fandoms. There's a place for garbage can vids, but I don't think this song was one of them.
Jolene Catyah: Riptide
It's All Been Done wyomingnot: SG1
These provoked a rather spirited discussion, because these songs have both been done previously at cons that many people go to who were there on that weekend or who have seen these online or on tape: the Jolene Lord King Bad Vid showed at Vividcon a few years ago (SGA), and It's All Been Done (Highlander) has been around at both cons, and it was on a Media Cannibals tape -- a vidding group who have a long presence at this con. Which I think points up the problem that people have with songs heavily identified with another fandom and vidder, either because the vid is so fantastic or the song choice is so perfectly matched: we can't shake our connection to the older vid, and the newer one often pales in comparison. Newbies and vidders who don't have a history in the community may be wise to look at the history in vidding, or find out if a song they want to use has a history itself. The other thing is that neither vid was very strong at all, so they couldn't overcome their already uphill battles; Jolene just felt long and kind of irritating with the slow clips and talky-face again, and It's All Been Done mystified me and others as to its song choice. I just couldn't figure out why this particular song had been chosen, and the visuals gave me nothing to explicate that. But for people for whom both songs have no history and who haven't watched vids much before, they didn't spark as many unpleasant associations, and those folks enjoyed them more.
I Am What I Am Laura McEwan: S&H
I mentioned to Katharine that I think from now on, no more threefers for vids in shows, especially if the vids are all the same fandom from the same vidder. As cute and sweet as S&H are in this vid, I was so very, very done with the sweet and the cute by this time. It's not the vidder's fault, but I do think a show balances out better, even with the same fandoms over and over, if there's more variety in tone, and this didn't feel different enough from her other vids to have added to the show.
That Don't Impress Me Much SmutCutter: Multi
I think this was the biggest hit of the show, and it deserved it. It's just a genius conceit: flipping channels on the apparently all-slash cable network (i really want this cable company!), landing on a specific fandom for the verse, and then flipping more channels in the bridges. And as always, perfect timing, landing great comedy moments, and tying it together. SmutCutter said that she didn't even know two of her focused fandoms, but you'd never know it at all from watching this. A great example of a full-length song that still manages to stay humorous and doesn't wear out its welcome.
All These Things Killa: Primeval
I loved this vid, and it captured all the things I like about Primeval, and all the things I like about Nick and Stephen's relationship, which is a lot of what I like about Primeval. ;-) I also love the Killers and their goofball lyrics and excellent hooks. But there were a few others who complained that you wouldn't know anything about what this show was about from watching this vid; however, I think that has nothing to do with it, this is a vid showing what the vidder feels about the show, not an introduction 101 to the fandom. So there were definitely different viewpoints, polar opposites, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Is She Really Going Out With Him Clucking Belles: SGA
Another one of Sandy and Rache's cracky ideas, and the perfect counterpoint to the vid I talked about earlier that goes on too long and loses its funny. Sandy ruthlessly cut this song down to the bare minimum so that they wouldn't wear out the joke, and it does stay funny: no one can believe Rodney is going out with... Keller, is that her name? Jewel Staite. And it's really really bugging them. Many laughs, lots of applause.
Come On Gwyneth: Flashpoint
M'lyn did the talking for me on this one since it's my vid and I didn't feel like I should discuss it. But it seemed to go over very well for a number of people who were intrigued by the source, and I can't ask for more than that.
Dean, and Sam Luminosity: SPN
This was an intriguing thought experiment that many people said they though was really interesting and beautiful, but that didn't completely jell for them or work to explain its theme. The vids are two separate vids to the same song, and I believe the same series of events, from their different stories. Visually it's really amazing; I didn't understand what was happening, entirely, but I got the impression not even everyone who watches the show did, either. But I always am down with an experiment, successful or not.
I can add links to this if anyone feels like supplying them to me.
Me and
mlyn ran the vidshow review panel the next morning. It was sparsely attended, and it was hard to get people to talk about things. But there were a few places people spoke up and offered some really interesting insights. A lot of the vids didn't get talked about due to my horrible sense of judging time; I totally misunderestimated how much time we had this year, a bit different from previous years, and getting set up took some time. These comments are pretty much my recollection and opinion of the vids; I'd love others to please add comments about what they thought. Especially since so many people who usually talk a lot at the review panel weren't there this year - here's your chance. par_avion has put together a complete list of the vids with the LJ names of the vidders and the locations of the vids online, if available, here.First half
Good Touch, Bad Touch: PSA Clucking Belles: Stargate Atlantis
This is one you really can't describe to people, you kind of have to see it. It's incredibly short, basically just a PSA about people touching you in the wrong places, and it was a great opener for the show. The only problem with it is simply the speed: you're laughing at the silliness of it and you miss a good section of the 30-second humor. I wish there was some way to slow it down, to add something in between the hilarious lines just so we can hear it all without having to rewatch.
New Math Catyah: Riptide
For me, this didn't work in a lot of ways, and many people seemed to agree. This reminded me very much of an old skool vid, with super looooong talky-face clips, no song editing when it really needed it, and an old fandom from the '80s. That was the big theme I noticed this year: a number of very old skool feeling vids mixed in with the new skool kidz. And this was also a good example of how many joke vids really do need to be shorter. You can get away with a longer vid for humor, but you really have be both a good editor and clip finder, and use something that doesn't rely on a single joke. Otherwise, get in, tell your joke, then get out. Later in the show, Sandy and Rache's SGA vid counterpointed this vid perfectly with merciless cutting of the song. This just goes on forever because of the spoken-word intro Tom Lehrer uses in the song, and it often felt like the song wasn't edited simply because specific clips were perfect for certain lines that unfortunately come much later in the song. I was done by the first 45 seconds.
Still the One Laura McEwan: Starsky & Hutch
Another great example of something going on way too long. It's got a funny little bit in the beginning, but between a too-long clip/talking intro, the first verse of the song, then a reset, then the entire song, then another clip tag at the end... I was so done by then. And I think a lot of people were too. The vid ends up torpedoing its own inherent cuteness and joke by not knowing when to stop.
Dirty Little Secret Diana Williams: Torchwood/Whoniverse
I had mixed opinions on this, but others seemed to have stronger feelings that the first part of this vid is fine, but then is completely ruined by the use of Jack and Ianto's relationship in the end, because Ianto is most emphatically not Jack's dirty little secret. I hadn't thought of that at first, but I see the point. I think the vidder has gotten better at a lot of the technical stuff, but there is still an aspect ratio problem on the vids and I find that incredibly distracting, maybe because when I vid, aspect ratio is always my bete noir. But people felt really strongly about that last section, and I think it really spoiled the vid for many people.
Everything's Not Lost Greensilver: Multi (TW/Who)
This was an interesting vid to talk about. Most of us had the same reaction: D'aaaawwwwwwww. A lot of people call it the hugging vid. But there was also a contingent that felt it was way too reliant on the same style of shot and the same length of clip, which creates a somewhat soporific effect. Coldplay as it is uses 4/4 time so much, and when the clip length doesn't vary and the music doesn't vary, and many of the clips are medium or closeup shots over and over, it feels boring to people. I was in the D'aww camp, and didn't really think about that whole clip thing until later, but it was a good point. I don't think it's quite as dramatic as people said in the panel, but I can see what they meant.
Creator talitha78: Chuck
I really loved this vid, especially the way it subverts a humorous show into something darker and edgier and that it's totally about Sarah; for others it was a harder sell, because they were either completely unfamiliar with the source or because they couldn't stand Santogold's screechy voice, which I realize is sometimes a hard sell for folks. One question came up in the review, and that was why the vidder waited until the last part of the vid to use effects and the Intersect effects stuff as well. It didn't bug me, but it did for some viewers. And even though some hated the song, a few people commented that they hated the song until they saw it used in the vid, which changed their impression of it. And there you have one of vidding's great strengths, if you ask me.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Karita Wyr: The Trouble with Angels
Wow, did this one conjure up some wild reactions. I thought it was just a cute little bit of retro femslash fun, but some people just found it annoying and... I'm not sure what-all, to tell the truth. It was possibly a mix of using a cover version of the song and the fact that people don't like watching Disney movies from their youth, or something, that seemed to generate the antipathy. It seemed like a nice break from the usual, for me, anyway!
Brand New Key wyomingnot: SG1
I barely remember this other than that I wrote "not for me" on my notes sheet, and I don't remember anyone speaking up in the panel to comment on it except one person who mentioned how the song immediately conjures up happy thoughts for her and she thought it a perfect song choice for the fandom. The vid isn't especially skillful, but it's possible if it were a fandom of mine, I could have gotten more out of it. As it was, it was passable, for me.
Believe Gianduja Kiss: SPN
Technically, this was excellent. SPN is my antifandom, though, and so the best I can do is appreciate the aesthetic quality of a vid in it. It seemed to get rave comments from people in the panel, though, but I can't remember any of them specifically, so those of you who said something, please feel free to comment.
Love Thee Dearest Helen: Original Star Trek
Oy. Possibly the least favorite of the show for many of us. I really didn't know if the vidder was making a connection to the old-style original slideshow "vids" from back in the ST:TOS days, or what, and I normally have no trouble with kinesthetic interpretations, or slideshows, I think they can often be a really beautiful break from modern-day vidding. But this wasn't that -- the vid has possibly every single cheesy transition in the software toolkit -- oh look, there's an iris wipe, oh, there's a venetian blind wipe, and so on. I mean, every single one. And show tunes are my most hated song choice, so this made the whole thing feel bombastic and sloooooow as molasses in January and OTT cheesy. It just did not work for me or a lot of people; I would, however, be really interested in hearing from someone who felt differently. And I'm not being facetious about that, 'kay?
If I ever Lose My Faith in You Diana Williams: Donald Strachey Mysteries
Again with aspect ratio annoyances, but the vid did do its job admirably, which was to intro the movies and generate interest. It certainly piqued mine. It's not necessarily something I'd watch again, but it was successful, most of us agreed.
Freedom talitha78: Crusoe
I liked all talitha's vids in the show, and this was no exception: the song made some folks balk because they felt it didn't work for an 18th century based fandom, but almost everyone who felt that way said they ended up changing their mind by the end of the vid. She cut the song, and that was great. This just really shows how incredibly slashy Crusoe was, and other than the fact that I wondered why the output file was so small on the screen, it was one of my faves of the show.
Strange Angels KassRachel: SGA
This was an interesting one for me. I'd seen it before the show when I helped her output the file, and it is one of my all-time favorite songs, but I didn't really feel like I got what the vid was saying even after watching it a few times. Which is why vid review panels are so great --
nakedbee commented that she read it as the city sort of commenting on these strange people who have come to live in it, and suddenly it all clicked into place for me, and a few other people, I think. It definitely helps to know the source, but once I got it a bit more, I liked how it made use of the odd lyrics and rhythms Laurie Anderson provides. I would have liked to see a bit more cutting and some more use of the beats for cutting, but that's something that comes with experience sometimes. Read My Mind Laura McEwan: S&H
This was cute & sweet, but that's about all I remember. I don't know how much we talked about this at the panel.
Hard Times Come Again No More Jill & Kay: Peacemakers
I've commented before after VVC how much I love this vid, but it was interesting hearing some other opinions, especially since a couple people felt like they didn't understand who this person in the vid really was and what was happening. Kay provided some info, and I think there was a good discussion of it and how we view things when we're unfamiliar with the material.
Big Big Love wyomingnot: SG1
I don't remember if we discussed this one specifically, I don't think we did. I felt you really had to know this source to get any of the jokes, and so I got tired of it really fast.
Second Half
Queen Bitch Laura Shapiro: Hedwig & the Angry Inch
This seemed to be a perfect match of song and fandom, and many people really loved the fact that the vid focuses on a secondary character.
Stunna Glasses talitha78: Invisible Man
Fabulous mashup song choice and exciting visuals, just an overall great vid and I honestly felt like it would make a great recruiter vid, though some people disagreed with me.
Counting Bodies Milly: Angel
I was bummed we didn't end up with time enough to discuss this one, because it was a favorite of the show for me and many other folks. Brilliant editing, use of black and white, subversion of text, and a whole bunch of other things. It got lots of deserved applause.
The Lies of Handsome Men Diana Williams: Multi
This didn't work for me at all, it's a garbage can vid of bunches of fandoms, and a lot of us felt the same thing, that it was a rather bizarre collection of fandoms. I would have liked to see more focus on fewer fandoms. There's a place for garbage can vids, but I don't think this song was one of them.
Jolene Catyah: Riptide
It's All Been Done wyomingnot: SG1
These provoked a rather spirited discussion, because these songs have both been done previously at cons that many people go to who were there on that weekend or who have seen these online or on tape: the Jolene Lord King Bad Vid showed at Vividcon a few years ago (SGA), and It's All Been Done (Highlander) has been around at both cons, and it was on a Media Cannibals tape -- a vidding group who have a long presence at this con. Which I think points up the problem that people have with songs heavily identified with another fandom and vidder, either because the vid is so fantastic or the song choice is so perfectly matched: we can't shake our connection to the older vid, and the newer one often pales in comparison. Newbies and vidders who don't have a history in the community may be wise to look at the history in vidding, or find out if a song they want to use has a history itself. The other thing is that neither vid was very strong at all, so they couldn't overcome their already uphill battles; Jolene just felt long and kind of irritating with the slow clips and talky-face again, and It's All Been Done mystified me and others as to its song choice. I just couldn't figure out why this particular song had been chosen, and the visuals gave me nothing to explicate that. But for people for whom both songs have no history and who haven't watched vids much before, they didn't spark as many unpleasant associations, and those folks enjoyed them more.
I Am What I Am Laura McEwan: S&H
I mentioned to Katharine that I think from now on, no more threefers for vids in shows, especially if the vids are all the same fandom from the same vidder. As cute and sweet as S&H are in this vid, I was so very, very done with the sweet and the cute by this time. It's not the vidder's fault, but I do think a show balances out better, even with the same fandoms over and over, if there's more variety in tone, and this didn't feel different enough from her other vids to have added to the show.
That Don't Impress Me Much SmutCutter: Multi
I think this was the biggest hit of the show, and it deserved it. It's just a genius conceit: flipping channels on the apparently all-slash cable network (i really want this cable company!), landing on a specific fandom for the verse, and then flipping more channels in the bridges. And as always, perfect timing, landing great comedy moments, and tying it together. SmutCutter said that she didn't even know two of her focused fandoms, but you'd never know it at all from watching this. A great example of a full-length song that still manages to stay humorous and doesn't wear out its welcome.
All These Things Killa: Primeval
I loved this vid, and it captured all the things I like about Primeval, and all the things I like about Nick and Stephen's relationship, which is a lot of what I like about Primeval. ;-) I also love the Killers and their goofball lyrics and excellent hooks. But there were a few others who complained that you wouldn't know anything about what this show was about from watching this vid; however, I think that has nothing to do with it, this is a vid showing what the vidder feels about the show, not an introduction 101 to the fandom. So there were definitely different viewpoints, polar opposites, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Is She Really Going Out With Him Clucking Belles: SGA
Another one of Sandy and Rache's cracky ideas, and the perfect counterpoint to the vid I talked about earlier that goes on too long and loses its funny. Sandy ruthlessly cut this song down to the bare minimum so that they wouldn't wear out the joke, and it does stay funny: no one can believe Rodney is going out with... Keller, is that her name? Jewel Staite. And it's really really bugging them. Many laughs, lots of applause.
Come On Gwyneth: Flashpoint
M'lyn did the talking for me on this one since it's my vid and I didn't feel like I should discuss it. But it seemed to go over very well for a number of people who were intrigued by the source, and I can't ask for more than that.
Dean, and Sam Luminosity: SPN
This was an intriguing thought experiment that many people said they though was really interesting and beautiful, but that didn't completely jell for them or work to explain its theme. The vids are two separate vids to the same song, and I believe the same series of events, from their different stories. Visually it's really amazing; I didn't understand what was happening, entirely, but I got the impression not even everyone who watches the show did, either. But I always am down with an experiment, successful or not.
I can add links to this if anyone feels like supplying them to me.
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http://community.livejournal.com/vidding/1802312.html
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For Believe, I felt that the vidder made a big leap forward in her own skills by incorporating the repeated use of a clock. The only thing that bothered me about the vid was that I felt the editing was a bit too fast. She was ahead of the beat a lot, and there were moments in the song when she could have used an emphatic note but didn't. She should have looked for the places where she could have a longer clip. Fast isn't always better. But it was nice to see a good SPN vid in the show, and to see this vidder's improvement.
I really wanted to emphasize your point about newbie vidders exploring the history of a song before using it. I'll repeat it here: if you're using a popular song from any point in the last 20 years, you'd better check that somebody else didn't use it more successfully. I don't know why people don't post questions to the vidder community about this, like: "I want to use this song; can someone tell me if they've seen vids to it before?", but I think more people should.
For That Don't Impress Me Much, my only critique was that the Iron Man focus went on too long, but otherwise I loved this vid too.
For Come On, I think you've pushed forward in your new skool vidding skills. The vid looks slick and sharp and gorgeous, and while a lot of that is the source, it just goes to show that old-fashioned great cutting will always make a vid look good. I thought that this vid was a great recruitment vid, since there was not a big attempt at telling a complex story: it's basically about the team and who they are to themselves and each other. You balanced it well with faces and action, and paced it well to the frenetic blur of images toward the end. It's such a solid vid I can't say anything bad about it. :)
For Dean and Sam, my critique was that it felt like the song got stuck on repeat. There's no way you can watch material to the same song repeated and not feel less anticipation or excitement for the second play, because you can anticipate all the moments you just heard in the previous play. Some people suggested that it would have been more successful to hear a remix or a different version of the same song, which I think would have been a huge help, although that might have prompted a different read based on how the songs are different, which is not what Lum wanted. Perhaps my critique would have been moot if they hadn't been played back to back, but, say, at the end of each act of the vid show. I don't know, and I think that might have defeated Lum's purpose as well. As you said, it was an experiment, and while it was a worthy one I don't think it was entirely successful. That said, individually the vids are excellent.
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I think so, too, because to me it's only common sense, but most vidders really don't care, and feel it's old-skool thinking.
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I had one question about the file on the Crusoe vid -- the picture was smaller, and I wondered if that had been intentional or if there was a glitch somewhere along the lines? It was interesting because the other two weren't that way, so I wondered if you might have done that because of the subject matter.
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Ah. Definitely a technical issue, and definitely from my end. All I had were tiny little downloaded files to work with, and I was afraid if I boosted the image size everything would come out pixelated. I erred on the side of smaller but crisper. I'm sorry it looked strange; usually I try to work exclusively with DVD-quality source, but with Crusoe, I just couldn't wait! :)
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I was bummed we didn't end up with time enough to discuss this one, because it was a favorite of the show for me and many other folks. Brilliant editing, use of black and white, subversion of text, and a whole bunch of other things. It got lots of deserved applause.
Oh, thank you! I would have loved to hear more of what people thought, but hearing about the reaction and your thoughts really fills me with joy. Thank you for taking the time to post this!
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As to the issue of aspect ratio - that's got me puzzled and I'll be seeking help on the vidders LJ.
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As for aspect ratio, what do you work on? I got the impression you were using DVDs, so are you ripping them, and with what program (myself, I still often use the old-fashioned way of dvd player and pass-through device, but I'm very much in a minority)? What I'm seeing that is so distracting is squeezy, rather than stretching, and I keep thinking it might be more of an input problem than an output, but I'm not sure what you're dealing with (and I'm no tech genius, either).
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On this one....
For me, this didn't work in a lot of ways, and many people seemed to agree. This reminded me very much of an old skool vid, with super looooong talky-face clips, no song editing when it really needed it, and an old fandom from the '80s.
I saw this and I guess I should've told the vidder that this song has one perfect vid and it won't work with anything else. But how to explain a vid that was at Media about eleventybillion years ago? I can't hear this song without seeing that ST vid...
Also, the song I don't think works any more because all of us who remember new math are pretty much old ;-)