VVC: Recs?

[beccatoria]

Hey y'all!

It's that time of year again; that time where I realise a) if I watched more TV I could be a more diverse vidder and RECCER and enjoy the bounty of VVC infinitely more and get sad about this fact (yet apparently not sad enough to actually want to start watching all these new shows) and b) get all depressed about my own vidding abilities because OMG YOU GUYS SO SHIIIIIINY!!!

Ahem.

So, here is a criminally short recs list because apparently I watch almost no TV, and while I'm happy to watch vids for sources I'm not familiar with they rarely grab me in the same way.

I'm Not Dead by dualbunny.

This is a S4 Kara vid that captures her character extremely well with some beautiful editing. It's also the last in dualbunny's trilogy of Kara vids to Pink songs, and the other two (linked in the above entry) are also worth checking out. I'd note for anyone who shares my antagonistic relationship to the finale that yes, this vid does explore her character arc right through the end, but, fortunately for me, does so in a way that...almost glosses over the end in a big, visually stunning mess of "Explosions! Creepy jumping to places! Grass!" rather than lingering on any of the parts I hated.

((COMPLETE ASIDE: You know, in isolation I don't even hate the "poof!" in a field all that much, nor do I in any way want to assign a reading of the finale to this vid; it's not mine and it's beautifully done and everyone should watch and draw their own conclusions, but I do find it interesting that the two vids I've seen really delve into Kara in 4.5 - this one, and threezerotwo's extraordinary Follow Me into the Darkness - which is not a VVC vid, but consider this a rec for it anyway - both choose to end Kara's journey before the "poof!" And in the case of Follow Me into the Darkness does this in a spectacularly creepy and wonderful way.))

Red Cliff by obsessive24.

This is a movie vid, and if you haven't seen Red Cliff, I wholeheartedly suggest that you do so. It was originally released as two movies in Asia and more recently as one combined movie in the West and is based on the epic novel/historical account "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." Which is just generally an awesome story, so, um, bookmovievid rec! :D

But the vid - even if you haven't seen the movie, I think you can appreciate this vid. There's beautiful use of sweeping scenery and motion here. When watching it I get the sense that this is the age of heroes, and it's a treat to the eyes even if watching such an epic section of the story retold through it is also very rewarding. Also, it has some very pretty people?

obsessive24 also has some interesting comments about the cultural significance of these stories among Chinese people, which makes for some nice context given it was done for the Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations challenge.

Just the One by keewick.

You guys, this is a Dead Like Me vid, about MASON! And it's awesome. The musicality is brilliant, the song choice is perfect. It's funny, but only so you don't cry and end up, like Mason, dressed as a clown, getting drunk out back of a kid's party.

Seven Nation Army by charmax.

Well first off, it's charmax which should be enough! But also, dudes, 1) Robots. 2) the summary is: "Rainbow Coalition Vs fascist robots." IF THAT DOESN'T CONVINCE YOU, YOU ARE BEYOND SAVING. (Multifandom, btw).

We Are by bananainpyjamas.

This Sarah Connor Chronicles vid is really amazing. It deserves a long metatastic rec but frankly, I'm stuck at "OMG! ROBOTS! PEOPLE! PEOPLE FIGHTING ROBOTS! ROBOTS FIGHTING ROBOTS! PEOPLE FIGHTING PEOPLE! WE MIGHT BE RESPONSIBLE YOU GUYS!" Ahem.

So yes. bananainpyjamas's trademark slick use of motion and action in a really thinky vid. Two robot thumbs up!

And...that's me done?

I'm sure I'm missing many classics and probably some haven't even been posted yet, but there you have it. I'd apologise for the levels of robotic content, but frankly I'm not sorry!

Comments

[sabaceanbabe.livejournal.com]

and b) get all depressed about my own vidding abilities because OMG YOU GUYS SO SHIIIIIINY!!!

About this time every year, I'm all never going to vid again because what's the point* from watching all the amazing VVC vids.

We Are for SCC was on my to do list, but now I don't have to. Because someone AWESOME has taken care of it. I wonder if I can convince mrsdrjackson that I somehow commissioned it for her birthday present... (That's why I was going to vid it. :P)

*So far, I still haven't given up vidding. Hee!

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Hee! I applaud your powers of third-party vid direction! If I write a bunch of vids I want made down for you, will you make fabulous vidders make them for me? *bats eyelashes*

*So far, I still haven't given up vidding. Hee!

And I, for one, am very glad! ;) Though I don't think vidding is something that let's go easily. Says she who had her "I'M CRAP!" panic attack while still editing clips in the other window. :p

[emmiere.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reccing "Red Cliff. I can't watch until I get home, but I probably would have overlooked it entirely.

*gazes longingly at TSCC vid*

[chaila.livejournal.com]

*gazes longingly at TSCC vid*

*prods you* Get to watching!

[emmiere.livejournal.com]

*is prodded*

*gazes longingly at your TSCC vid*

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I hope you enjoy it! AND GO WATCH TSCC!

[ivanolix.livejournal.com]

both choose to end Kara's journey before the "poof!"

If you don't mind me popping in, I think that's because, even for those of us who are okay with the poof, that's not the part of it we're okay with. We're okay with what comes afterwards (the continuation of her journey). The poof itself doesn't symbolize any of that, though...it's all the dialogue and implication surrounding it, which would be hard to convey in a vid.

(I am so much in love with dualbunny's vid...)

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Of course I don't mind you popping in!

That's certainly an interesting perspective. I get what you're saying, although I disagree somewhat about how had that would be to convey in a vid; mainly because vids are almost always designed to be watched with the context of canon and the context is intextricably linked with the moment. But, so as not to derail this into a very subjective discussion about vidding technique, I definitely read the two vids in question a little differently to you.

In dualbunny's vid I think I could be more easily persuaded to agree with you. She ends on the moment of Kara accepting her own death and, presumably, whatever destiny that entails. But even if she's ignoring the poof simply because it wouldn't work narratively; one can't convey her continued journey effectively, so let's focus on her completed journey, I still find it interesting that the end result is a vid that doesn't use it.

I do have a much different interpretation of threezerotwo's vid, though. Which is probably highly personal and subjective, but I'll share anyway. In that vid, we don't even see Kara on Earth. We don't see any of her joy or fulfillment. We see her confused almost dreadful look as Laura asks where she's taken them. We see Earth from afar, and then we return to Kara, setting her own body aflame, on nuked Earth as our final moment. A startling temporal backslide, but one I think works extremely well in really teasing out the creepy and ominous undertones of Kara's journey, and that, I think, very consciously chose to end before the Earth 2.0 footage in a way that dualbunny's did not?

(Which is not to be taken as a criticism; I love them both, hence reccing!) :)

[ivanolix.livejournal.com]

Ah, I wasn't talking about those particular vids, actually. I thought your comment was more general—indicating a pattern of ignoring the poof that would probably continue. As for my interpretation of the vids themselves, it's actually the same as yours. They give me very different points of view on Kara, but very well crafted ones.

(I know vidding's subjective, but with both the explanation of the Final Five and the poof, it's all about using imagination to fill in the details, getting one to think of the backstory (and/or probable forwardstory) that it implies. I'd be thoroughly impressed if a vidder can do either subject justice with just canon images. I guess we'll just have to see. ;-)

[cyborganize.livejournal.com]

YAY RECS.

make sure you catch hollywoodgrrl's Kara vid Art Bitch too -- I though it meshed badass Kara and Speshul Destiny Kara really effectively.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Ooooh! I totally missed Art Bitch! Thanks for linkage!

[chaila.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, me too. VVC makes me want to crawl into a corner and never want to make another vid. I mean, not really, but metaphorically. :) And I've only seen like...four of them at this point. Meep. And I also fail at TV watching and often at vid consumption, both of which mean that lots of these are just sort of sailing past me. :( Oh, vidding.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, obviously metaphorically since the entirety of my evening of "OMG I SUCK!" panic was done while still fiddling with a timeline in another window. :p

The weird thing is, the better I get at vidding, in my own smug opinion, the MORE I worry about how awful I am compared to everyone else? Like before I was all, OMG I HAS A TIMELINE AND A VID AND THINGS IN IT MOOOOVE, SOMETIMES EVEN IN CLOSE APPROXIMATION TO THE RHYTHM! And now I'm more...self-critical? I dunno.

But yes, sympathy for the sailing-past factor. :( I know a lot of people watch vids for fandoms they don't know, but I always feel I'm missing so much it must be frustrating. Like, how can I possible "get" it all? I must be missing something! HOW HORRIFYING!!!

And stuff. ;)

[daybreak777.livejournal.com]

OMG I HAS A TIMELINE AND A VID AND THINGS IN IT MOOOOVE, SOMETIMES EVEN IN CLOSE APPROXIMATION TO THE RHYTHM!
This made me smile because I am still there. Though I have these crazy-ambitious ideas! My head wants to write checks my skills can't cash, unfortunately. But there is still a great feeling that things in it move!!! Hee. You will get me back to vidding yet, you. :-)

[daybreak777.livejournal.com]

I just watched I'm Not Dead yesterday. And I thought about your comment about the poof. I haven't seen the other vid yet and I've only seen I'm Not Dead once.

It totally made me want to vid Kara too! I even just heard a song that would be nice for her. A simple, non-ambitious vid. No poof or Daybreak, I think. To wet my feet back into vidding. Then I have a completely different trailer idea that's totally ambitious. That's percolating in even the idea stage. I'd ask your help if I go for it. I'm fascinated by figuring out the techy-ness of that one. Hmm.

I wanted to make a Kara/Lee vid including Daybreak images a few months ago. Using the poof! And merrykk was right, I was totally going to use non-canon images and fill in the blanks. I still love that song. I was so close. I love my kids and wanted to commemorate them. It was a beautiful idea. So beautiful it made me ragey. How could I make something that they didn't give us? How could they not fill in the blanks about Kara so much that I had to do it myself? Where was my beautiful tragic ending?!

Ahem. I'm actually not as ragey about it now. :-) The fact that I'm even considering doing the little Kara vid shows that. I never had wanted to vid her before. Gosh, I'm rambly. I keep this up I will have talked myself into a Kara/Caprica vid. Yup, with that slash. ;-) See? Too ambitious!!!!!

Thanks for letting me ramble here. :-)