BSG Vid: Moon vs. Sun
Sep. 24th, 2009 10:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccatoriaVID BACKLOG!
So yes, here it is, my 4.5 vid. Sort of. At the end.
But tell me, Becka, how do you really feel? ;)
Title: Moon vs. Sun
Video: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Audio: Sun vs. Moon // Sage Francis
Summary: Laura and Gaius engage in a rap battle. God is the corrupt judge.
Warning: OMGSWEARING!
Editor's Notes: My thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cyborganize, chaila43 and metatxt, without whom it would be largely incoherent. Any problems remaining are solely as a result of my pigheaded obstinacy. ;)
Direct download available here. RightClickSaveAs. 35 megs approx.
Password: vidses
Cross-posted to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
galactica_vids, thearchive2 and vidding
Other vids available here.
So yes, here it is, my 4.5 vid. Sort of. At the end.
But tell me, Becka, how do you really feel? ;)
Title: Moon vs. Sun
Video: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Audio: Sun vs. Moon // Sage Francis
Summary: Laura and Gaius engage in a rap battle. God is the corrupt judge.
Warning: OMGSWEARING!
Editor's Notes: My thanks to
cyborganize, chaila43 and metatxt, without whom it would be largely incoherent. Any problems remaining are solely as a result of my pigheaded obstinacy. ;) Direct download available here. RightClickSaveAs. 35 megs approx.
Password: vidses
Cross-posted to
galactica_vids, thearchive2 and viddingOther vids available here.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 12:08 am (UTC)Mostly I love how it captures both what was awesome about the show at its best, the ambiguity and thinkiness, and also exactly when, where and how it failed in the end. Putting both in the same vid is so effective. The possiblity that Laura was every bit as much of a fraud as Baltar was one of my favorite things, and the sun vs. moon section really captures that (and I'm still surprised to realize that's all from season 4.0! How the hell did it go so badly so quickly?!). Then the whole thing failed when Baltar was not a fraud, when RDM failed at writing an end to all that gorgeous complexity in favor of simplistic drivel, when he failed spectacularly as God. Laura never had a chance, because the
writergoddevil was a fucking white man all along, and in the end, it was about Adama, Tigh and Chief, not Laura or Caprica or Tory. It's still striking to see the women die and otherwise give up, while the men do their thing, in addition to all of it just being DUMB and kind of morally bankrupt as an ending.And Laura moving backwards through scenes of A/R fail is the perfect holy line of demarcation between Good BSG and Bad BSG. That final opera house scene will never not piss me off, but I'm actually surprised how re-ragey the 4.Fail section makes me when I watch it. Especially Adama/Bill making out while Caprica cries over the baby who died because Daddy didn't love her and, of course, Tory and Chief. Grrr. I continue to love the editing here, but especially Gaeta to Dee to Boomer.
In conclusion, Ron Moore IS a bitch and we're all a bunch of suckers for buying into it. :/
RAGE. <#
no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 08:30 pm (UTC)I'm so glad we eventually managed to get the A/R backwards section right, and find a way to fit in Gaeta and Dee and fit it in so well with Boomer.
I'm...no longer surprised about how re-ragey shots like Caprica crying alone, or Tory getting choked make me, but probably only because I've spent the last six months or so re-working them one way or another. :( I just.
GAH! *points at vid* SUCKERS. :(
(But I'm so happy you love the vid!)
no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 01:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 02:10 am (UTC)(And will hopefully have better feedback once I recover my own.)
no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 08:37 pm (UTC)I'd love to hear anything else you have to say, obviously, but no hurry.
One Year Later!
Date: 2010-01-05 01:30 am (UTC)the MoonLaura is. How much MORE awesome. Like Nicole said, it kind of makes me want to write vid commentary just to pick it all apart since there's so much there. But I really like how you incorporate Tory and Kara into the "moon" side; it ties into the end and all the gender-fail there. And Laura's chammalla (?) use and how she managed to work that to her advantage and fit it into her mystical opera house rythem. :DDD And gah, the end is so powerful.And I think the message comes through really clearly. I know I said I was taken aback by the "bitch" thing before, but I think that's because I'm ultra-sensitized to it. One thing I've noticed (or thought I've noticed) in the sort of political rap-based BSG vids (like, the five of them *g*) is an unfortunate tendency to take lyrics about bimbos and fake breasts on supermodels or whatever and vid Laura Roslin to them as like a comment on her corruption. And that is NEVER SEXY. :P So that's why I was like "wait, this is Becka, so what's going on here," initially, about that one moment.
But what I love about your vids; this, War for Your Mind, and Jesus Walks, is that you bring out the badass in Laura Roslin like no other, even when lamenting the ways the show let her down. That's truly an accomplishment!
*I need a "WTF Laura?" version of this icon, clearly!
Re: One Year Later!
Date: 2010-01-05 06:21 pm (UTC)I'm so gleeful that you love the cigar on "let's begin" as that was one of the earlier images I had and I know for sure I was like, "Dude, that will SLAY ME OMG." I'm also squeeful that you got that the Opera House was being used as a rhythm in her freestyle!
Re: the word "bitch," I do understand why you're oversensitised to it. So am I, which a lot of people then turn around and eyebrow arch at me because I say things like, "Shut up, bitch!" to my husband all the time and then he'll be like, "No, you shut up, bitch!" but it's...entirely us taking the piss and being stupid and daft and often intentionally ironic, and I feel safe with him because he never, ever uses it in any other context and also he does shit like go off on epic rants to rather sexist mutual acquaintances about how fucking awful the portrayal of women was in the latest Terminator movie, which is never not endearing. But then, people seem me and him joking around like that and get confused about why I get soooo defensive about it at other times. Like on television, I have a whole...thing where I feel almost physically uncomfortable when a guy calls a woman a bitch in certain contexts. I almost prefer it when the guy's clearly an ass trying to like, beat up a woman or something (I mean, I hate that trope for other reasons, but in terms of the word) because at least it is what it is. But I have this massive, epic hate-on for the way that "you're a real bitch, you know that?" and other derivatives are thrown around at powerful women by their male counterparts in what isn't even veiled sexism and yet is coded as edgy "gender equality" by the networks.
Which is a long-winded way of saying, yeah, had I been aiming that at Laura, rather than at God, with Laura realising the truth of the statement you'd have been very right to question it and it would not have been an issue of being ultra-sensitized, it would be an issue of being a rational human being. I'm also not 100% happy with how clear that is because of Laura's religious status and the fact that it comes after a Laura section I can see that someone might mistake the target. But there isn't a visual of God to use and if I'd cut to Baltar I think that would have been even further off track because it would have been suggesting Baltar was God rather than his pointless pawn? So I went with what I wanted - Laura's moment of realisation. But I am profoundly grateful you had enough trust in me to go with me in that moment and think about it. <3
(Fortunately I seem to have missed most of the vids you're referring to... *shudder* Because, yeah, I cannot imagine approving of such a use of rap and Laura Roslin!)
Anyway, thanks so much for the response even if my response in turn is kind of all over the place. ;) Badass Laura 4EVA, and yes, you totally need a WTFLAURA?! version of that icon.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 03:35 am (UTC)*tries*
*explodes*
.....
I'll have to slow back down to normal processing speeds to pick some more moments that really stand out, but the way you use motion within the clips here is killer. Ooh, and "this is one hand clapping alone..." and the way that shot of Earth repeating really hooks me into it as a 4.5 vid. In conclusion <3<3<3
ETA of nothing, I am incredibly amused by chaila and nicole's icons juxtaposed here. :D
no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 04:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 05:47 pm (UTC)(Edit: Although obviously not intending to be dickish about the message of the vid.)
no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 09:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 11:36 pm (UTC)(Except I'm out of relevant icons now...Hee!)
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Date: 2009-09-25 08:56 pm (UTC)Also, I originally only had the Earth shot during the latter "the devil" section and I had nuked Caprica at the start as the background, but changed it because it just wasn't working, and part of my reasoning was this would more strongly key into what the vid would ultimately turn into (I had such trouble with the opening trying to keep it in keeping with the earlier section - the more serious take on Laura vs Gaius), and partly it was just visual, so I'm so glad you appreciated it.
And yeah. I was...perhaps unprepared for how emotionally cathartic I'd find the final section when it opens up to the whole mess of late 4.5 fail. Which seems a bit...arrogant to say, I guess, for my own vid, but also, I guess that was why I made it?
Also, yes - those to icons were made to be posted in succession!
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Date: 2009-09-25 03:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 01:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 01:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 09:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-25 10:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-27 07:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-26 04:20 am (UTC)The repetition of that shot of Earth really sticks with me, turning what was presented in the episode as an uplifting moment into something sinister. And I think it's fantastic that right at the end there you found a use for RDM's glaring cameo in the coda.
It is such a brilliant vid!
no subject
Date: 2009-09-27 07:50 am (UTC)But I'm so, so, SO glad that the shift in gears (as layed out in the credits - when it shifts from Baltar to God who is really RDM) is coming across clearly.
Thank you again and I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-26 06:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-27 07:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-26 06:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-27 07:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-26 07:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-27 08:00 am (UTC)In other news, your icon? Guh. Awesome.
your video deserves all kinds of ALL-CAPS PRAISE
Date: 2009-09-30 08:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-30 04:29 pm (UTC)I liked this vid because it's like watching a whole other show! Yes, I want more eps of this show and good thing because fans can make it where the real show wasn't like this. Fast paced and sharp. Well, it was a lot of the time, actually. But I wanted it this way all the time.
There were several things I liked that actually surprised me. Glimpses of Felix and even the reminders of Kara/Gaius. Very, very interesting. I loved the rewindy warpy thing at at 2:17. Excellent effect and of course we all here know what you mean by that. :-)
It is a vid that seems like you had loads of fun making! Didn't you enjoy making it? And now we get to have fun watching it too. :-)
And then the end! You go on with your unapologetic bad self. :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 12:23 pm (UTC)It feels like there are two analogies going on here. The first poses god (potentially the cylon god?) as a weak minded petty individual who plays around with his children's lives like a child would torment an insect. That's an analogy I've always believed does suit the representation of the "god" in the BSG universe. The second analogy then poses the question that the writers (specifically Mr Moore) is actually this god. Now granted he is the creator of the show so I can see how the creator/god analogy may work but it seems a little I don't know, off perhaps? To apply such a harsh analysis of one person involved in the creative process.
Granted if this is just a little bit of fun that you've done to make up for story lines you didn't like then feel free to tell me I'm reading too much into it- I do that often.
That said..
Is Baltar suppose to represent Mr Moore in this video? I'm just still a little confused over the intersecting of the two analogies there.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 04:11 pm (UTC)The video beings as a straight-up examination of the Laura/Baltar conflict throughout the first three and a half seasons of BSG. The longstanding, fascinating rivalry about which one of them was the truer prophet or greater faker. The final half season saw Baltar, unmistakably, win this contest as his view of god and his own mythic importance was explicitly elevated by the text. Meanwhile, Laura shrank into the background in all aspects aside from her romantic subplot, perhaps best exemplified by the Opera House visions - the mythical cornerstone of the final season, turning out to really not be about the women involved at all, but was instead a prelude to Baltar's Big Speech About God.
So the second half of the video is about how Laura loses the rap battle. How she realises, in fact, she could never win in the first place because Baltar was God's favourite. The game was rigged.
And yes, the vid posits both that within the narrative, the Cylon God picked Baltar for arbitrary reasons and also that in a meta sense, Ron Moore is the god of the universe and chose to end his storyline by marginalising Laura and elevating Baltar; indeed by writing an ending I found distasteful on a number of levels.
So yes, there is a conflation of the in-universe failure of the Cylon God with the out-of-universe failure of Ron Moore in telling a satisfying story, not that Moore is the Cylon God and that all attributes are the same, but that, in broad terms, both resolved the mysteries of their universes arbitrarily and unsatisfyingly. I understand that dual narrative may not be entirely clear to all, but it was an important part of what I wanted to try and do.
As to the analysis being harsh, yes it is undoubtedly harsh, and intentionally so. I'm not sure why you think that's "off". I'm not criticising Ron Moore as a person - I don't know him. But I am criticising the writing and the narrative of his show, which is a public work, and one that was touted - by its creators, including Mr Moore - from the beginning as Important, Socially Relevant Work. I do not think it is unfair, therefore, to judge it on that standard and point out when it fails (in my opinion, obviously). I honestly believe that representational issues on television are important and that it is more serious when a show that claims to be so good at them, so publically, fails so badly.
I know not everyone will share my view of the finale, and if you enjoyed it and don't like the criticism presented here, that's absolutely fine, but I do defend the premise of making it.
Finally, no Baltar isn't supposed to represent Mr Moore. He's a character, a puppet, just like Laura, just like everyone else, just in this instance, the one who was arbitrarily chosen to win.
I hope that was helpful in clarifying your questions?
no subject
Date: 2009-11-17 10:39 am (UTC)You see when I was watching the show I tend to pick up on more examples of the female characters being ignored or pushed aside during late season 2 and early season 3. So I was curious at someone seeing these things in season 4, a season which I finally got to see some of my favourite female characters pushed up to the front again and actually interacting with each other (Faith and Guess what's coming to dinner, being a couple of my favourite episodes).
Strangely enough though your point about Baltar was something I noticed in the first and second seasons. The audience was constantly allowed to see the human sympathetic side to his character while Laura's character always had to remain professional and we were rarely allowed to see her personal side so it made people quick to attack the character as cold hearted, where as a male character engaging in similar actions (such as Tigh) got labels like badass.
See where as you may see Laura's romance in 4.5 a bad move on the part of the writers, for me it seemed very natural and the build up to her emotional realisation not just about her romantic feelings for Bill but also the sense of family she felt with Kara and Lee was a long time coming. It allowed us to see not just a pragmatic angle to her actions but an emotional one too. For me it made her a lot more of a well rounded character.
Any way I just thought it was interesting how different people define what makes a character whole and fulfilled in the storyline.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-17 11:20 am (UTC)I feel I should clarify, though, that in differentiate season 4.0 (which contained both the episodes you mentioned) and season 4.5. I love season 4.0. While I do not necessarily think it is objectively the best run of episodes in the show, it's certainly my favourite (or at least a strong contender for that title). This is in no small part due to the epic prominence of the women involved. A lot of them die, sure, but that's only because, during those 10 episodes, everything is so overwhelmingly about them. I felt this changed radically in 4.5 for pretty much everyone except Kara, and even Ellen, given a hugely important role, was essentially only there as a fountain of exposition and a jealous wife. She didn't actually do anything.
I see what you're saying about Roslin and Baltar in the earlier seasons, but I really enjoyed that because I felt like it was playing against type. The brutality and cowardly selfishness of Baltar's actions were played against his very gentle personality, whereas Laura's obvious compassion and devotion to her people and bravery was played against an ability to be extraordinarily cold and brutal when necessary. At that point in the show I thought the balance was very well made. I don't know how others reacted, but I never felt the show was unsympathetic to either, or overly apologetic for Baltar's behaviour, and again, it was the decision to lose that complexity in regard to Baltar in the finale that disappointed me.
As to the romance in 4.5, I'm sorry but we absolutely disagree. While I was never a fan of the A/R romance, I was completely prepared to accept it, and indeed thought that was where we were headed for a long time. The difference is, while one could argue that her developing romance with Adama is organic, her complete lack of any storyline other than that is not. There was absolutely no reason that the show could not have given her a romantic storyline and a political one - Adama, after all, got his romance with Roslin and his role as Admiral, the loss of the ship, etc., to deal with. But Laura, after she throws her pills in the trash can and quits on treatment, well, we really never see things from her perspective again, unless you count a one minute scene with Lee in No Exit after the massacre of the quorum. During the mutiny plotline, concern for her boyfriend is posited as her chief concern - not the survival of her species - the yardstick by which every other decision she has ever made has been measured and by which all her atrocities are justified. No, her boyfriend.
I was not against her getting a romantic plotline, but I was emphatically against her getting that plotline at the expense of all others. And yes, I am aware she was dying. She was dying in the middle of season two, AND getting romantic aspects to her story and she was also ordering assassinations and being really, really interesting.
I never, ever felt that we hadn't seen her being emotional before 4.5. In fact, something I loved fiercely about McDonnell's performance was her ability to make me know she felt every coldly pragmatic thing she did. Her near-tears when Hera is lost. Her fear at her own mortality. Her love for Billy. Her joy at finding Earth. Her anger at Baltar. Her terror when she almost kills him. Her disgust at Tigh for using suicide bombers. I could go on.
So anyway, I hope that helps in clarifying why I hated her 4.5 plotline. It really isn't that I just wanted her to be cold and miserable, and lonely, I promise. I just...wanted her to have...something to do other than being someone else's dying girlfriend.
I understand you saw it differently and probably I'd be happier if I saw it as you do, but I've tried and I can't. :( I hope at least this helps you understand my perspective slightly more even if you aren't going to agree with it?
no subject
Date: 2009-11-17 11:52 am (UTC)Definitely and thanks again for replying :)
this is the smallest violin
Date: 2009-11-25 09:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-06 04:27 am (UTC)Up yours, Ron...
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Date: 2009-12-17 03:18 am (UTC)Sheesh, even the effects guys screwed over the fans in the end...idiots. ;P
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Date: 2009-12-07 08:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-06 06:31 pm (UTC)