TSCC Vid: there's a war going on for your mind, sarah.

[beccatoria]

Happy birthday chaila43! Remember all those times you bugged me to make this vid and I said I never would (and you probably didn't mean it this literally)? I was lying. I was also lying that time I said I wasn't vidding anything right now. God, I'm such a liar. And rather shocked I didn't cave under the pressure and tell you about it long ago. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY, YOU'RE AWESOME AND I LOVE YOU.

Title: there's a war going on for your mind, sarah.
Video: Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles
Audio: tracks from Fight with Tools // The Flobots
Summary: Sarah Connor and Catherine Weaver engage in a rap battle.
Vidder's Notes: Vidded as a birthday present for the always awesome chaila43. A loose remix of a previous BSG vid to the same music, but no knowledge of that vid is necessary for this one. Many thanks to pellucid for the beta.

Direct download available here. 62 megs approx. RightClickSaveAs.

Password: vidses

Watch on Vimeo

Cross-posted to vidding and scc_vids.

Other vids available here.

Comments

[chaila.livejournal.com]

OMG I LOVE YOU SO MUCH THAT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT ALL. You LIAR! I did not even suspect, all the times you were all, :( no vidses. <3

This is like the VID OF MY DREAMS for a hundred reasons I will have to catalog later. It would be hard to describe to you the feeling of breathless squee and awesome I had the whole time I watched it. Oh Sarah! Omniscient Weaver! Sarah and Weaver! Eeeeee! I have to go to work now which SUCKS, but soooooo much moooore proper feedback and a treatise on this vid's awesome and brilliance later! <333333333333 !!!!!!!!!

EPIC FEEDBACK

[chaila.livejournal.com]

Proper flailing! I can't believe you made this! I SO wanted it to exist, you have no idea how much--I KNEW it would be just this awesome if you did it because your brain is a fantastic bit of technology--but I totally believed you when you said you didn't think you would make it (and sekritly I really wished you'd use the same music. Remixes are like two degrees of transformative, so it's double the awesome, why does everyone not make them???) AND THEN YOU DID. For meeeeeee. <3

I just adore every little bit of this. I mean, it's the whole show as SARAH VS WEAVER, of *course* I love it, but it's so brilliant. This really highlight how Sarah is just profoundly at war, and she never really knows with what, so it's just against everything and everyone because everyone's a threat. And it's so deeply exhausting, just watching her. From her perspective, she's just desperately *fighting,* humans and robots and lies and her own body, but the only answer is a blunt one, to fight until she bleeds. And then Weaver here really complexifies what robots *do* and *are*, the humans=good assumption, what the future can look like (the Weaver POV is so complex but so *optimistic*) and what the sides are and what the fight is even about. Sarah is a tenacious guerrilla fighter, but Weaver is a *revolution* and Sarah has to join it or not, but she has to decide and that decision *matters*; it's maybe the only thing that matters, if she really wants to change the future.

I loooove the framing of the "we are the insurgents" as that one small moment in the finale when Sarah understood Weaver, and how all of this could practically run through Sarah's head in those few seconds between that moment and when she steps back. Like the Laura vid, I freaking love how you've made the WHOLE SHOW about the war for Sarah's mind--though here I think actually IS--and how powerful that makes her and her awesome mind. Weaver by her very existence suggests that the way for Sarah win the war, the difference between the old future and the new one, relies not on destroying all the machines, but navigating them and their loyalties, joining forces with them (or really, trusting her son to do so); the outcome of the war and the outcome of John's future depends on an alliance with that which Sarah fights. I love how you've given her so much active choice in that moment when she steps back/saves the turtle and the immense weight you've given what is essentially her decision *not to act*. The outcome of the whole future war boils down to the one single moment when she makes up her mind and steps back and lets John go with Weaver to chase Cameron and John Henry, as Cameron gives the turtle to John Henry and Sarah saves it and eeeeeee Sarah how does the WHOLE WORLD not love you like I do.

Yet this doesn't simplify the scariness of an human-machine alliance for Sarah at all. The imagery is amaaaazing, the use of technology, often taking the form of *bodies*, Sarah's fragile one, and the resilient, resistent, shape-shifting metal bodies of the robots whose loyalties are always subject to question--Cromartie is John Henry, the liquid metal on the submarine is Weaver, Cameron is Allison is Cameron, the compassionless dancer. All your lyrics matches are awesome of course, but I particularly loved Savannah as the test tube baby and Weaver as the corporate crackhead, "interfaith service project" as warring robots in a church, the whole section from "holding a picket sign" to retreat is not an option (OH SARAH), butterfly wings, and Savannah and John Henry as roses sprouting in sidewalk cracks.

Plus of course the editing is fantastic. There was such an interesting perspective in a lot of shots which highlighted really unusual bits that took on huge weighty significance, like the shot of John handing Cameron the gun after "silicone shrapnel" and the bracing shower at the nuclear plant. And *everyone I love* So much Ellison! Terissa! Lauren! Jesse! (Jesse would not approve of this decision, Sarah).

In short: YOU MADE ME A SARAH AND WEAVER RAP BATTLE VID and that will never not be exciting. And I think you are too awesome to even be real. <#

[hollywoodgrrl.livejournal.com]

Wow that was really great! I don't actually watch SCC (YET) but the imagery is so powerful and compelling. Great job!

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you! Especially since you don't even watch the show, I'm so thriled you enjoyed it anyway. It really is a fabulous show and so easy to catch up on since it had such a criminally short run. It's incredibly interesting to contrast what TSCC and BSG do with their robots; the former is more about reaching the point where a machine becomes sentient and what that means, whereas the later is about assuming that point passed a long time ago and there's now no difference.

Either way, thank you again for the feedback, so pleased you enjoyed it! :D

[colls]

This is a fantastic vid - the tone and editing are amazing!

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! :D

[such_heights]

as;ldkja;j this is fabulous! I love how kinetic it is, and there are so many great parallels. :D

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you! And thanks so much for the rec too! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. After vidding Doctor Who and Fringe lately, it was really nice to get back to a show that lets its camera move the way BSG does: I'm very pleased the kineticism came through. <3

[pellucid.livejournal.com]

I've now watched this vid (or versions of it) at least a dozen times, and I keep seeing new layers and noticing new things!!! SO MUCH LOVE!!!!!

You already know a lot of what I think about it, but what's striking me at this particular moment is how you convey the ambiguity of this world and this struggle through a constant back and forth between sincere and ironic matches between clips and lyrics. And sometimes the sincerity depends on whether it's Sarah's pov or Catherine's, for instance. The new world order the machines are fighting for is what Sarah is fighting against--but are they actually on the same side? It's a wonderful way to dramatize the complexity of motivations in this story.

*draws hearts around the whole thing*

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Awww, thank you so much. <3 I'm really glad it holds up on rewatching since I'm aware it's pretty dense. But if you get to draw hearts around the vid, then I get to draw hearts around your comment. The mix of sincere and ironic, or humorous and dark, was definitely intentional - it reminds me of something chaila43 says above - about how optimistic Weaver's perspective is even though that seems initially counterintuitive.

The whole fabric of that show was so rich and complex particularly in terms of what it did with motivation and loyalty and goals, I'm so please to be able to capture some of that.

[be-themoon.livejournal.com]

a;sldkghd;lgkhdg OMG.

that was amazing. mind is BLOWN.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you! So glad you enjoyed it! :D

[fallingtowers.livejournal.com]

I'm so much looking forward to watching this when I get home from work. I love your BSG vid to the same track, so I'm intrigued what you're gonna do with SCC here!

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

\o/ Yay for anticipation! I hope you enjoy it as much as the other one!

[nicole-anell.livejournal.com]

You know how I LOVE your BSG vid to this music so yaaay I was excited to see this. So interesting how different lines and moments stand out, but the conflict between war and humanity so resonates with Sarah.

Teared up at "father playing catch with his son."

Savannah on the roses line.

The ending with the turtle!! Brilliant.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

*facepalm* Somehow I managed to totally miss this comment when replyind earlier! But thank you so much. I'm really glad it works in the context of the other vid, and I absolutely know what you mean about different lines standing out in this vid which was quite interesting for me because at the start I was sort of subconsciously trying to make the same standout lines from the BSG vid work really well for the TSCC vid and being frustrated that the visuals didn't line up, but then after listening to it for more time I realised that there were all sorts of wonderful kickass associations just...at different moments throughout the song.

The father playing catch with his son is a line I'm glad to see mentioned because it was one of the first lines in the song that really made me think the vid could be real rather than a pipe dream. Savannah on the roses line is another favourite, and I'm very glad the ending with the turtle is something that people seem to like - I was worried it'd be a bit...oblique. <3

Thanks for commenting! :D

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Ahahhahahaha! This is brilliant! I have to say (and my apologies if this is one of those 'WTF' audience reactions) but I found parts of it hysterical--it was the cleverness of all the little injokes in the choice of images against the lyrics. 'we are only as strong as our signal' was one of those--those daft three dots: LOOOOL!

I totally love it. It works so well and reminds me how smart and awesome the show is. *clappy hands*

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

aaaah, somehow I managed to totally miss this comment when replying before...whut?! But omgs, what a lovely surprise to find it here now! <3

I'm s glad you like it, and yes, parts of it were intentionally funny. Or perhaps not funny so much as intentionally absurd? And in some ways absurdly literal? Not perhaps specifically the three dots, because I don't find them quite as daft as you do (let's face it, it took until late 4.5 for me to become frustrated with the BSG mythos!) but certainly the idea of the vid was to mix sincere and ironic and to highlight the absurdity of her situation as well as its seriousness. But then I'm kind of a sucker for the poignancy of absurdity even if all you can do is laugh.

So yay! Have whatever audience reaction you like! :D And thanks for taking the time to leave such awesome feedback!

[rose-griffes.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was just... breathtaking. The quick flow of the imagery, the challenging lyrics to visuals. I was mesmerized. Downloading now.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad it merits a download. The lyrics in these tracks are just phenomenal and I'm glad I was able to do them justice. :)

[runawaynun.livejournal.com]

al;dgjd;lakgjsd;glakjf;glakfjg;alkdfjg;lfkjs

SARAH CONNOR! CATHERINE WEAVER!!! Just....ahhhhhhhhh! Awesome. :D

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

HEE! That's pretty much the best reaction I could hope for. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it.

SARAH CONNOR! CATHERINE WEAVER! :D

[aka-katya.livejournal.com]

*squees!*

SO MUCH EPIC AWESOMENESS IN ONE VID!!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!

*flails around a lot*

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D Awesome feedback makes me flail too! And omgs, your icon - it's marvelous.

[fig-aruna.livejournal.com]

:O!!!!!

^ME, THE LAST FIVE MINUTES AND COUNTING


I love the song and never imagined the lyrics matching up to images from TSCC. BUT NOW I CAN'T UNSEE IT...! TOO AWESOME! :OOOO!!

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

*glees* \o/ Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Becuase I originally vidded it to a different show, I was initially skeptical that I could break association with it and do TSCC justice, but, like you, now I can't unsee it and I'm really happy with how it turned out. It really just came together like magic once I started laying down clips.

Thanks again for letting me know you enjoyed it.

[e-transitions.livejournal.com]

this was amazingly well done! Love it!

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. :)

[heyiya.livejournal.com]

Becca, I am unbearably behind on your vids (so many tabs open... I keep using my free time to catch up on Fringe, which at least I know you will approve of :) ), but i watched this and OMG! Best idea ever. I practically jumped out of my chair and cheered when Weaver came in on "we are the insurgents." I need to watch it more times and alternate with the BSG version to *fully understand the subtleties*, but SQUEEE.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! The idea of Weaver and Sarah as insurgents was too powerful to ignore. In some ways positing this as a portrait of the show with Weaver and Sarah as the poles was harder than the hybrid because the hybrid is so obviously a broadcaster; there are so many passive shots of her communicating in a surreal fashion. Whereas with Weaver, it was harder to posit her as the other person in the dialogue because of her footage and because of her less unique position (as metatron) within the text. While I toyed with the idea of having her right at the end too, after discussion with my beta it seemed distracting rather than powerful given the imagery at the end. So the middle shift - "we are the insurgents" was really the perfect gift within the vid - a way to explain both of them as active, subversive agents in the world rather than to introduce the hybrid as the subversive method of communication?

Anyway, I'm so happy you enjoyed it and feel it's worth a rewatch, and that insurgents line is probably my favourite part of the whole vid.

And yes, I absolutely approve of using your free time to catch up on Fringe. I'm having an odd time with season three so far, but that's mainly because I'm not sure I trust the show rather than because what they've done has failed in any way so far. Which is mostly my relationship with Fringe in a nutshell: always one step from failing but instead doing something kind of awesome.

Anyways, plenty of time - my vids aren't going anywhere. :)

[goodbyebird]

Holy crap. You just covered both sides so brilliantly here! The robots evolving, changing, and Sarah still fighting, always fighting; to keep up, to stay alive, to be strong enough to do what needs to be done.

Downloading right this instant.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad the subversive nature of the robot rebellion as something not simply static and threatening (but certainly never anything other than threatening either!) comes across clearly as a (twisted?) mirror of Sarah's own war. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it and glad you think it was worth a download!

[grimorie.livejournal.com]

I love the epic rap! And Sarah Connor being, as always, HBIC! With a lot of Catherine Weaver! Thank you for sharing this!

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Thank you and you're welcome! HBICs to epic rap is probably my err, thing when it comes to vidding, which I moved away from for a while, so it feels kind of safe and cuddly to be back with it.

Thanks so much for watching!

[emmiere.livejournal.com]

So. Amazing. *hearts*

I really love that this is the same song as your BSG vid, and not just because it gives me an excuse to go watch both obsessively and flail. ;)

The first section about the war that Sarah's always fought and the enemy she understands becomes brilliant when Catherine Weaver enters at "We are the insurgents". I don't know, the way I watched it's just so inclusive of Sarah too and I like viewing it as the larger war for her mind happens between that moment of empathy and the end when she chooses step back and make a new kind of move toward the same goal. /vague thoughts

Every time I watch I get another match-up that either sucker-punches or makes me flail with glee. *runs off to watch again*

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D I was honestly a little worried that people might think I was being a little weird ripping off my own song choice like that, but I also thought - not just as a present for chaila43 because it's always what she'd bug me about - but also as a fun way of drawing the comparison between robot apocalypse shows, so I'm really glad you enjoyed the decision.

Catherine entering at "we are the insurgents" is probably my favourite part of the vid! And another thing I was concerned about but seems to be getting a really positive reaction is the ending. I'm so happy that moment of empathy, the turtle and the stepping back, work well in juxtaposition as the culmination of Sarah's war and her growing understanding that Weaver is something more complex than simply her enemy. <3

Thanks so much for the thoughtful feedback and hearing that it merits rewatching is pretty much the awesomest thing to hear. :)

[valiha.livejournal.com]

Wow. All I can say is, how powerful. Thank you for sharing. ^_^

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

You're welcome and thanks for the comment - sorry for such a late reply!

There's a war going on...

[tackdriver56.livejournal.com]

Nice work.

[daybreak777.livejournal.com]

This is a great vid! I don't know the show but I love some of the lyric matches. Test tube babies! Trapper Keeper collages! Broken porcelain! I kinda love Savannah too though I know nothing about her other than from Chaila's fic. :-) I kind of like watching the vids without knowing the show. It's a game to just get my info from you guys and see how much I can learn without actually watching. I don't know much, but I know that retreat is not an option and I'd be happy wearing an orange jumpsuit and picketing somewhere in favor of shiny sci fi vids after watching this vid!

Gosh, I miss a sci fi show in my life sometimes. I really love the imagery. Oh, and by the way, you and rap must never ever part, Becca! I said something similar about the Laura vid to this song and I mean it. Vidding awesome women with rap is your weapon already in hand. :-D

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! :D Sorry for such a late response, but I'm glad that you enjoyed it - especially the lyrics. This song is really all about the lyrics.

I'm so glad that you enjoyed it even though you don't really know the show. But it really is worth watching! And (alas) so short.

But yeah, there's really nothing scifi-ish that's that awesome on at the moment. I like Fringe but it's not quite there yet. Not that it has stopped me vidding the main woman to rap already. ;) I'm glad you think I do it well!

[lamaudite.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. Fantastic editing. Show, I miss you so damn much. Thanks for this fix. :)

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Late reply! Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. :) And, CURSE YOU FOX!

[impatient-dream.livejournal.com]

So, mostly, I'm just struck by the awesome parallels you've managed to make. The father playing baseball with his son juxtaposed with images of John handing Wee!Kyle a baseball and the weapons already in hand lyric with the Cameron and turtle!John scene spring to mind, probably because they're my favorite parts. Also, the pacing is phenomenal and the shift in PoV seems subtler in the vid than the song, but it's still easily recognizable.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Thank you! The lyric matches you pull out are two of my favourites as well, and it makes me very happy to hear that the POV switch comes across.

[fantasticangel.livejournal.com]

Really great vid! Loved the editing, song choice, everything. The music would be great for a firefly or fringe vid as well.

[cyborganize.livejournal.com]

GAH. so this is one of those vids where I'm way behind on feedback because I knew it would just BREAK MY BRAIN WITH AWESOME. it is, one again, an EPIC. incredible lyric matches and jumpcuts and all your other signature touches.

what fascinates me most is how, as a remix, this vid draws out not only the parallels between the two worlds but also their differences. some elements resonate more strongly, here -- references to corporations/logos and guerrillas/warfare, for example -- others less so (religion, media technology). knowing the BSG version so well made the new ideas and textures that much more striking. this one seems so much less hopeful, leading us toward apocalypse rather than utopia, which I think is telling (tragic that the show was cancelled before Weaver and the Terminator insurgents got their due!).

I would love to watch these in tandem on youtubedouber or something...

YOU ARE AMAZING!