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beccatoriaHAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAILA! Originally I had a crazy plan to not even tell you I'd even started watching Damages, but obviously that lasted about three seconds. ;)
Title: blood, blood to the bruise
Video: Damages
Audio: Me & Stetson // Tom McRae
Spoilers: Seasons 1 & 2 only
Summary: You're like my daughter. I tried to kill you. [Patty. Ellen.]
Direct download available here. 32 megs approx. RightClickSaveAs.
Password: vidses
Cross-posted to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
vidding
Other vids available here.
Title: blood, blood to the bruise
Video: Damages
Audio: Me & Stetson // Tom McRae
Spoilers: Seasons 1 & 2 only
Summary: You're like my daughter. I tried to kill you. [Patty. Ellen.]
Direct download available here. 32 megs approx. RightClickSaveAs.
Password: vidses
Cross-posted to
vidding Other vids available here.
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no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 07:07 am (UTC)*will be back later to articulate her SQUEE*
omfg DAMAGES VID YOU VIDDED DAMAGES THIS IS AWESOME
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Date: 2011-10-20 07:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 07:25 am (UTC)On the concrit side, a couple of things that jumped out at me, for what it's worth. I am generally not a big fan of fast cross-fades because to me they can be quite hard on the eye, so for that reason I tend to favour hard cuts or longer crossfades. Interested to hear about your thoughts behind that particular stylistic choice. In this instance, I felt overall hard cuts would have also fed into the gorgeous overlay bridge better with the additional contrast it presents.
The other thing was that I felt a bit surprised that the clip choice was constricted to s1 and s2 only. s4 is somewhat superfluous, one could argue, but I thought s3 would have been an essential part of the relationship development that would've served the vid to be included. But that's more of an overall arc observation rather than thoughts about how any specfic clips could fit any specific bit in the vid. Curious to hear your thoughts about why you decided to just go with the first two seasons in the end, though.
But seriously, I loved, loved this. It's definitely gonna reward multiple reviewings and I can't wait to rec it. :D
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Date: 2011-10-20 07:54 am (UTC)As to your other comments, it's interesting that you should mention the quick fades. I didn't actually start out with them, as I also thought that hard cuts would be more effective, and in several places I think I'm still using them because it was my preference, but what was happening was that in practice, I found it looked too jarring - I was getting this feeling that there was a ghost frame in there when there wasn't one, and this felt smoother on the eye. But it's a compromise from the original, err, artistic vision? *she says, feeling pretentious!*
The other decision about using only seasons one and two, yeah, I thought about that too. I'd even say that season four is pretty necessary to their overall relationship although I agree, perhaps less so without the overall benefit of the final season for context. The reason I focused on the first two seasons is pretty much down to the song, and slightly due to the fact I enjoyed those more and therefore felt more comfortable vidding them since it was my first time with this source. But basically I really wanted to make the first verse-second verse showcase moments the two times those women apparently (or actually) try to kill each other, and for all that it does interesting things to the way they interact, after that there's more a sense of both of them understanding the capabilities of the other and having an (uneasy) truce, and there just wasn't a big, epic, scene of scenes that I wanted to work with in season three, so I decided to make it a vid about that particular reversal of circumstances - the song seemed very much like it fit that kind of flip-around.
But I meant to actually put something about that in the header, so thanks for the reminder - I will go do so now!
And thanks again for taking the time to leave such a considered and thoughtful comment. I'm really pleased you liked it!
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Date: 2011-10-20 04:53 pm (UTC)I see I see! I know how that can go, something that by rights should look one way but somehow doesn't seem to sit well when you actually put it down that way. That definitely explains why you went with the fast crossfades, then. :)
I agree that we probably won't really get a whole idea of the relationship until we have all five seasons that inform each other. I have to admit I never hear lyrics upon my first viewing of a vid, so doubtlessly that coloured my thinking whether the structure corresponded to just two seasons as oppposed to 3 or 4. But what you say definitely makes sense. I think also noting in the vidpost that it's s1 and s2 only also helps a lot because then viewers like me aren't then going into the vid expecting the in-vid relationship to be developed beyond s2. I think the vid totally works in what it's trying to achieve by focussing on just these two seasons, it's more a case of perhaps managing the viewer's expectations as they come to it. Anyway, I'm off to rewatch! Thank you for making such an awesome vid.
WHAT.
Date: 2011-10-20 12:44 pm (UTC)Re: WHAT.
Date: 2011-10-20 07:46 pm (UTC)I figured you probably wouldn't get to see it til you got back from work, actually, but I was going to a lecture on a crazy ancient Green astronomical mechanism so I wasn't sure when I'd get home. (It had a cog with a off-kilter shaft - wow that sounded filthy - to express the irregular motion of the moon!)
UM BUT THE POINT IS, DAMAGES. OMGSSSSSS. THEY REALLY ARE RIDICULOUSLY EPIC AND I AM SO THRILLED YOU LIKED IT. I WANTED TO MAKE YOU A VID ABOUT LADIES WHO GLARE AT EACH OTHER MEANINGFULLY AND SOMETIMES TRY TO KILL EACH OTHER.
♥ YOU ARE SO WELCOME ♥
Re: WHAT.
Date: 2011-10-21 01:30 am (UTC)You've also made this show look easy to vid, which is a FEAT. I adore it, but so much of what's awesome about it is either talking or long, significant looks. The way you've used jump cuts and quick fades turn those significant looks into such an amazing visual representation of their relationship, comparing and contrasting different parts of scenes or different looks or intercutting the more violent bits of the show with a look to show the full range of, just, everything. They just, gah, they feel so threatening to each other here and I feel weird for loving that as much as I do.
I love the progression of their relationship so much and how you've captured it. Patty is so clearly the predator in the first minute, but Ellen smiles with her drink about :59, and then the whole thing starts to transition to Ellen no longer being the object. And it all slowly flips through that gorgeous, gorgeous, metatastic overlay of the dock scene (THE DOCK OF EPIC LIFE-CHANGING SCENES) as she figures it out until she's the threatening one in the second verse.
Just...why are you so awesome? I'm so impressed by how you so skillfully pulled out the perfect visuals and linked them up to Ellen's changing awareness and walking away to so clearly show her motivations. Like, seriously, this editing is the kind that makes me feel like I ought to just pick up my toys and go home. Which would be okay, because I will make EVERY DAY my birthday and force you do do my
bvidding. <33333333333 I LOVE IT, AND YOU. RAWR.Re: WHAT.
Date: 2011-10-21 07:51 pm (UTC)Srsly, though, I'm really glad that the complexity of the relationship comes through because it's just so much and so layered, I really was worried it wouldn't. Like you say, so much of it is talking, which is really why I had to go the route of fast cutting to try and show all the expressions and hidden moments in those conversations. Cus dude, you're right, vidding this show is hard - it's like the exact opposite of TSCC!
Like, seriously, this editing is the kind that makes me feel like I ought to just pick up my toys and go home.
I WILL NEVER ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. Then who would help me make gorgeous Sarah/Olivia vids?! You will have to be stuck with me. :D?
♥ ♥ ♥
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Date: 2011-10-20 01:09 pm (UTC)Despite the fact that I've not yet managed to finish season 2, I love this. The jump cuts (? is that what you call it?) work so well for Patty and Ellen, who are so often at such emotional extremes with each other. I also love the way you've got the pier scene overlaying so much of the rest of the action--that's such the omg moment in the first season, and for that reason it's one of those fancy technical things that really works here. (I suppose I'm not always a big fan of effects like that in vids, but I think it's because most of the time people seem to put them in--at least as far as I can see--because "hey, I can do this cool thing!" but here it contributes in a huge way to what the vid is doing. Much, in fact, like your boxes and such in your River/Eleventy vid. Clearly you're a model in how to do effects so that form contributes to meaning!)
Apparently I pay attention to technical vidding stuff now? Even though I'm still in the clipping stage of my own first vid that will never end...
Anyway. Yes. Patty and Ellen!!! Love it!!! Wheee!!!!
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Date: 2011-10-20 07:55 pm (UTC)Thank you, I'm so glad you like it, even if you haven't seen all the source yet. Hopefully this increases anticipation rather than spoiling! ;)
The pier scene is something I'm really glad that people are picking up on as I spent quite a long time messing with that in an attempt to make both the montage elements and Ellen walking away clear and was really worried it was still kind of murky. It was something I knew I wanted to do very early on, even before settling on the jumpcut style. There's just so much going on with her as she leaves in that moment.
But I get what you say about not using effects for the sake of effects, it's something I try not to do, though I don't think I always succeed, but thank you for thinking I did this time.
And I love that you're paying attention to technical vid stuff. BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE BUG! I can't wait to see your first vid. Whenever that may be! ;)
(Clearly I need an icon...)
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Date: 2011-10-20 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-20 08:14 pm (UTC)Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed it! \o/
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Date: 2011-10-21 04:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-21 07:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-23 07:23 pm (UTC)(btw, here from chaila's rec, in case you were wondering ;) )
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Date: 2011-10-26 10:22 am (UTC)Thanks again for letting me know you liked it.
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Date: 2011-10-27 02:53 pm (UTC)I like how you made it seem that Ellen shot Patty. Or at Patty and missed. Oh wait, the show did that. Sometimes it's hard to remember what really happened!
I really liked Ellen in this vid. I usually favor Patty over Ellen because I realize I don't really like the actress who portrays Ellen. But I appreciate Ellen's growth in season 1 and you captured certain looks in her eye, pain but with a kind of determination to win. Good for her. And good for you!
Oh, and I love your use of Ellen/Pier/Patty. I'm sure Chaila loved that. :-)
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Date: 2011-11-05 09:06 pm (UTC)GIRLSLASH VID. \o/
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Date: 2011-12-16 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-18 11:08 am (UTC)