BSG Vid: Dolled-up in Straps (Baltar/HeadSix)

[beccatoria]

I'm not entirely sure whether this one counts as a 'shipper vid... o_O

Title: Dolled-up in Straps
Video: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Audio: All dolled-up in straps // The National
Summary: Gaius Baltar is a love letter to no one. (Baltar/HeadSix, Sixes)
Editor's Notes: As usual, my thanks to my beta cyborganize.

Direct download available here. RightClickSaveAs. 50 megs approx.

Password: vidses

Watch on Vimeo

Cross-posted to galactica_vids and vidding

Other vids available here

(In case you were wondering, yes, this does mark the beginning of my vidding obsession with The National; expect another vid and a vidlet hopefully before 4.5 starts. You know; it'll be nice to have my life back, BSG. :/ Maybe one day I'll even learn to vid things that aren't you...)

Comments

[nicole-anell.livejournal.com]

THIS.

YOU.

now, love, where have you been?

[nicole-anell.livejournal.com]

Okay, lol, I have more.

Brilliant editing and clip choice. This is an amazing companion to 'Ghosts' in a way -- Baltar doesn't have the problem Caprica does of being overlooked and invisible a lot, but at the same time... this vid sort of made me feel like he does? I don't see much about Baltar/HeadSix from a serious angle.

And I love that it WAS all about HeadSix, angel and abuser and crutch for his guilt. The contrast of Gina and the other Sixes was especially awesome.

"I think I heard you singing" - that clip just rocked my socks off, and the cut from that to the Gina force-kissing clip right after.

I love the effects and what you did from 2:25 to 2:52. Actually, as a supporter of all fucked-up things between Gaius and HeadSix, that scene in the cell is like their Quintessential Moment for me so I loved how you used it.

Eeeeeee this just made me so happy. I mean, in a weird, sad, crazy way. I don't need anything else for Christmas now. :p

Re: now, love, where have you been?

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

OMG I'M SO RELIEVED YOU LIKE IT. YOU ARE LIKE THE QUEEN OF BALTAR/HEADSIX. (Which while I judge mercilessly because it can often make Gaius such a fucktard and so angry-makingly oblivious to Caprica; I do simultaneously love the fucked-up dynamics. Because dude. HeadSix.)

I find your comparison to Ghosts fascinating because, obviously, the parallels are there. My beta suggested I mirror the two with the tag line and I went with that because it was such a good idea.

We even briefly discussed trying to minimise HeadSix's visual involvement the way I did Gaius' in Ghosts but ultimately I'm glad I didn't go with that idea and stuck to my original inversion-plan for the vids. Which is basically that Caprica is in love with someone who can't see her, but that person is real so let's make him non-existant in the vid. Whereas Baltar's in love with someone who's not real, so let's make as much of her as possible?

I don't think it's so much that the show overlooks Baltar so much as maybe this vid does? Weirdly? I know he's in it all the time, but he's in it as HeadSix's flunkie. The way you put it, "angel and abuser and crutch for his guilt." That's just perfect. But I think the point is that Gaius did this to himself. Either he invented HeadSix or something tailored her to his exact needs, so either way that's pretty fucked up.

I mean (see forthcoming comment below to chaila43) in a lot of ways, this vid is about how much I want to punch Gaius for not being able to see what's in front of him and instead running off with some impossible and selfish fantasy. Because that's what happens when I have to look at HeadSix/Gaius from a serious angle. And somehow it lost the innocence (bizarre though that may sound) of season one.

Bah...I don't know. I'm so completely unable to articulate my exact standpoint on Baltar in this vid that it's ridiculous since I made it. (As my beta can attest there was much, "But what am I trying to SAY?!" flailing). But I think maybe that's why I wanted to make it. Cus I couldn't work out how to say it.

That you and chaila43 below have kind of divergent responses is fascinating to me. I think I'll be self-congratulatory and chalk that up as a success. :p

Also thank you for noting the parts you felt really worked well. I was really happy with the overall effect of using the Quintessential Moment too. It really is the iconic "Fuck pretending to be superior, I am your whipping boy, now save me from myself," moment which is the core dynamic of that relationship, I think?

And "I though I heard you singing," was literally one of the first clips I thought of so it's great of you to mention that!

Eeeeeee this just made me so happy. I mean, in a weird, sad, crazy way.

YAY! :D

P.S. Your icon? AWESOME.

Re: now, love, where have you been?

[nicole-anell.livejournal.com]

Which is basically that Caprica is in love with someone who can't see her, but that person is real so let's make him non-existant in the vid. Whereas Baltar's in love with someone who's not real, so let's make as much of her as possible?
*nod nod* And that really really works, for each of them. Because I think it shows exactly what's inverted, and yet I think the common factor in both vids is that they come off quite isolated. Which is something I find totally tragic in Caprica because it's not her choice, it's her never having somewhere there for her. But with Gaius it's that... she's *always* there, and she's always something he made up so he doesn't have to deal with everything else.

And I do see the punch-worthiness of that, believe me. XD It's a blind, selfish, useless way to be, and I hate that he's incapable of dealing with people who DON'T live in his brain and exist to fill all his needs, especially if they look like Six. So it's not like I'm totally shocked there were mixed feelings involved in this. *g*

Yet this vid elicited sympathy from me, the way Gaius' delusional self always does for some reason. The footage of the attack repeating and the scenes in TAB on "my head plays it over and over" is the kind of thing that gets me, because I'm always thinking, where DO you go from there besides bugfuck insane? If you don't turn the guilt off, there's not enough room in the world for it.

(Oh, I forgot to say -- the last image, I had to watch it three or four times before it hit me, and I love it.)

That you and chaila43 below have kind of divergent responses is fascinating to me. I think I'll be self-congratulatory and chalk that up as a success. :p
This totally happened with the reactions to my Cally vid, I can attest to it being an interesting and cool feeling. :p FEEL FREE TO CONSIDER IT A MARK OF VIDDING SUCCESS.

It really is the iconic "Fuck pretending to be superior, I am your whipping boy, now save me from myself," moment which is the core dynamic of that relationship, I think?
Yes, very. Hee.

P.S. Your icon? AWESOME.
ASDKDFFFJDNNDDK I KNOW. *loves*

Re: now, love, where have you been?

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

YES. Gaius is isolated. Like...from reality. But it's fascinating because that isolation is represented by this whole other sekrit person. Which is exactly the same thing that HeadGaius does for Caprica except, as you say, it's tragic with her because it's not what she wants and she's always trying to reach out and connect with the world and the world keeps beating the shit out of her.

I actually agree with you that the whole "my head plays it over and over" section with the attacks was sympathetic. I mean, even I find it sympathetic and I worried at the time, that I was making Baltar too sympathetic since I think it plays too easily as "look how tortured he is, he feels so bad!" rather than "look at the lengths he'll go to to deny this." But it would have felt disingenuous not to use it because it is part of his narrative. Even if he isn't aware his head is playing it over and over.

I had surprisingly consistant and startling sympathy for Baltar pretty much until season four and even then until The Hub. Because you have such a good point, that bugfuck insane is one of his only options. I think the point where I stopped being sad for him and his inability to be a decent human being and started being horrified by it was his confession to Laura in 4x09. Which is why the vid ends there. Where I wasn't mad at him for turning the guilt off, but for...not learning anything. For not even saying sorry. I don't know. I rambled about this insanely at the time and I'll run out of comment space if I don't stop now. But the point is, I think that was his most despicable moment.

And I think it emotionally affected me more than I could really articulate. The disappointment in him. I thought I knew him and the depths of his weaselling. But now he's not even weaselling. So I lost my sympathy for him, but I didn't lose my sympathy for him earlier in the story, and that's hard to process?

*dons Obi-Wan mask*

GAIUS, YOU WERE MY BROTHER CRAZY-EYED ACCIDENTAL ARCHITECT OF GENOCIDE, I LOVED YOU! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO SAVE US FROM THE SITH CREEPY RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISTS, NOT JOIN THEM!

Ahem.

I'm so glad you like the last image! I'd be totally interested to know what it means to you. My goal was basically sarcastic clapping. Like, lovely Gaius. Now look where you've ended up, fucktard. But...well, with all the layers Tricia Helfer gives absolutely everything including sarcastic clapping.

Finally, OMG THE CALLYVID! I still love that. And still come down on the side of it being about - as someone else put it - Cally's tragic lack of fabulousness rather than OMGPOORCALLY even though it was tragic all the crap that happened to her. But yeah. I can see what you mean about the split reactions and it's totally amazing that you managed to vid an idea that frakking complex. It's still one of my favourite vids.

I have this idea that at the end of BSG I'll make a vid-rec list. Like, here are all the vids that summarise BSG for me. Different characters/storylines/themes. If I get around to it, Jolene will totally be on it.

Re: now, love, where have you been?

[nicole-anell.livejournal.com]

(God, now I'm just killing your inbox. I didn't realize I replied to the wrong comment!)

Darlin', I remember your "Hub" post because you put into words *exactly* what I was feeling, except I guess I've softened back to liking him again since. (Either from the Baltar/Roslin scene in "Revelations" or the hiatus, I don't know.) I mean, everybody was giving me all this sympathy for the Baltar Almost Died Trauma that episode put me through, but really the part that upset me was "You fuckers are not allowed to kill Baltar at the ALL-TIME HEIGHT OF HIM BEING HATE-ABLE." I was upset to hate him so much. There are only two points in the entire series where I've actually been furious with Baltar: one was right before Gaeta stabbed him, and the other was that scene.

I'm so glad you like the last image! I'd be totally interested to know what it means to you.
The more times I watched it (and remembering as an afterthought how you reacted to "The Hub"!) I started to get the significance of ending the vid on the confession scene, in all its crazy-eyed, lack-of-remorse glory. And it's like... that's the end goal of HeadSix existing. Exactly that horrifying level of denial. I found the slow-clap not sarcastic as much as, I don't know, chilling? At this most frakked-up moment, he is still feeling like the genuine hero of his own story, and there's HeadSix going "Yes, hon, you're doing just awesome!" Because one of the most important things HeadSix gives him (whether it's out of his own mind or supernaturally tailored to him or whatever) is the assurance of how wonderful he is. Applause on his deathbed. For me it sums up the huge gulf between Gaiusland and reality.

Of course the meta-sarcastic layer of WTFG, BALTAR is there too. *g*

And *blush* you're too nice. An epic end-of-BSG list of vid recs sounds like a great idea. I may have to steal it. :)

Re: now, love, where have you been?

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

GUH.

Chalk up another one for the awesomeness of working through my character issues in vids and then making other people articulate them for me!

Basically your entire second paragraph is what I meant by "all the layers Tricia Helfer gives everything." Because yes. I mean, like I said, I kind of view Six's clapping as almost sarcastic, if only because, while she loves him and wants to see him glorious, there's also usually an element of "Dammit Gaius I have to do everything myself."

So like maybe I didn't mean sarcastic so much as smug and superior because look her pet project worked and yeah, like you said how horrifying is it?

Except you said it a millionty times smarter and basically articulated what I was going for when I realised that Six clapping over Gaius having fucked himself over so totally he's gonna bleed to death was totally where the vid needed to end. Cus yeah; to me it's sarcastic. But in the little HeadSix/Gaius paradigm it's the HeadSix grinning as Baltar claims to be the Hand of God or glancing approvingly at Tory as Baltar claims he's perfect.

And *blush* you're too nice. An epic end-of-BSG list of vid recs sounds like a great idea. I may have to steal it. :)

I'm not too nice, I simply acknowledge excellence :p

Also YES STEAL THE IDEA. We totally need to start a reccing meme...

Re: now, love, where have you been?

[nicole-anell.livejournal.com]

Here to help! :p Glad that my reading fits what you were going for.