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Title: About Today
Video: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Audio: About Today - The National
Spoilers: Through 4x11 Sometimes a Great Notion.
Summary: "Nobody's going anywhere." Except they are, and they do, and Bill Adama either doesn't or won't understand how to make it stop. (Kara, Lee, Laura, Saul.)
Editor's Notes: With thanks to
chaila43 and
grrl_unscripted for the beta and the wonderful pro- and anti-Adama perspectives.
I don't usually do this; usually I want the vid to stand alone, and if it can't, that's my failing. In this instance, since everyone and their dog and their mum knows that I strongly dislike Bill Adama and his stupid face, and now I'm suddenly popping up with a vid about him, I ought to do some amount of explanation.
This vid did not change my opinion of him one bit. But I'm not actually setting out to change your opinion of him one bit either.
If this vid rails against anything, it's not against the people who like Adama, it's against the image of a flawless, heroic Adama, that I too often feel the show and perhaps some sections of fandom, succumb to.
To say that this is "just the facts, ma'am," would be arrogant in the extreme. I don't presume to be unobjective in this. But what I am at least trying to do here is take a step back from my own anger toward him, and present him in the most unbiased way I can.
I see this man, inflexible, passive, watching as all the people he loves get hurt again and again and again, unwilling or unable to really understand why or how to help - I see him and I want to smack him in the mouth.
Some of you may see him and feel sympathy. Some might see him and feel indifference. And that's okay. I'm trying, with this vid, to make a statement about who I think he is, not how I think people should feel about him.
At least, I hope. And I hope you enjoy the video too.
Direct download available here. RightClickSaveAs. 50 megs approx.
Password: vidses
Cross-posted to
galactica_vids and
vidding
Other vids available here.
Video: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Audio: About Today - The National
Spoilers: Through 4x11 Sometimes a Great Notion.
Summary: "Nobody's going anywhere." Except they are, and they do, and Bill Adama either doesn't or won't understand how to make it stop. (Kara, Lee, Laura, Saul.)
Editor's Notes: With thanks to
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
I don't usually do this; usually I want the vid to stand alone, and if it can't, that's my failing. In this instance, since everyone and their dog and their mum knows that I strongly dislike Bill Adama and his stupid face, and now I'm suddenly popping up with a vid about him, I ought to do some amount of explanation.
This vid did not change my opinion of him one bit. But I'm not actually setting out to change your opinion of him one bit either.
If this vid rails against anything, it's not against the people who like Adama, it's against the image of a flawless, heroic Adama, that I too often feel the show and perhaps some sections of fandom, succumb to.
To say that this is "just the facts, ma'am," would be arrogant in the extreme. I don't presume to be unobjective in this. But what I am at least trying to do here is take a step back from my own anger toward him, and present him in the most unbiased way I can.
I see this man, inflexible, passive, watching as all the people he loves get hurt again and again and again, unwilling or unable to really understand why or how to help - I see him and I want to smack him in the mouth.
Some of you may see him and feel sympathy. Some might see him and feel indifference. And that's okay. I'm trying, with this vid, to make a statement about who I think he is, not how I think people should feel about him.
At least, I hope. And I hope you enjoy the video too.
Direct download available here. RightClickSaveAs. 50 megs approx.
Password: vidses
Cross-posted to
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
Other vids available here.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 03:58 pm (UTC)Chaila had told me what song you were using for this, and I was already in awe of its absolute perfection as a song for Bill--I mean seriously, could have been written about him, y/y?--and then what you do with it here. I just...wow! I love this. I am downloading so I can watch over and over again!
And I don't know how it makes me feel about Bill. Or rather, I don't think it alters how I feel about him at all, which I think means you've done what you set out to do: this is Bill Adama. And sometimes I want to smack his stupid face, and sometimes I want to give him a big damn hug, and he's blind and delusional and loves his people so much and can't figure out what to do about them and...yes. This. Everything in this vid.
(I'm brewing a theory about the epistemology of BSG, and I think it would follow from my theory that Bill Adama is the "hero" of this show precisely because he can't see past the nose on his face. Because so much of this show is about how much we can't know, and how knowledge and action don't necessarily coincide.)
*goes off to watch again*
no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 08:24 am (UTC)I'd be interested in reading your Adama/knowledge/action theory, although I'm not sure I could find it anything other than fundamentally depressing. Possibly because I'm a Star Wars fan and have, for years, been frightened of the increasing move in that universe toward an unconscious and accidental message that knowledge is dangerous and blind obedience is safe. Which I know is not what you're talking about here, but there's something I find creepy about self-awareness ever being something we shouldn't strive for.
But...that's not to say that your theory won't be absolutely fascinating and I'd love to hear more.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 05:48 pm (UTC)I full well know your Adama
seething hatreddislike and you know I share your opinion. But I really didn't get a bias here. Yes, this doesn't paint him in a heroic light, but I didn't feel it made him look bad either. As you said, this is who Adama is, Mr. I'm So Wrapped Up In Me and My Angst, I Can't or Won't Take the Time to See Yours.Somewhat selfishly, I love how good you are getting at the quick cuts. That vid idea I hinted at in an earlier post has a section where I envision rapid cuts. But I only have about half, if that, of the idea formed right now.
Oh, and one of my favorite moments in this vid is the shot of Laura from 'Resurrection Ship' where she kind of bangs her head against the back of her chair out of frustration. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 08:28 am (UTC)I really appreciate the positive feedback and your description: Mr. I'm So Wrapped Up In Me and My Angst, I Can't or Won't Take the Time to See Yours - is lolariously perfect!
I also like the shot of Laura letting her head drop in exhaustion.
I also look forward to hearing more about your vid idea when you're ready to tell me! *excited*
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Date: 2009-02-02 05:54 pm (UTC)*ducks*
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Date: 2009-02-03 08:34 am (UTC)And YES. ALSO HE KEEPS FIGHTING WITH ME, THE GIT. ;)
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Date: 2009-02-02 06:20 pm (UTC)At one point while watching I thought to myself, how beautiful his reunion with everyone was in Home Pt. 2 and how now all I can think is "Bill, why can't you love people anymore?" And then I thought of The Hub with spirit!Elosha beating us about the head with the fact that Laura doesn't love people anymore. And she kind of came back from that because someone called her on her bullshit and I'd like to see someone do the same with Bill. Maybe Tigh, he's getting good at telling the home truths to his BFF. But then again, I'm not sure Bill could listen. He'd probably just turn around and work on his model ship again. That ship is really a perfect detail for his character now that I think about it. He lavishes so much love and care on it (and frustration/anger too), when his real ship around him is falling to pieces. That makes me think of one of the YWKTT clues.
Obviously, this was a very thought-provoking piece for me.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 08:37 am (UTC)And wow - that's some seriously awesome thinking you've got going on there. I had never thought of his behaviour in terms of Elosha's message. But in many ways it's true. It's more insidious in some ways because Laura's aware that she's cutting human relationships out of her life, while Bill thinks he does love these people and often, I think, honestly doesn't realise when he's lashing out or letting them down or treating them poorly.
And YES YES YES to the model ship as a metaphor for his short-sightedness and love/hate relationship with all the things he needs to put care into. Especially now we have that reality of the actual ship around him falling apart.
Wow, thought-provoking for me too - thank you! :)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 02:28 pm (UTC)The ship thing is so obvious, I can't believe I didn't twig to it before. Or maybe it was there and I just didn't think much about it. Not that this vid isn't great as it is, but Bill's relationship with the fake ship intercut with his relationship with the real ship would be very interesting to see. (Hmm, I might have given myself a new vidlet idea! And wouldn't it be sorta hilarious to do it to George Michael's Father Figure?)
I wanted to say more about Lee too and the parallels with them both wanting to stick their head in the sand sometimes when they get disillusioned/disappointed. Except Lee's sand is Democracy. I don't know...I'll have to think more about that.
Thanks for the awesome thought-fodder Bec! Your posts always makes me go a little deeper than I usually do with this show. So thanks for keeping me from being entirely shallow. ;)
(BTW, I finally added some custom effects to WMM last night. SO EASY and they're fantastic!! I LOVE IT. Now I'm going to have to try hard to heed your warning about not adding TOO many. Other than Blaine's site, are there other sources for custom effects you particularly recommend? I'm not looking for anything in particular, just browsing.)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 03:12 pm (UTC)I LOVE your idea about the vidlet intercutting the real ship and the model ship! YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS NOW! I DEMAND IT!
Regarding WMM there are loads of places to look, just google "wmm custom effects vista" (I think you use vista? otherwise swap out vista for "xp"). But here are some links to get you started:
http://www.pixelan.com/mm/intro.htm <-- this site charges for custom effects so I don't use it, but I think they have some demo stuff for free and their stuff is also really high quality.
http://windowsmoviemakers.net/forums/ <-- big group of forums dedicated to WMM, including a forum for custom vista effects.
http://neophyte.windowsmoviemaker.info/videofx.php <-- big repository of links, including a lot of custom video effects sites and places to teach you how to make your own (though I've never tried that!)
http://www.rehanfx.org/shader.htm <-- get this. It says it charges after a two week trial period, but that's only for the more complicated transitions and stuff that frankly are cheesy anyway. A lot of the good basic effects like blue screening and such keeps working and many other custom effects you get from the net depends on the free version of this being installed into your copy of WMM.
And...I think that should get you started?
Don't worry too much about installing too many effects. Removing them is as easy as deleting the files from your AddOnTFX folder (in your Movie Maker Folder, under Program Files on your C: drive). Plus how many effects your computer can sustain without glitching will depend on your computer and your set up. It may be able to handle a hell of a lot more than mine. So just...keep going until it starts giving you problems, then uninstall a few. As you've discovered it's CRAZY EASY so you can always install/uninstall based on the needs of the project you're working on at the time.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 08:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 12:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 08:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 01:47 am (UTC)a familial Bill vid is a brilliant idea. the combination of meditation and agitation in both the music and the editing is mesmerizing. fabulous use of intercutting, and the coda is especially chilling.
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Date: 2009-02-03 08:44 am (UTC)I think I wanted to vid Bill for completeness and also because I have such strong feelings about him, it wouldn't be right leave him as a void in my vid catalogue. But at the same time, it would in some ways be too easy to just make a vid that rails against what a terrible person he is. I think for many it would be too dismissable? Maybe that's the real reason I needed to do this. If I can make a serious, and ostensibly unbiased vid that supports the fact that he's a giant emo douchebag, I feel I've accomplished something more important than essentially another rant about how he's a terrible father?
/self-important vidder ramblings.
I'm also unreasonably pleased that you like the coda. I was very taken with it at first - the way the images unravel with the song, but later I began to panic it went by too quickly.
Thank you again for such thoughtful feedback.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 02:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 08:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 04:35 am (UTC)Tigh and Fisk at 1:45 keeps giving me shivers and that ending sequence is lovely.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 08:55 am (UTC)Also, I'm really glad the Tigh and Fisk moment worked for you. That was something I really wanted in there but dithered a lot about because I was worried it was too jarring, even though that was also the point. So thank you for mentioning it and letting me know that it's working! :)
uhm I said some of this in previous messages, but I wanted some flail in a public comment too...
Date: 2009-02-03 08:23 am (UTC)It was an *incredibly* fascinating experience to emotionally connect to the vid not through the primary subject, as usual, but through characters I do love and how they feel about orbiting around the giant w00bie known as Bill Adama. The simultaneous intimacy and isolation is so well-constructed!
And accidental or purposeful, I continue to be impressed by how well the rhythmic editing and splintered scenes work as a cypher for Bill Adama's perception. He always sees the moment, but misses so many nuances within the social dynamics.
Being that I am COMPLETELY TEAM ANTI-ADAMA, you've given me a lot to think about re: vidding and creating multiple points of emotional accessibility.
Re: uhm I said some of this in previous messages, but I wanted some flail in a public comment too...
Date: 2009-02-03 09:01 am (UTC)If it helps, I still cannot believe that I made an Adama vid, and am totally thrilled/amazed that you think it warrants rewatching.
I also basically connected to this vid via the secondary characters, which is probably why, for an Adama vid, he appears remarkably little. I think I did it for the same reason I had to vid Baltar through his twisted relationships with the Sixes; because that's my only "in" with Adama. But yes, it does create an interesting and somewhat surreal experience in terms of watching/making the vid. Especially since the vid actually is from Adama's perspective in terms of the lyrics. So it's not even a vid about a character from another character's point of view (which I have also done before).
And accidental or purposeful, I continue to be impressed by how well the rhythmic editing and splintered scenes work as a cypher for Bill Adama's perception. He always sees the moment, but misses so many nuances within the social dynamics.
And I am totally in love with this reading. As I said I can't claim credit for that as my original idea, but I really wish it was! I went for the quick cuts because I felt that the vid needed more "movement" because it was so slow and Adama was so passive, and thought the cuts were better than in-clip movement because for some reason the jerky, jumping feel seemed right but I didn't think through my choice as clearly as this.
HOORAY FOR TEAM ANTI-ADAMA!
no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 03:19 pm (UTC)I actually only recently discovered The National and am super jealous that you got to see them in concert, but yes, the song is beautiful and I'm really glad I found such a good vid-fit for it.
Thank you again for taking the time to leave feedback!
no subject
Date: 2009-02-04 12:02 am (UTC)Feb. 3rd, 2009 11:59 pm (UTC)
I enjoyed your vid very much --
What struck me about the video -- probably it this is obvious to everybody else, but your vid brought it home for me, so I guess that makes it a good, thought provoking piece! -- is how Adama has actual relationships with so many people aboard Galactica (Lee, Roslin, Tigh, Starbuck, Tyrol). They are messy, flawed relationships, but there is feeling there.
Roslin, on the other hand, only gets one relationship, and that's with Adama. When the show started, she had a relationship with Lee, but that got subverted so quickly. And of course, there was Billy and Elosha, but -- gone quickly. Baltar? Zarak? They are political enemies, but there is no inter-personal relationship there.
Pellucid wrote about Laura's heart really belonging to the fleet at large, and I think that's right...
Of course, if you're not able to have relationships, you have little opportunity to screw them up, like Bill does seem to do again and again and again...
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 09:03 am (UTC)I think that you have good points about how isolated Roslin is, both through choice and because her people die more. I absolutely agree that one of the things about this is that Adama really isn't isolated except as a result of his own inability to connect. He's one of the people who lost the least in the attacks, I think. I mean, he still lost so much, but he didn't lose his son, his best friend, his adoptive daughter and he gained Laura. He has a strong nuclear family formation.
Which sort of makes his behaviour toward them all the more incomprehensible to me, but...I'm definitely glad I managed to show some of that tangled web in the vid. :)
Thanks again for your feedback.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-04 04:22 pm (UTC)The song is beautiful but joined with all those clips moving in fast and perfect pace, and each one chosen wisely and placed in just the right place, makes this vid a masterpiece of vidding art.
I wish I could write a comment worthy for this vid's greatness but I am just no good at writing at all so let me just skip deep thoughts about Adama and say again: I LOVE it!!!
May I just ask how did you manage to make all those cuts look so perfect.
I use Vegas and no matter what I do there's always this glitch or shadow between each clip so I usually decide to use transitions :(
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 09:15 am (UTC)I'm afraid I don't really have any great hints for you as I don't know anything about Vegas (shocking I still use Windows Movie Maker), and I don't have that trouble. Although one hint I can offer is that in WMM, at least, if I'm clipping right after a scene change or a shot change, if I cut my clip on the first frame of the next scene, I'll often get a "ghost frame" which is like a single fram of the previous scene that when you watch the video looks like a glitch or a shadow. As a result, I always find the first frame of the scene I want to clip, then move a few framed further into it before clipping. Maybe something similar is going on with you?
no subject
Date: 2009-02-08 04:27 pm (UTC)Thanks for the advice :) I think the reason for avoiding cuts is just that I relied too much on preview window before so each cut looked bad.
I was just thinking there is some other way to make each cut look smoother beside the obvious one (both clips being the same colour and having the same amount of black and white parts...etc).
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 01:09 am (UTC)There's too much here to really mention, but my favorite part is the how you intercut scenes of Tigh, Kara and Laura suffering on New Caprica with that idiotic "passion of the Adama" (per Ron) boxing match. That's possibly the epitome of It's All About Me EmoDama Drama. The scene where he disowned Kara and called Tigh a "one-eyed drunk" was the one where I first realized that the show and I have fundamentally different views of this character. Like, Jesus Bill, you do get that that eye was gouged out, don't you? He didn't just lose it under the sofa cushions?! Oh right, topic... Anyway, to me it seemed that this was mirrored by the coda at the end, where everything that's holding Tigh, Kara, Laura and Lee together comes apart and Bill... nails himself to the cross again.
I also loved, "how can I ask you" as he completely shuts out Lee, Kara and Laura. The juxtaposition of Kara and Tigh's respective "what am I" Cylon beat-down therapy was particularly fine.
I also loved how you used the Olympic Carrier, Kobol, the moment in Scar when Adama is just smiling proudly at Kara's public breakdown... okay, my favorite part was everything, too.
You did make me feel for Adama a little, I think mainly because you show how deeply rooted his all-but-solipsism is, and how he suffers for it too. But mainly, you make me feel for Lee, Kara, Tigh, and Laura. (Laura only last because I think she knows how to handle him more, and Tigh is learning.) I'm glad this vid was about their connections and their stories, too. For all their flaws, they are at least active and dynamic characters and thus, more interesting for me to watch. ;) But they are all so emotionally dependent upon Adama and he is just so clueless about them. Because he never asks! Hence, the perfection of your song choice.
*Adama slow clap*
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 09:37 am (UTC)Also I want to hug you for noticing the Adamadrama (HA! Passion of the Adama!) intercut with the New Caprica stuff. I knew I was always going to be using footage that would break with Adama's POV because that was sort of the point - all this crap happens when he's not around and he never asks about it, but in that case I really wanted to tie it back to him somehow, and just... Making the whole epic mess of New Caprica, which basically completely changed Tigh, Kara and Laura in massive, fundamental ways, be about him and how he felt about how they'd changed because he was having an angsty boxing fight...yeah. It was too perfect not to do. It was a really deliberate choice so it's wonderful to hear someone commenting on it!
(One of the best bits of vid feedback is finding out which bits stuck with people. Either they're the bits you intended, which is gratifying, or they're bits you'd never expect, which is awesome in an entirely different way.)
And yes, the ending was absolutely supposed to be a callback to all that's gone before. Like, yes, again, everyone around him is having life-shattering issues, and he's just...trying to make it about his breakdown, even though he has less reason than most?
Like you, it's not that the vid makes me feel nothing for him, it's just that...maybe the best I can muster is pity because if I'm not actively angry with him (as I tried not to be for...most of this vid), that's all that's left, because as you say, his solipsism is so deep-rooted and he's so passive and unwilling to change... *waves hands hopelessly*
*Adama slow clap*
HAHAHAHA! Awesome. ;)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-05 03:08 pm (UTC)I love Adama because I love Roslin and Tigh an outrageous amount and *they* love Adama. I love him distilled though the two best characters on TV ever. And it doesn't hurt that the person he is the meanest to is Lee, and every time Lee is sad I laugh. ;)
Thanks again for such a great vid.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-06 10:14 pm (UTC)It's always brilliant and strange when someone sees things so differently to you and yet you can find common ground.
I also love, love, love Roslin and Tigh, but in many ways that why I can't love Adama because they love him when I feel he doesn't deserve it? Ugh, I sound so vengeful! :p
But like I said - one brilliant thing this vid is doing is helping me to understand the "other side" of fan opinion on this guy. I'm very glad I took the time to make it.
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Date: 2009-02-05 06:35 pm (UTC)poor bill! i have my issues with him at times, but overall i can't help but love him for his stubborn refusal to let go of those he considers to be his family.
thank you for sharing!
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Date: 2009-02-06 10:19 pm (UTC)I can't find myself feeling sympathy for him, but it is intriguing, and I'm glad that the vid spoke to you and your interpretation of him.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-10 06:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-10 10:40 pm (UTC)I'm especially pleased the rhythm works for you as that was an idea I was very attached to to add some momentum to an otherwise slow song.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-15 06:51 pm (UTC)There are two points I feel I need to make about this vid:
A) I really quite intensely dislike Bill Adama.
B) This video made me cry. A lot.
No, really.
It was just, kbdskbjsdkjbafbkj, I know exactly what I want to say but the words aren't forming in my brain at all - kind of, all of this stuff happening around him, and him just watching, and nothing ever slowing down. And also I hate him. But I cried.
THAT WAS A POINTLESS COMMENT, BUT NEVER MIND.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-15 09:42 pm (UTC)Obviously I am also happy that you liked it!
As you probably know from above babbling, I also dislike Bill Adama intensely. Hate might even be an appropriate word. So...I understand the dissonance there. It's not that the vid makes me like him, but I guess I did try to use the vid to tell the only even slightly sympathetic story I could.
I'm glad you appreciated it. And I think I know what you mean about how he's this static point, just watching as everyone around him changes and grows up and moves away and becomes something else and he's too...passive to make it stop even though he tries, sort of, and it breaks his heart. Maybe? Or maybe I don't have the words either, which is the entire reason I made it as a vid...
Also, I LOVE your icon.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-27 02:09 am (UTC)I'd never heard this song before, and in some ways it struck me as strange, but at the same time I think it was an excellent choice for this vid.
I'm one of those people who loves Adama, and I've loved almost every second of him. But at the same time, that means loving his faults, and loving the times he's wrong. What makes Adama such a brilliant character, for me, is the times when he's wrong - because it makes me revel in the times he does the right thing even more.
This vid really captures that part of him that is both so deeply attached to his family, but at the same time unable to get close to them, or to accept all *their* parts. Adama really does just ignore the things he doesn't want to see - I always thought he did this most with the tension between Lee and Kara; he just pretends that their only relationship is the connection they have through him (and Zack), and when Lee tries to point out to him that they actually have an important relationship of their own, Adama doesn't want to hear it. You did an amazing job of capturing this part of Adama's character, which isn't an easy thing to explain in a short vid.
The quick pace worked fantastically - you chose the right clips, and really set them down perfectly. I think my favorite bit was around 2:40-45, with that clip after "Exodus" where Tigh is wandering away from the crowd and Adama looks back at him. It worked so well with the lyric. For me, that was kind of the moment that the whole vid just clicked.
Excellent work! A very powerful vid!
no subject
Date: 2012-05-24 05:35 pm (UTC)