The tl;dr description.

Goals
( what I set out to do )

Cameron
( Read more... )

John
( Read more... )

Riley, Charlie and Andy
( Read more... )

Problems, structure and narrative
( Read more... )

Source discoveries
( the more readable bit: about SCC )

Effects
( ETA'd in: can't believe I forgot it! )

To con or not to con
( Read more... )

(Ha! Mood icon of appropriateness!)

Special note: This vid exists thanks to the amazing generosity of counteragent and her donation to the Red Cross appeal for the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires. The Victorian government has pledged to rebuild the affected communities and a Royal Commission is underway to investigate the fires. The bush is recovering speedily with new growth rising from the ashes thanks in part to recent (very welcome) rain. On the personal front, I recently saw a car driving through Melbourne with posters stuck to the windows that read 'Thank you from the survivors of the Marysville fires'. I would also like to thank all the other people who donated even if they didn't bid on the vid or win.

Vid: DLZ
Artist: TV on the Radio
Source: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Warnings: spoilers for entire two seasons, violence, disturbing imagery and themes
Description: We are the Resistance. (ensemble)
Download: direct download (79MB), or small version (37MB); streaming at YouTube, BAM or Blip
Credits: Thanks to the incomparable supacat for three rounds of amazing and intense beta-ing.
Notes: I will make a longer notes post about my journey with this vid, as it was complex to say the least. I hoped it, like the show, would reach an intelligent, reflective audience--no matter how small. And it already has, so thank you!

( lyrics beneath the cut )

ETA: Aspect ratio issues should be fixed now--new versions uploaded, apologies to those that got the first dodgy batch.

Vid: I kissed a girl
Artist: Katy Perry
Source: Smallville, up to 8.04
Warnings: bad dancing and PG-rated smut
Description: Clark experiments with heterosexuality
Download: direct download (35.7 MB) or streaming at YouTube, BAM or Blip
Credits: Concept by svmadelyn who clued me on to the fact that this previously irritating song was actually all about Clark! Betaed by brokenmnemonic and talitha78 *hearts*
Notes: Possibly the easiest (and silliest) vid I've ever made! :D

Vid: Clint Eastwood
Artist: Gorillaz
Source: Battlestar Galactica, through 4.0
Warnings: adult themes, sex, violence
Description: Gaius Baltar is... Gaius Baltar
Download: from sendspace or direct download (32MB) or streaming at BAM, YouTube or Blip
Credits: The concept is wisteria_'s (though I'm not sure if this is exactly what she had in mind). Thanks to supacat for cutting through my panic with her beta.
Lyrics: ( I ain't happy. I'm feeling glad. )

I have Stuff to say about this, but I'll do so in a separate post... at some point. :)

Lo, it is a vid that none of you want to watch! :)

Vid: Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying
Artist: Belle and Sebastian
Source: Nodame Cantabile, Season 1
Warnings: absurdity, cute love hearts and a mongoose
Description: Whimsy. My Sekrit J-Drama OTP vidded to one of my favourite songs. Because I can.
Download: from sendspace or streaming on YouTube or BAM
Notes: Betaed by supacat who also makes up its sole audience. What can I say? This is a case of the song being so perfect for the subject matter I couldn't resist. Yup, it's cheesy, it's shippy, it's soppy, it has gratuitous love-hearts and credits that I'm secretly proud of. It's probably impenetrable to anyone who hasn't seen the show and as far as I know noone on my f'list has. ( continued under here if you are really curious )

Vid: Sugarcane
Artist: Missy Higgins
Source: Dexter, seasons 1 and 2
Warnings: adult themes, violence
Description: A character vid of Dexter's Deborah Morgan
Download: from sendspace or direct download (25MB) or streamed at BAM or Blip
Lyrics: ( Read more... )

Paranoid Android feels like a milestone in my history as a vidder. I learnt so much in making it, both about vidding and about the show (Smallville) and the character (Lex). Originally I was going to post notes about the vid with the vid, but I decided against this for two reasons:
1. I didn't want to impose my own reading of the vid on viewers.
2. I realised I had a lot more to say than could be justified as just 'notes'.

So for those who are curious, this was my journey with 'Paranoid Android'. ( discussion is spoilery for all episodes, since 7.20 'Arctic' footage is used in the vid )

Vid: Paranoid Android
Artist: Radiohead
Source: Smallville
Warnings: Spoilers for all episodes including 7.20, adult themes, violence
Acknowledgments: A small army of people helped create this vid: radioreverie initially had the concept way back in January 2006 (and persisted in persuading me to make it!) and provided invaluable development advice throughout, brokenmnemonic gave me hope that I might finish one day, supacat selflessly (since she hates Radiohead) provided meta feedback on a near-finished draft and talitha78 gave me the kind of beta feedback that makes you want to jump around the room with joy. The vid wouldn't be the same without any of them.
Notes: This week we bid farewell to Smallville's Lex Luthor. This is my tribute to Michael Rosenbaum's superlatively nuanced embodiment of the iconic supervillain. I hope that this vid is as open to interpretation as his performance.
Download: from sendspace or direct download (50MB) or streaming at YouTube, BAM or Blip
Lyrics:( Please could you stop the noise )

I'm going to view and post on the latest FNL episode later today, but meanwhile I have a vid for you...

Title: Handle with care (cover by Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins)
Fandom: Friday Night Lights
Description: ensemble cast vid
Download: direct download (23 MB) or streaming on YouTube
Notes: This vid is dedicated to my fellow FNL fans on LJ. Season 1 was probably the most perfect season of television I've ever watched--not one flat episode. In comparison, there's been somewhat of a Season 2 malaise, however this show still has more heart and soul in one five-minute block then most of the shows out there manage in a whole episode. So I set myself a challenge: to construct a vid using footage from just the latest three episodes. It was amazing how much I had to leave out!

The vid's unbetaed and deliberately left a bit rough, since I was pushing myself to complete it in one week. The downloaded footage is a bit grainy when there's lots of movement. And yes, I do hope to make some more polished FNL vids one day.

For those of you not already watching this amazing show, please consider watching the vid to see what you're missing! ;) And if you like the vid OR the show, at all, please PLEASE sign this petition to save it.

Title: Java Jive (by Ink Spots)
Fandom: Smallville
Description: a tribute to the Smallville characters' caffeine addictions
Download: direct download (19 MB) or Blip
Credits: Thank you to radioreverie for providing the perfect song for my concept, and to brokenmnemonic for invaluable beta critiques.
Notes: Umm, I started this when I was in caffeine withdrawal. I think that explains... everything. :D
Lyrics:
( Java Jive )

Title: I will be your girlfriend
Artist: Dubstar
Fandom: Smallville
Description: Clark/Lois shippy silliness
Download: now working! (28 MB) or streaming at BAM or YouTube
Credits: Thank you to talitha78 and brokenmnemonic for beta-viewing. :)
Notes: Nothing heavy here--the song just said 'Clois' to me.
Lyrics:
( cut for silly lyrics )

First off, thank you to everyone who sent me Christmas cards, and to snarkist for her OMG!AWESOME mix CD, which I am pouring over right now. (*hugs* You rock!) The mail's been slow here so I keep getting cards every day. *bounces* At this rate, Christmas will last til Easter... :)

I also got b'day prezzies in the form of fic! daybreak777 posted the first part of a very intriguing BSG fic called Circuit and smact46 wrote me a little Kara/Lee ficlet. I am very lucky. *g*

And it's not a present, but it may as well be because it's so scrummy and because I got to beta it... brokenmnemonic posted a lovely new Kara/Lee vid.

I wasn't going to do this, but I got inspired by boom_queen's 2007 vid rec post and bradcpu's 2007 round-up, as well as bananainpyjamas's post (from which I snagged the format). Also, I'm procrastinating.

( cut for my 2007 vidding summary )

It's over a year since I started vidding and I've been thinking of posting in honour of this for some time but have shied away from doing so since it seemed so self-indulgent. However, it's a sticky summer Sunday and I'm lethargic from the heat--my mood is definitely self-indulgent--and it's this or eat an entire apple pie to myself. (OMG I've got so GOOD at making pies since watching Pushing Daisies!)

So, what follows is a personal history of vidding. ( cut for rambling )

Timely announcement: I now have a permanent hosting site for my vids and have uploaded download links accordingly, both in the original posts and in this post. Thanks to the lovely bananainpyjamas!

Title: Samson
Artist: Regina Spektor
Fandom: Smallville
Description: Clark/Lana mood piece, spoilers to episode 7.04
Download: direct download (24 MB) or streaming at BAM or Blip (has been disabled on YouTube)
Credits: I had a lot of help with this one! The original concept is radioreverie's and huge thanks go to her for creative brainstorming as well. Profuse thanks to talitha78 for lifting my spirits with her wonderful feedback, and to supacat and brokenmnemonic for additional beta comments.
Notes: My aim was to capture the emotional tone of the Clana relationship, rather than take a literal or heavily meta approach, although I couldn't resist sprinkling a little meta in. Although it's in Lana's voice, it's not strictly Lana point-of-view--it was my intention to capture the ship as a whole. I'm passionate about neither the song nor the ship, but it was a satisfying experience vidding them nonetheless and I forced myself to practise transitions. And yes, I squeed crazily when they referenced the Samson/Delilah relationship in the episode last night. (My ep review is late because it spurred me to finish this first!)
Lyrics:
( You are my sweetest downfall )

Feedback would be wonderful should any of you care to watch! :)

I really should be holding on to this to post as part of my character study challenge, but you know how it is... you work on something for months, getting nowhere, and then finally get so frakking sick of it you just have to post it NOW, dammit! And be done with it.

Title: Middleman
Artist: Bright Eyes
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Character: Lee Adama
Summary: Lee... trapped somewhere between nihilism and idealism/romanticism
Warnings: major spoilers for all three seasons, violence
Download: direct download (34MB) or streaming at Blip, BAM or YouTube
Feedback: Is treasured
Thanks to: supacat (I knew I was on the right track when she said 'it's a bit of a downer, isn't it?') and brokenmnemonic (for invaluable beta feedback and inspirational conversation)

Notes:
( Read more... )

Lyrics
( Read more... )

Song: Southside
Artist: Moby
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Characters: Lee, Kara, Sharon, Helo
Premise: The idea for this vid came from Lee Adama's 'we're not a civilisation, we're a gang' speech sparking with a memory I had of Moby saying this song was about street gangs in a post-apocalyptic future.
Warnings: major spoilers for all three seasons, violence
Download: direct download (30MB), or streaming on BAM, Blip or YouTube
Feedback: Is treasured

Immense thanks to hazyshade and J for detailed and astute feedback (you can find their brilliant vids here) and to talitha78 for the best squee in the whole wide world, even if she doesn't know the source. ;-)

Lyrics
( Read more... )

So, after having headaches with download links for my vid 'Road rage', I tried uploading it to imeem. I'd been hesitant to do this, because in my mind that's where I go to fangirl other people's vids. I still feel a bit self-conscious, but hey, maybe it will encourage other people to vid if they see how clumsy mine are--everyone's got to start somewhere! ;-p

Seeing as it was super easy to use and to embed the uploaded vid in my journal, allowing everyone access easily, I figured I should just do it with rest of my vids, and so I did!

Anyway, thank you to everyone who left feedback--I truly appreciate it SO MUCH.

And thank you to literaryll and mahaliem for the Easter prezzies. *hugs* I feel all glowy!

I'm totally spamming today, since long weekends = fannish productivity! *g*

This vid was my attempt to overcome my phobia of vidding my favourite characters or ships. You'll notice that I still shied away from vidding Lee's perspective... but I'm getting there. I also tried to vid fast, since I'm not keen to repeat the weeks of wallowing in despair that surrounded my last vid. *g* So, nothing serious here... just a light-hearted attempt to stare down my inner vidding demons. Oh, and I only had the mini series and Season 1 to work with, so silly shippiness ensued.

Song: Road rage
Artist: Catatonia
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Premise: Apollo gives Starbuck road rage *snerk*
Warnings: spoilers for mini-series and Season 1, mild nudity
Download: direct download (33MB) or streaming at BAM
Feedback: Pretty please! *bats eyelashes* It's unbeta-ed, so there's only me to blame.
Lyrics:
( Read more... )

I recently discovered that I'd lost my Kara/Leoben vid in the harddrive crash. I was surprised how bereft I felt to think it might be gone for good. I think because it's the first creative work I've ever been proud of. Anyway, I got it back from a friend today and feel much more complete now. *breathes contentedly* It's here if anyone wants it (warning: it's the large 37MB version).

Today I had that thing happen where a random song you've never paid that much attention to comes on the radio/your iPod and you suddenly start listening to it in a whole new way, because it connects instinctively with a show in your mind and this entire vid plays out in your mind and before you know it you are listening to the track over and over and dancing and singing along and visualising it all and generally going completely batshit.

And then you come to your senses and add it as no.50 on the list of 'vids I will probably never make'. *headdesk* Still, here's to bringing your internal visions come to life! Which actually is not at ALL what happened with my Kara/Leoben vid--I swear on my puppy's life that I never knew I had that in my head until it just came out, there in the vid.

This vid has been lurking on my harddrive for months now. It... didn't work out exactly how I'd planned it (understatement). And for a while it destroyed my desire to vid. I want rid of it. Originally I was going to post this for wip_amnesty but I didn't even manage to get it finished for that!

Song: Like a friend
Artist: Pulp
Fandom: Smallville
Description: Lex's perspective on the Friendship of Legend, circa Season 5
Spoilers: Seasons 1-5
Download: direct download
Thanks: Profuse thanks must go to radioreverie for concept work, beta-ing, and above all for letting me massacre her own vision of this vid; to supacat for precise perfectionist beta-ing--if I ignored it, it's not her fault; and to talitha78 for encouragement, beta-ing and inspiration.
Feedback: Yes, please! (But please go gentle on the concrit on this one--while usually I welcome it, I'm already bruised and raw about this vid.)
Notes: The literalism is deliberate--it's my Lex-sees-everything-as-a-metaphor-for-Clark-and-goes-a-little-mad montage. *g*

Lyrics
( Read more... )

*reminding myself that we learn through failure* May this not be my one-and-only Smallville vid for long!