rose_griffes | dude, I never claimed to be deep

Entry tags:

dude, I never claimed to be deep

Fic rec: Frakked Up Beyond All Recognition is a funny and short Anders mpreg fic.

I told

daybreak777 that I might post some thoughts about fan videos someday. I either have to type it all now or just forget about it, so here goes.

By the way, this is all about me and my interactions with fanvids; I have no one else's viewpoint here. I'm far more interested in fanfiction, and more interested in different characters within fanfic, than I am in fanvids. I'm not sure exactly why, since the vids are directly taken from the source which, presumably, I like. (I've actually watched a few fanvids from other sources besides Battlestar Galactica, but not very many.)

I finally decided that for me, fanvids are a bit like conversations in a foreign language. My preferences for certain characters gets much stronger--since I'm interested in Leoben, I'll pay a lot more attention to the 'conversation' even if some of it still goes over my head. But if the conversation is about a character that doesn't interest me as much, I tend to ignore it (and backclick) because I'm not understanding lots of it and I'm not as invested in those characters.

Anyway, my slight preferences in what I like to read most in fanfic (gen! cylons!) are definitely at the forefront of what I find most interesting in fanvids.

Other things I've noticed about my own likes:

- The song and visuals need to have a connection--either the sound or lyrics need to have a correspondence to the images being used. I guess I'd say that both the song and the clips need to be enhanced by having them together. (Obviously this is a viewer perception--a song/clip combination that works for the vidder may not work for me at all.)

Example: A Day Like Today (vidder:

hollywoodgrrl, song by Tom McRae) will always be Leoben's POV about Kara. I can't hear the song now without being vaguely creeped out (in a good way, really!).

- I have to at least tolerate the song. If I hate the song, I just won't watch.

- I like character studies but I have yet to find a vid that interests me that tells a story that's NOT in the original source. (Would those be considered AU? I'm not sure that term works in the vidding world.)

Thinking about this made me realize that vids do tell a story, but I'm more particular about the stories in vids than I am in texts. I'm definitely a visual person, but I think I've always felt a deeper connection to stories I read than to TV shows or movies. Maybe because my brain is more involved in interpreting and imagining what I read?

One of my favorite things about vid posts: reading the vidder's thoughts. The creative process, whether it's writing or vidding, is fascinating to me. People go about all these activities in such different ways.

After all that talk about how I must be invested in the characters, I'm amused to note that I just watched a vid about Bill Adama all the way through. (I'm not particularly invested in Bill Adama. In fact, I have problems with Bill Adama. Heh.)

eta: One last thing: since I'm not as interested in fanvids as I am in fic, I don't have any of the vid comms linked on my LJ reading list. I only watch stuff that's been recced by someone else. Yes, I really do read your fanvid rec posts and watch a few of those vids.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh! A post about vids! :D *excited* (Ignore me: I can never get enough of this stuff, as

daybreak777 will tell you.)

I found reading your thoughts very interesting, especially since I am kind of the reverse of you: I watch a lot more fanvids than I read fic, and given a choice I'll go vids every time. I'm also fussier about fic than I am about vids. And one of the things that struck me, reading this, is that it is a lot harder to sell me on an AU fic than it is to sell me on an AU vid (and yeah that term is used in vidding).

I think it's very cool that you like reading vidders thoughts despite vids not being a great passion for you! I kind of assumed only other vidders would ever be interested in that stuff. ;)

I'm amused to note that I just watched a vid about Bill Adama all the way through. (I'm not particularly invested in Bill Adama. In fact, I have problems with Bill Adama. Heh.)
Heee! That vidder is very talented--I'm a hard sell where Bill is concerned too. ;) But she vidded him very well. I love it when a vidder can make me care a little about something I was not interested in before (even if it means just making it to the end of the vid!).

Wow, we really are polar opposites in our tastes. Hee!

one of the things that struck me, reading this, is that it is a lot harder to sell me on an AU fic than it is to sell me on an AU vid (and yeah that term is used in vidding)

Interesting. For me AU is a hard sell even in fic, but if it's done well, I can get invested. So far for the vids--nada.

I think it's very cool that you like reading vidders thoughts despite vids not being a great passion for you! I kind of assumed only other vidders would ever be interested in that stuff. ;)

It's really interesting! I've gone back and re-read your personal vidding history post a few times, actually.

I love it when a vidder can make me care a little about something I was not interested in before (even if it means just making it to the end of the vid!).

Hee! Sometimes I've been tempted to post a comment on a vid saying, "I watched it all the way through! So, good job!" Mostly I've resisted, but I've certainly felt that way. Glad I'm not the only one.

I've gone back and re-read your personal vidding history post a few times, actually
Really?! That's awesome! Thanks!

Sometimes I've been tempted to post a comment on a vid saying, "I watched it all the way through! So, good job!" Mostly I've resisted, but I've certainly felt that way. Glad I'm not the only one
Heeeee. You're not the only one. Though it definitely can be hard to convey to a vidder that you mean it as a compliment. In similar fashion, I have sometimes felt like leaving fic feedback that is: 'I read all of this!!! Well done!!' ;) Because I have an appallingly small attention span for fic, it really is a compliment but I see how it's really bad when someone has worked so hard on something.

Although I *have* left feedback that amounts to "I hate this show and everything it stands for but this vid rocked and that means it must be really REALLY brilliant! Because did I mention I hate this show?" ;p

Interesting thoughts. I too like vids, and I like the idea of being able to make vids, since I'm an Mtv baby who never lost her initial fascination with the revolutionary concept of putting arty imagery to music to tell a visual story.

However, oddly, I don't watch that many vids. And yeah, I don't subscribe to any vid comms, even though I have about 394556920473 comms on my flist. I only watch vids that people rec to me, pretty much. I'm strangely lazy about seeking them out most of the time, although I have looked around YouTube every now and then to see if by some odd chance there is a vid out there for my crazy OTP (which of course there never is, but now

daybreak777 has solved that problem, yay!). And unless I'm really intrigued by the subject matter, or if the song is really great, it's sometimes hard for me to maintain the patience to sit through a vid.

When I thought about why, I think you kind of hit the nail on the head for me with what you said about it being like a foreign language. I think of it more like one of those optical illusion teasers. A vid is just a collection of clips taken out of context and set to music. So until your mind sees the story the vidder intended to tell - like an optical illusion image where you must see it *exactly* the way you're supposed to see it - it all seems random, and yeah, like a foreign langauge you don't know. I think that optical illusion needs to fall in place fairly quickly for me, or else I don't have the stamina to watch the rest.

I only watch vids that people rec to me
Like I said to Rose below, this is pretty interesting to me. For example, I found UR So Gay on YouTube. Rare and shiny Baltar/Gaeta goodness and you would have missed it!

This is so interesting to get a glimpse into how and why people find vids. It's just like finding fic for me, except vids can be far shinier. Though fic can be far deeper and made better. But not always!

Dude, people might be making more B/G vids out there. Who knows? Keep your ear to the vidding ground!

I think of it more like one of those optical illusion teasers.
YES! That analogy totally works for me!

unless I'm really intrigued by the subject matter, or if the song is really great, it's sometimes hard for me to maintain the patience to sit through a vid

*nods* Yeah. A whole lot of pieces have to be in place for me to watch all the way through.

And here I am, unable to decide whether I'm more into fic or vids. :P

(I *love* that Adama vid. So well done.)

Hee! Well, it's good to have people out there who like both. Great to have writers and vidders who do well by the shows, so go you! Maybe it's like being ambidextrous? *g*

This is so fascinating! I always wondered why you vids didn't appeal to you. It's a different language. This is so interesting you being a language teacher too.

I like fan fic and fan vids. Probably equally. Maybe fic edges out vids. Some vids are over my head. I can rarely say that about a fic. I think. :-) Maybe I'm missing stuff and I don't know it.

I like in fic that I am participatory. I am the missing piece that bring the text together. Fic is so open to interpretation. In a vid, the vidders show what they want you to see. You can interpret it differently, but it's harder. Harder to fight or miss what they intended you to see. But like TV, it's so pretty and real. You can see flesh and blood people, no pesky imagination having trouble coming up with an image.

Growing up, I was always split pretty evenly in my love for TV and books. I loved them both so much. In high school, I used to watch about six hours of TV a night and read seven novels a week. So yeah, I was pretty impressed with both of them. I've slowed a lot down from that but I still love both. :-)

Funny, people keep talking about the song in vids. It is so important in vids! And agree with you. I don't have to like it, but I can't hate the song. I know I should be more open-minded about it but can't.

But sometimes it's too hard to be open-minded about vids! Fanfic is easy. We all can visualize the setting and the characters. But in regular novels or in not well-written stories, I get frustrated when I can't see it. And actually, vids are far easier to intepret for me. And best of all, I get to relive the show in this new way. It's so awesome. All my favorite parts reedited to cool music.

One of my favorite things about vid posts: reading the vidder's thoughts.
This is interesting. I don't post my vidder's thoughts. I don't really want to influence one's first viewing of the vid. And I'm not sure if people want the techy nitty-gritty of how WMM killed me, and well, the vid has two lives to me. The before-it's-finished life and the final-version life. I try to forget the angst of vid-making when it's done and just enjoy freshly-made vid squee. This is how I can go on to make new vids. ;-) I'm not surprised you like the DVD commentaries, though. You love reading about the creative process, in writing or vidding, I suppose. I am more interested in the behind-the-scenes of writing that vidding. At least for now.

The reccing thing is fascinating! It's like if you only ate food cooked for you or brought to you by another! What if you might like other flavors? You might never know! Granted you could eat everyday from your favorite and reliable restaurant but they'd get to choose everything!

I don't friend a lot of comms in general to keep the reading list manageable. But I visit comms regularly. I don't find vids just by recs. Most I do. But I find vids like I find fics. Just click, click, click and you never know what you might find! I can't imagine giving control of what I see up to others. But I guess it's okay, if you aren't really into vids.

For me, making and watching vids is very similar to fic. It's all about telling a story. Do I want another story from what's canon? Usually, yes. Does it matter if the story is true? No. Does the story have to be well-done? Yes. I try to watch vids only in fandoms I know. Why? I know I will be listening to another language and will miss the nuances. But it's exciting to try new things, maybe learn new languages, fumble a bit. At least to me!

Some vids are over my head. I can rarely say that about a fic. I think. :-)

*laughs* Yeah, hopefully fic isn't going too far over my head most of the time... Though we've had comment-conversations before about what the writer intends versus what the reader perceives, so who knows? *g*

And actually, vids are far easier to intepret for me.
Well, go you! That's definitely not the case for me. I can think of many vids that went way over my head--they had pretty images and good music, but I just had no idea how I was supposed to be connecting them into anything coherent. I usually don't watch all the way through when that's the case.

And best of all, I get to relive the show in this new way. It's so awesome. All my favorite parts reedited to cool music.

That's when I do like vids--seeing some aspect of the show in a different light, or making new connections about characters and events... it's fun.

This is interesting. I don't post my vidder's thoughts. I don't really want to influence one's first viewing of the vid.

I get that. Actually one of my favorite posts about vidding was

bop_radar's year in vidding (http://bop-radar.livejournal.com/140087.html#cutid1") post (which had an overview of all the vids she'd done so far). It was fascinating to hear how she got started by vidding a pairing (Kara/Leoben) that she wasn't invested in. I can't do that--write about characters I don't find interesting. If I *must* write something about different characters, I have to invent enough backstory to make me interested in them. Heh. (But we already know that's another way you and I differ in our creative process as well! Sometimes I really really wish I could 'just start writing'--without a plan--and get something done. The closest I ever came to doing that was the Tory/Leoben crackfic.)

As for not watching vids without recs, eh. I certainly read plenty of fanfic by clicking and clicking and clicking. If I cared more about vids, I'd probably do the same for them.

Though we've had comment-conversations before about what the writer intends versus what the reader perceives, so who knows?
This is true. I almost don't want to know sometimes. A vidder friend and I recently saw a vid completely differently. She saw slash and I didn't. I finally saw a teeny bit, but not enough to overcome my original reading. I know that the vidder meant a slashy bent. Too bad, my view is mine now. :-)

I can think of many vids that went way over my head--they had pretty images and good music, but I just had no idea how I was supposed to be connecting them into anything coherent.
Um, maybe it's not you? Some vids are, um, not so good?

I can't do that--write about characters I don't find interesting.
Me neither. Luckily, I find most all of the BSG characters interesting. This is a good point, though! I've had such trouble writing Leoben lately, as you know. I used to find him interesting. A little scary, but not boring. Now, I'm not as interested. And he's not scary to me at all. He's lost something. Hmm. Kara, of course, is still interesting. As is her 'destiny'. And while he's still bad for her, other bad things keep happening to Kara that have nothing to do with him. At least I think they have nothing to do with him. ;-) Oh, and I rarely have a plan while writing. I have a starting place and then muse takes over. But you already knew that. :-)

If I cared more about vids, I'd probably do the same for them.
Honestly? I just want more BSG in whatever format. I think if it didn't have such long hiatuses, I wouldn't have time to watch vids. I noticed I had less time to create/read/watch when canon was changing every week. Other people too.

It's all so very interesting.

I've had such trouble writing Leoben lately, as you know. I used to find him interesting. A little scary, but not boring. Now, I'm not as interested. And he's not scary to me at all. He's lost something. Hmm.

Well... the role he plays in that particular part of your story is also less menacing than he has been in the show at certain points. Frankly everything in season four has thrown me for a loop, which is why I'm writing (old) Caprica fic right now. Heh.

Honestly? I just want more BSG in whatever format. I think if it didn't have such long hiatuses, I wouldn't have time to watch vids.

Yeah. I doubt I'd watch them much at all without a long hiatus to make me miss the show.

A vidder friend and I recently saw a vid completely differently. She saw slash and I didn't. I finally saw a teeny bit, but not enough to overcome my original reading. I know that the vidder meant a slashy bent. Too bad, my view is mine now. :-)

Hee! It's duck versus swan all over again. Slash goggles are optional wearing in fandom, in spite of what a few fans of slash may think.

Hm. Now I want a 'duck vs. swan' icon.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

dude, I never claimed to be deep

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject