ConneXions 2019 Vid Show Report
Oct. 2nd, 2019 10:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amediaConneXions 2019 – VID SHOW
ETA Most of the vids can be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbI8SLoxNxpYEvlQvrYGluD8ZAi6PV5rU
Introductory comments:
Thoughts on dialogue:
What really stood out to me at this year's vid show was how much more common it is for vids nowadays to incorporate dialogue as well as visuals from the original source. For some reason, that bothers me, and I can't quite put my finger on it.
One possibility is that it's not how things were done in the past, but I don't think that's the reason. I usually embrace vids that change or expand the art form in a variety of ways.
Is it about reading the vid and taking enjoyment in the music? I've noticed that including the dialogue often breaks up the song, especially (but not only) when the dialogue is layered over and obscures the lyrics. The most basic way I think we've been accustomed to "read" a vid is by recognizing the ways in which the visuals and the lyrics are combined, so obscuring the lyrics cuts into that reading. Even when the dialogue is confined to the instrumental portions of a song, it interferes with the part of vid enjoyment that involves listening to the song in a continuous flow. Of course, there are many ways to read a vid and many aspects of enjoyment, and perhaps learning to incorporate multiple audio sources is an important new way to read a vid. I saw a vid not long ago that incorporated musical cues from the original source in addition to the chosen audio that was added, and it didn't bother me at all; I thought it was cool.
Beyond the issue of breaking up the audio, I guess that incorporating dialogue feels like "cheating," somehow. Usually vids tell a story with the visuals from one source and the sound from another, and the significance of the chosen scenes needs to depend on the visual cues within them as well as on the familiarity of the audience with the source material. Incorporating dialogue seems to shortcut the effort of recognition that is usually undertaken by the audience by flat-out telling the audience what's going on. Do you know, I think that's it! I think that's what bothers me. It's telling and not showing.
It seems to me that incorporating the dialogue to provide (or over-provide) clues to the audience may be the result of the proliferation of fandoms. There didn't used to be very many fandoms, and most fannish audiences had a passing familiarity even with the fandoms they weren't specifically into. I didn't have trouble following Starsky & Hutch vids, for example, or Professionals. But now there are kajillions of genre shows with accompanying fandoms, and any given vid show is going to include fannish universes that I've never even heard of. Having a shortcut, like included dialogue, makes it easier to understand such a vid; perhaps that's why some vidders use the technique of including dialogue.
So I think I have a better understanding of why I don't like the technique and why it's becoming more common. Would love to hear y'all's perspectives!
Thoughts on kissing:
I tend to note "boykissing" and "girlkissing" when I describe a vid because I have mixed feelings about them. On the one hand, early vids portraying slash relationships had to make do with what was on screen, which didn't include that kind of expression of love, and it's delightful to see it nowadays, so the note is shorthand for squeeing about the kiss itself and the freedom that allows it to be included in the source text. On the other hand, because earlier fandoms, as well as current fandoms where the chosen relationship isn't canon, don't have the characters expressing their love openly, vidders in those fandoms make a lot more use of subtext and subversion, which I honestly find more interesting. So while at one level I'm very happy to see the kissing in the fandoms that have it, at another level, I'm more engaged by vids that have to work around a lack of it.
PART ONE:
1. As usual, we began with a hilarious and well-made multi vid from Kerguelen, this time to the tune of "I'm too Sexy." To mention a few moments: audience favorites included Jason Momoa's Aquaman rising from the sea on the line "too sexy by far," Captain America on the "catwalk" from Captain America: The First Avenger in the HYDRA factory complex. Howls of appreciation greeted Okoye's battle scene in the casino from Black Panther, and "too sexy for my cat" drew appreciative "awww"'s as it went from Spock petting Isis to the Black Panther himself, who brought us, in a nice transition, back to The Sexy.
2. "S&M" by vidder First Officer Nims was a fun K/S (TOS) vid to a catchy synth tune by Rihanna. The vid builds well—and as a meta note, it really showcases a lot of BDSM-coded scenes in the series—but what I found especially clever were the reaction shots, drawn from various episodes but positioned as if Kirk and/or Spock were responding to the scene we just saw, or setting up for a new one. Loved it!
3. Next, Satanic Nightjar's Person of Interest vid takes many scenes in which John is changing clothes for one of Harold's assignments—usually buttoning up his shirt—and by juxtaposing them with the song "Good For You," overlays an additional motivation, that John wants to look good not only to carry out Harold's assignments, but to be attractive to Harold personally. A sweet and sexy vid.
4. Perryschmirz!!! Purple Walskurco's Phineas & Ferb vid to Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" slashes Perry the Platypus with Dr. Doofenschmirz—using a ton of great clips to back it up! Well, okay, mostly the clips prove that "I" (Dr. Doofenschmirz) manage to irritate "you" (Perry) on a regular basis, but there were also moments of reconciliation that truly brought the foe-yay. Adorbs!
5. The next vid was the first where I was unfamiliar with the source material, since I haven't seen Captain Marvel yet. It was a Danvers/Rambeau vid by Aurum Calendula to a pretty, melancholy song with a country/folk flavor called "Half Acre." It appeared to trace the arc of a supportive f/f relationship involving separation and reunion.
6. We were then served up a fast-moving Steve/Bucky vid by Belochka to a song called "Whatever it Takes" by Imagine Dragons. The song follows the arc of their relationship, starting before Steve's transformation and through Winter Soldier. I really liked the pacing as the vidder mixed slower and faster clips, and the recurring line about "love the adrenaline" was always well-framed. There was slight use of dialogue, but I didn't find it distracting.
7. The next vid, by AurumCalendula, took us back in time to 1985 with the movie White Nights. The vid opened with some of Rodchenko and Greenwood's superb dancing—much to the appreciation of the audience—but went on to focus on the relationship between the two characters. The song, "Plan the Escape" by Son Lux, not only fit well with the plot of the movie, but had an industrial beat that went especially well with the stark Soviet urban setting. The vid included the role of Greenwood's wife in helping to plan the escape and drew a clear parallel between Greenwood's relationships with his wife and with Rodchenko.
8. The first of two vids to the same song, a cover of L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole, was a Thiel/Boerne vid for the series Tatort Münster by 4thesubtext. As soon as it began, there were murmurs of "It's that guy!" – one of the pair kept turning up during the Memory game on Friday night and almost none of the audience had recognized him. My impression of the vid was that it was a lighthearted glimpse into a relatively dark or at least serious universe. It incorporated quite a lot of dialogue, all in German—which, since I don't understand spoken German very well, didn't distract a whole lot from the song the way dialogue in English would have done. (German speakers' experiences, of course, may vary!)
9. "The Magicians" provided the source of the next vid, a Quentin/Eliot vid by Mary Tyler to "The Night We Met" by Lord Huron. I haven't seen the show, although I've read about it; the vid incorporated lots of very slashy dialogue and boykissing.
10. Jamie Ritchey's Sentinel vid (Jim/Blair) to Hope & Crosby's "Teamwork" was a vid I enjoyed at this year's REVELCon and was delighted to see again. So much fun! The song, which is outwardly just a celebration of friendship, has a sly sense of teasing humor and the clips pick up on it.
11. A Nygmobblepot vid by Spellbound to an instrumental piece by Halsey called "Sorry" showcased the poetic weirdness of Gotham. It incorporated lots of dialogue (which didn't interfere with the lyrics, obviously) and was very sad, portraying the relationship as doomed.
12. Angeldove's Dean/Castiel Supernatural vid to "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi incorporated dialogue in instrumental passages such as the introduction and the interstices between sung portions. I liked how the vidder matched the opening beats with quick flashes, like a heartbeat. Overall, the vid seemed to express a bleak yearning.
13. In "Bi Bi Bi," a Magicians vid focusing on Quentin, Sim Mallec made humorous use of words on the screen—sometimes lyrics from 'NSync's "Bye Bye Bye" (the song for the vid), sometimes dialogue. I didn't mind the inclusion of dialogue because it was a humorous vid, which tend to get more latitude, and in this case I found it playful and clever.
14. SlightlyAddicted's Connor/Hank vid based on the video game Becoming Human used the song "I loved and I lost you" by Fleurie to paint a sad story of the difficult choices faced by the characters. Again, lots of dialogue, but it didn't bother me as much this time as in vids based on more traditional narratives, because the player-driven elements of the game mean that any given scene may play out differently than as experienced by an audience member familiar with the game, so the dialogue provides a clue as to the meaning and outcome of the scene used in the vid.
15. I was excited to hear at the convention that Fruits Basket is back! I read a bunch of the manga about twenty years ago, though I never saw the anime released at the time. There is a new anime series now, said to adhere more closely to the manga, and Aaronantium's Kyou/Yuki vid to "Kiss with a Fist" by Florence & the Machine was based on the new anime. It occurred to me while watching that the song would be controversial for a male/female pairing, but for the squabbling brothers, it was hilarious.
16. Next came Wolflynn's Grizz/Sam The Society vid, set to "You" by Matilda. I'd never heard of the show, but it looked interesting and I googled it later on. The vid incorporated dialogue and also words onscreen, sometimes words from the dialogues, other times, words from the lyrics, sometimes with typos. In a serious vid, I find that sort of thing distracting. On the other hand, there was boykissing! And the song appeared to fit the relationship well.
17. Next, Defyning Gravity gave us Barnum/Carlyle slashiness from the movie The Greatest Showman to "Rich Love" by One Republic. As someone who never saw the movie, this very short vid made it look super slashy to me!
18. DoleWhipProductions made a vid for one of my very favorite pairings ever—Legolas/Gimli in Lord of the Rings, using Pink's song "Please Don't Leave Me." MY BOYS!!!! The vid incorporated lots of battle scenes, which is when the movie Legolas & Gimli have their most interesting interactions. Ultimately, I'm afraid the movies don't provide the footage needed to tell the L/G story in full, but I was happy to have what I got.
19. The next vid, by Wolflynn for Michael/Ben in Tales of the City was set to "WTF" by HUGEL featuring Amber van Day. Not a fandom I'm familiar with, but there were butts, dialogue, and boykissing all included, and it came across as fun and sassy.
20. In next vid, AurumCalendula highlighted Anissa/Grace from Black Lightning using the song "Walk Through the Fire" by Zayde W0lf featuring Ruelle. The vid used both slow and slow-motion clips and included girlkissing. The significance of some scenes was difficult to grasp, since I'm not familiar with the series, but it was clear that there was sorrow involved.
21. An unusual crossover pairing up the villains from Sherlock and Jessica Jones--Moriarty/Kilgrave--to the tune of "Dangerous" by Royal Deluxe came next. The vidder, Spellbound, uses cross-cut dialogue to set up an interaction between the two villains. The dialogue is right over the song, lyrics and all, turning the music into something more like a distant accompaniment—I actually found that really interesting. Since it was clear I wasn't supposed to be able to hear/make out the lyrics, I didn't feel like I was missing out on them. The copious parallelisms, as well as the opportunities for constructed-reality conversations, made the pairing work unexpectedly well, with lots of dark humor.
PART TWO
22. Suzeini Suz's John/Sherlock vid for Sherlock kicked off the second half of the vid show in style, using Ariana Grande's song "Break up with your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" to capture Sherlock's self-centeredness and desire to have John to himself.
23. Next, AllysonCalleigh set a Maze/Eve vid for Lucifer to an acoustic version of "Wonderwall" by J2. I'm not familiar with the fandom, but I can say there was dialogue—and girlkissing!
24. The next vid, by Anne Terkelsen, was based on the video game "Mass Effect 3" and featured the pairing of Shepard/Alenko to the tune of the classic song by the Four Tops, "I Can't Help Myself." There was dialogue, only at the beginning, and as a non-video-gamer I initially found myself wondering whether the pairing was canon—I was surprised and delighted to see footage that answered that question with yes!
25. Claire T.'s Legends of Tomorrow Constantine/Gary vid, using the song "Glowing in the Dark" by The Girl and the Dreamcatcher, used some techniques you don't often see in songvids: repetition, rewinding and going forward again. I don't know the fandom, but I could tell the vidder made the song fit with the beat and the lyrics in a fun, lively way.
26. Aaronantium used a very meta song, "Bromance" by Nighiga featuring Chester See, to make a hilarious meta vid about Natsu/Gray from the anime Fairy Tail. I hadn't heard the song or seen the show before, but it would fit just about any slashy pair in denial about their relationship, and clearly fit this one very well!
27. I've heard good things about Doom Patrol, but I didn't realize that Matt Bomer was in it until I saw the next vid, a Larry/John vid by Wolflynn to "All I Want" by Kodaline. It started off with dialogue, incorporated boykissing, and even to someone who hasn't seen the show, it effectively communicated sadness.
28. Spellbound used the song "You Do You" by Zayde Wolf to create a Nygma/Cobblepot Gotham vid, incorporating dialogue, that made a great build to an exciting refrain.
29. Next came a super-sad vid by Princesscupcake about the Dave/Klaus relationship in Umbrella Academy (a show I 've watched!!!) using the song "Hold On" by Chord Overstreet to expand on Klaus's point of view. The vidder incorporated dialogue and also used the scene at the rave/nightclub to good effect. The Dave/Klaus arc is tragic, but it also marks Klaus's ability to care about someone else more than himself, which the song helped to highlight.
30. More Perryschmirz! Using Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," Purple Walskurco expressed Perry's POV with regard to Dr. Doofenschmirz on Phineas and Ferb, and pretty much convinced me that Dr. Doofenschmirz is Perry's ex. So much fun—the audience even sang along.
31. Next, theprincessandthepie used Doddleoddle's song "If I'm Being Honest" for a Magicians Quentin/Eliot vid. This time, there was so much dialogue, including talking over the song, that I had a hard time seeing how the song and the clips were meant to go together.
32. The next vid was based on one episode of Supernatural that I haven't seen, a very bizarre one that looked like it was set in a small town in the 1950's where Sam gets sucked into assuming the identity of one of the residents. There was dialogue throughout and the whole thing was very weird and funny—I'm sure it made more sense to fans of the show! The pairing was Sam/Castiel and the song was "Lone Digger" by Caravan Palace.
33. 4thesubtext gave us another Tatort Muenster Thiel/Boerne vid, this one to "Find My Way Back" by Eric Arjes. Lots of dialogue in German. I found that the clips weren't terribly slashy since I didn't know the context—they really needed the additional layers of meaning that someone familiar with the fandom can bring to the viewing.
34. More Supernatural came next, this time Dean/Castiel by dumbmellow to the song "Ocean" by Seafret. There was no dialogue at all, which I found a relief after the previous three vids. The overall theme appeared to be one of loss and sorrow.
35. I was especially tickled to see the next vid here, since it was ConneXions that introduced me to the anime series Kiss Him Not Me. Aaronantium's charming vid, using the Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You," paired Nanashima and Shinomiya, two guys who frequently disagree and compete with one another, for a vid that put a big smile on my face.
36. A serious Illya/Napoleon Man from U.N.C.L.E. vid followed, by Anna Ippu using a cover of the song "Addicted to You" by Avicii. It began with dialogue, but it didn't continue throughout the vid. We see Napoleon reacting to girls chasing Illya, and then the vid segues into slashier territory.
37. The second vid using Nat King Cole's rendition of "L-O-V-E" was a super-sweet Good Omens Aziraphale/Crowley vid by Alll Magic Comes with Rice.
38. AurumCalendula's vid for Nagata/Drummer from The Expanse, to "Blue Pool" by Vanessa Carlton was hard for me to follow because I don't know the fandom. The women were together, then not, then again? I wasn't sure. I liked the way the song, which had a flowing, almost eerie, understated vibe, went with the industrial/scifi imagery.
39. The final vid, "Infinite," was a Poe/Finn Star Wars vid to the song "Saturn" by Sleeping at Last. The vidder, dumbmellow, created a quiet, pleasant view of their moments together, with an interesting use of silence at the end.
Kudos to all the vidders for sharing their talent and vision, and to Kerguelen and Aaronantium for tracking them down and inviting them to participate in the show.
ETA Most of the vids can be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbI8SLoxNxpYEvlQvrYGluD8ZAi6PV5rU
Introductory comments:
Thoughts on dialogue:
What really stood out to me at this year's vid show was how much more common it is for vids nowadays to incorporate dialogue as well as visuals from the original source. For some reason, that bothers me, and I can't quite put my finger on it.
One possibility is that it's not how things were done in the past, but I don't think that's the reason. I usually embrace vids that change or expand the art form in a variety of ways.
Is it about reading the vid and taking enjoyment in the music? I've noticed that including the dialogue often breaks up the song, especially (but not only) when the dialogue is layered over and obscures the lyrics. The most basic way I think we've been accustomed to "read" a vid is by recognizing the ways in which the visuals and the lyrics are combined, so obscuring the lyrics cuts into that reading. Even when the dialogue is confined to the instrumental portions of a song, it interferes with the part of vid enjoyment that involves listening to the song in a continuous flow. Of course, there are many ways to read a vid and many aspects of enjoyment, and perhaps learning to incorporate multiple audio sources is an important new way to read a vid. I saw a vid not long ago that incorporated musical cues from the original source in addition to the chosen audio that was added, and it didn't bother me at all; I thought it was cool.
Beyond the issue of breaking up the audio, I guess that incorporating dialogue feels like "cheating," somehow. Usually vids tell a story with the visuals from one source and the sound from another, and the significance of the chosen scenes needs to depend on the visual cues within them as well as on the familiarity of the audience with the source material. Incorporating dialogue seems to shortcut the effort of recognition that is usually undertaken by the audience by flat-out telling the audience what's going on. Do you know, I think that's it! I think that's what bothers me. It's telling and not showing.
It seems to me that incorporating the dialogue to provide (or over-provide) clues to the audience may be the result of the proliferation of fandoms. There didn't used to be very many fandoms, and most fannish audiences had a passing familiarity even with the fandoms they weren't specifically into. I didn't have trouble following Starsky & Hutch vids, for example, or Professionals. But now there are kajillions of genre shows with accompanying fandoms, and any given vid show is going to include fannish universes that I've never even heard of. Having a shortcut, like included dialogue, makes it easier to understand such a vid; perhaps that's why some vidders use the technique of including dialogue.
So I think I have a better understanding of why I don't like the technique and why it's becoming more common. Would love to hear y'all's perspectives!
Thoughts on kissing:
I tend to note "boykissing" and "girlkissing" when I describe a vid because I have mixed feelings about them. On the one hand, early vids portraying slash relationships had to make do with what was on screen, which didn't include that kind of expression of love, and it's delightful to see it nowadays, so the note is shorthand for squeeing about the kiss itself and the freedom that allows it to be included in the source text. On the other hand, because earlier fandoms, as well as current fandoms where the chosen relationship isn't canon, don't have the characters expressing their love openly, vidders in those fandoms make a lot more use of subtext and subversion, which I honestly find more interesting. So while at one level I'm very happy to see the kissing in the fandoms that have it, at another level, I'm more engaged by vids that have to work around a lack of it.
PART ONE:
1. As usual, we began with a hilarious and well-made multi vid from Kerguelen, this time to the tune of "I'm too Sexy." To mention a few moments: audience favorites included Jason Momoa's Aquaman rising from the sea on the line "too sexy by far," Captain America on the "catwalk" from Captain America: The First Avenger in the HYDRA factory complex. Howls of appreciation greeted Okoye's battle scene in the casino from Black Panther, and "too sexy for my cat" drew appreciative "awww"'s as it went from Spock petting Isis to the Black Panther himself, who brought us, in a nice transition, back to The Sexy.
2. "S&M" by vidder First Officer Nims was a fun K/S (TOS) vid to a catchy synth tune by Rihanna. The vid builds well—and as a meta note, it really showcases a lot of BDSM-coded scenes in the series—but what I found especially clever were the reaction shots, drawn from various episodes but positioned as if Kirk and/or Spock were responding to the scene we just saw, or setting up for a new one. Loved it!
3. Next, Satanic Nightjar's Person of Interest vid takes many scenes in which John is changing clothes for one of Harold's assignments—usually buttoning up his shirt—and by juxtaposing them with the song "Good For You," overlays an additional motivation, that John wants to look good not only to carry out Harold's assignments, but to be attractive to Harold personally. A sweet and sexy vid.
4. Perryschmirz!!! Purple Walskurco's Phineas & Ferb vid to Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" slashes Perry the Platypus with Dr. Doofenschmirz—using a ton of great clips to back it up! Well, okay, mostly the clips prove that "I" (Dr. Doofenschmirz) manage to irritate "you" (Perry) on a regular basis, but there were also moments of reconciliation that truly brought the foe-yay. Adorbs!
5. The next vid was the first where I was unfamiliar with the source material, since I haven't seen Captain Marvel yet. It was a Danvers/Rambeau vid by Aurum Calendula to a pretty, melancholy song with a country/folk flavor called "Half Acre." It appeared to trace the arc of a supportive f/f relationship involving separation and reunion.
6. We were then served up a fast-moving Steve/Bucky vid by Belochka to a song called "Whatever it Takes" by Imagine Dragons. The song follows the arc of their relationship, starting before Steve's transformation and through Winter Soldier. I really liked the pacing as the vidder mixed slower and faster clips, and the recurring line about "love the adrenaline" was always well-framed. There was slight use of dialogue, but I didn't find it distracting.
7. The next vid, by AurumCalendula, took us back in time to 1985 with the movie White Nights. The vid opened with some of Rodchenko and Greenwood's superb dancing—much to the appreciation of the audience—but went on to focus on the relationship between the two characters. The song, "Plan the Escape" by Son Lux, not only fit well with the plot of the movie, but had an industrial beat that went especially well with the stark Soviet urban setting. The vid included the role of Greenwood's wife in helping to plan the escape and drew a clear parallel between Greenwood's relationships with his wife and with Rodchenko.
8. The first of two vids to the same song, a cover of L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole, was a Thiel/Boerne vid for the series Tatort Münster by 4thesubtext. As soon as it began, there were murmurs of "It's that guy!" – one of the pair kept turning up during the Memory game on Friday night and almost none of the audience had recognized him. My impression of the vid was that it was a lighthearted glimpse into a relatively dark or at least serious universe. It incorporated quite a lot of dialogue, all in German—which, since I don't understand spoken German very well, didn't distract a whole lot from the song the way dialogue in English would have done. (German speakers' experiences, of course, may vary!)
9. "The Magicians" provided the source of the next vid, a Quentin/Eliot vid by Mary Tyler to "The Night We Met" by Lord Huron. I haven't seen the show, although I've read about it; the vid incorporated lots of very slashy dialogue and boykissing.
10. Jamie Ritchey's Sentinel vid (Jim/Blair) to Hope & Crosby's "Teamwork" was a vid I enjoyed at this year's REVELCon and was delighted to see again. So much fun! The song, which is outwardly just a celebration of friendship, has a sly sense of teasing humor and the clips pick up on it.
11. A Nygmobblepot vid by Spellbound to an instrumental piece by Halsey called "Sorry" showcased the poetic weirdness of Gotham. It incorporated lots of dialogue (which didn't interfere with the lyrics, obviously) and was very sad, portraying the relationship as doomed.
12. Angeldove's Dean/Castiel Supernatural vid to "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi incorporated dialogue in instrumental passages such as the introduction and the interstices between sung portions. I liked how the vidder matched the opening beats with quick flashes, like a heartbeat. Overall, the vid seemed to express a bleak yearning.
13. In "Bi Bi Bi," a Magicians vid focusing on Quentin, Sim Mallec made humorous use of words on the screen—sometimes lyrics from 'NSync's "Bye Bye Bye" (the song for the vid), sometimes dialogue. I didn't mind the inclusion of dialogue because it was a humorous vid, which tend to get more latitude, and in this case I found it playful and clever.
14. SlightlyAddicted's Connor/Hank vid based on the video game Becoming Human used the song "I loved and I lost you" by Fleurie to paint a sad story of the difficult choices faced by the characters. Again, lots of dialogue, but it didn't bother me as much this time as in vids based on more traditional narratives, because the player-driven elements of the game mean that any given scene may play out differently than as experienced by an audience member familiar with the game, so the dialogue provides a clue as to the meaning and outcome of the scene used in the vid.
15. I was excited to hear at the convention that Fruits Basket is back! I read a bunch of the manga about twenty years ago, though I never saw the anime released at the time. There is a new anime series now, said to adhere more closely to the manga, and Aaronantium's Kyou/Yuki vid to "Kiss with a Fist" by Florence & the Machine was based on the new anime. It occurred to me while watching that the song would be controversial for a male/female pairing, but for the squabbling brothers, it was hilarious.
16. Next came Wolflynn's Grizz/Sam The Society vid, set to "You" by Matilda. I'd never heard of the show, but it looked interesting and I googled it later on. The vid incorporated dialogue and also words onscreen, sometimes words from the dialogues, other times, words from the lyrics, sometimes with typos. In a serious vid, I find that sort of thing distracting. On the other hand, there was boykissing! And the song appeared to fit the relationship well.
17. Next, Defyning Gravity gave us Barnum/Carlyle slashiness from the movie The Greatest Showman to "Rich Love" by One Republic. As someone who never saw the movie, this very short vid made it look super slashy to me!
18. DoleWhipProductions made a vid for one of my very favorite pairings ever—Legolas/Gimli in Lord of the Rings, using Pink's song "Please Don't Leave Me." MY BOYS!!!! The vid incorporated lots of battle scenes, which is when the movie Legolas & Gimli have their most interesting interactions. Ultimately, I'm afraid the movies don't provide the footage needed to tell the L/G story in full, but I was happy to have what I got.
19. The next vid, by Wolflynn for Michael/Ben in Tales of the City was set to "WTF" by HUGEL featuring Amber van Day. Not a fandom I'm familiar with, but there were butts, dialogue, and boykissing all included, and it came across as fun and sassy.
20. In next vid, AurumCalendula highlighted Anissa/Grace from Black Lightning using the song "Walk Through the Fire" by Zayde W0lf featuring Ruelle. The vid used both slow and slow-motion clips and included girlkissing. The significance of some scenes was difficult to grasp, since I'm not familiar with the series, but it was clear that there was sorrow involved.
21. An unusual crossover pairing up the villains from Sherlock and Jessica Jones--Moriarty/Kilgrave--to the tune of "Dangerous" by Royal Deluxe came next. The vidder, Spellbound, uses cross-cut dialogue to set up an interaction between the two villains. The dialogue is right over the song, lyrics and all, turning the music into something more like a distant accompaniment—I actually found that really interesting. Since it was clear I wasn't supposed to be able to hear/make out the lyrics, I didn't feel like I was missing out on them. The copious parallelisms, as well as the opportunities for constructed-reality conversations, made the pairing work unexpectedly well, with lots of dark humor.
PART TWO
22. Suzeini Suz's John/Sherlock vid for Sherlock kicked off the second half of the vid show in style, using Ariana Grande's song "Break up with your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" to capture Sherlock's self-centeredness and desire to have John to himself.
23. Next, AllysonCalleigh set a Maze/Eve vid for Lucifer to an acoustic version of "Wonderwall" by J2. I'm not familiar with the fandom, but I can say there was dialogue—and girlkissing!
24. The next vid, by Anne Terkelsen, was based on the video game "Mass Effect 3" and featured the pairing of Shepard/Alenko to the tune of the classic song by the Four Tops, "I Can't Help Myself." There was dialogue, only at the beginning, and as a non-video-gamer I initially found myself wondering whether the pairing was canon—I was surprised and delighted to see footage that answered that question with yes!
25. Claire T.'s Legends of Tomorrow Constantine/Gary vid, using the song "Glowing in the Dark" by The Girl and the Dreamcatcher, used some techniques you don't often see in songvids: repetition, rewinding and going forward again. I don't know the fandom, but I could tell the vidder made the song fit with the beat and the lyrics in a fun, lively way.
26. Aaronantium used a very meta song, "Bromance" by Nighiga featuring Chester See, to make a hilarious meta vid about Natsu/Gray from the anime Fairy Tail. I hadn't heard the song or seen the show before, but it would fit just about any slashy pair in denial about their relationship, and clearly fit this one very well!
27. I've heard good things about Doom Patrol, but I didn't realize that Matt Bomer was in it until I saw the next vid, a Larry/John vid by Wolflynn to "All I Want" by Kodaline. It started off with dialogue, incorporated boykissing, and even to someone who hasn't seen the show, it effectively communicated sadness.
28. Spellbound used the song "You Do You" by Zayde Wolf to create a Nygma/Cobblepot Gotham vid, incorporating dialogue, that made a great build to an exciting refrain.
29. Next came a super-sad vid by Princesscupcake about the Dave/Klaus relationship in Umbrella Academy (a show I 've watched!!!) using the song "Hold On" by Chord Overstreet to expand on Klaus's point of view. The vidder incorporated dialogue and also used the scene at the rave/nightclub to good effect. The Dave/Klaus arc is tragic, but it also marks Klaus's ability to care about someone else more than himself, which the song helped to highlight.
30. More Perryschmirz! Using Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," Purple Walskurco expressed Perry's POV with regard to Dr. Doofenschmirz on Phineas and Ferb, and pretty much convinced me that Dr. Doofenschmirz is Perry's ex. So much fun—the audience even sang along.
31. Next, theprincessandthepie used Doddleoddle's song "If I'm Being Honest" for a Magicians Quentin/Eliot vid. This time, there was so much dialogue, including talking over the song, that I had a hard time seeing how the song and the clips were meant to go together.
32. The next vid was based on one episode of Supernatural that I haven't seen, a very bizarre one that looked like it was set in a small town in the 1950's where Sam gets sucked into assuming the identity of one of the residents. There was dialogue throughout and the whole thing was very weird and funny—I'm sure it made more sense to fans of the show! The pairing was Sam/Castiel and the song was "Lone Digger" by Caravan Palace.
33. 4thesubtext gave us another Tatort Muenster Thiel/Boerne vid, this one to "Find My Way Back" by Eric Arjes. Lots of dialogue in German. I found that the clips weren't terribly slashy since I didn't know the context—they really needed the additional layers of meaning that someone familiar with the fandom can bring to the viewing.
34. More Supernatural came next, this time Dean/Castiel by dumbmellow to the song "Ocean" by Seafret. There was no dialogue at all, which I found a relief after the previous three vids. The overall theme appeared to be one of loss and sorrow.
35. I was especially tickled to see the next vid here, since it was ConneXions that introduced me to the anime series Kiss Him Not Me. Aaronantium's charming vid, using the Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You," paired Nanashima and Shinomiya, two guys who frequently disagree and compete with one another, for a vid that put a big smile on my face.
36. A serious Illya/Napoleon Man from U.N.C.L.E. vid followed, by Anna Ippu using a cover of the song "Addicted to You" by Avicii. It began with dialogue, but it didn't continue throughout the vid. We see Napoleon reacting to girls chasing Illya, and then the vid segues into slashier territory.
37. The second vid using Nat King Cole's rendition of "L-O-V-E" was a super-sweet Good Omens Aziraphale/Crowley vid by Alll Magic Comes with Rice.
38. AurumCalendula's vid for Nagata/Drummer from The Expanse, to "Blue Pool" by Vanessa Carlton was hard for me to follow because I don't know the fandom. The women were together, then not, then again? I wasn't sure. I liked the way the song, which had a flowing, almost eerie, understated vibe, went with the industrial/scifi imagery.
39. The final vid, "Infinite," was a Poe/Finn Star Wars vid to the song "Saturn" by Sleeping at Last. The vidder, dumbmellow, created a quiet, pleasant view of their moments together, with an interesting use of silence at the end.
Kudos to all the vidders for sharing their talent and vision, and to Kerguelen and Aaronantium for tracking them down and inviting them to participate in the show.
