SHareCon 2021 Premiering Vid Show Report
Oct. 17th, 2021 08:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amediaI watched Starsky & Hutch casually in the 1970's, but I never got bitten by the fannish bug for it. Still, since I know the main characters and a few of the plotlines, I generally enjoy S&H fanvids--and wow, this year's SHareCon, which ran from October 15-17, 2021, had some great ones!
There were actually three vid shows: the premiering vids, the dance party, and the historical vids. I took notes on the Premiering Vid Show, which was very impressive. And fun to watch!
A couple of notes: A. The vids were pretty much all slash, and B. There are probably subtleties in these vids that I didn't catch, and if anyone wants to share their knowledge to clarify things I missed or misinterpreted--I would love to have learningz!!!
1. The show's organizer chose the perfect vid to start with! Back in 1989, Kandy Fong (inventor of fanvids) made her first Starsky & Hutch vid using the cutting-edge technology of the time: videotape. It was a light-hearted vid to Bobby Goldsboro's "Leaving the Straight Life Behind." I had one of her tape collections and I remembered that vid as being well done and fun to watch. Well, this summer, Kandy and I were classmates in Aaron Antium's (computer) vidding bootcamp, and for SHareCon she decided to try an interesting experiment: remaking the vid with today's technology without rewatching the old one. So the show began by showing the 1989 and 2021 versions of the vid back-to-back.
The 1989 version holds up! But the 2021 version put the new technology to excellent use. The clips appear to change about twice as fast, still in time with the song. The larger number of clips allowed for additional clip-to-lyric playfulness: I really liked the use of a close-up on Starsky's butt for a line about an "impossible dream," as well as putting in a reaction from Captain Dobey after a scene of the two of them tangled up on the floor. The vidder used the same clip of Starsky with the baskets and other products for the line about Mexico as in the previous version--but also zoomed in on Starsky's bare chest in that scene as if Hutch was ogling it--a yummy use of computer vidding capabilities! I also enjoyed the switch for the lyric "golden girls in the sand"; instead of cute beach girls as in the first version, here we saw older guys, which made me think of the Golden Girls tv show. The earlier version repeated at least one clip in the refrain each time (which totally made sense; there were other vids back then that had a visual as well as an audio refrain), but the new one used different clips, and saved the one that had previously been repeated for the last one, where it landed with especially good impact for not having been used before. The line was about "blowing in my ear" and I'm sure you all know what scene that was! In the new version, it was followed by a scene of Hutch in a shower, which made me think he needed a cold shower after that scene! I really felt that the new technology didn't just make the vid technically sharper; it allowed the vidder to play around more with the ideas inspired by the song and introduce additional layers of meaning to the vid, without losing the light-hearted charm of the original.
2. The second vid was "I Want Candy" by ACL. We got three levels of candy by my count: eye candy for the viewer, literal candy nibbled by Starsky and Hutch, and affection between the two of them. It began with scenes of the boys in showers, in their underwear, in towels, in super tight jeans ... that was candy for us, the viewers! We also got scenes of the two of them giving each other candy, and then we also saw them dancing and playing around with hats. Or, as I wrote in my notes: So much closeness! Catchy and sweet.
3. The third vid, "Isn't it Time" by Gail Lowry, took us on an emotional journey. According to people in the chat, the clips were all in chronological order. The vid started slowly, as does the song, and even as the song revs up to the chorus, the clip changes didn't speed up, but instead depicted building levels of intimacy. Toward the end, we got a scene of Hutch worrying about Starsky in the hospital, over which were played scenes of the two of them together, providing an angsty frame for flashbacks of their loving interactions. The vid finally ended the flashbacks by popping out to Starsky's successful recovery to give the vid an upbeat ending. Happy sigh!
4. "What Have I Done" by Amber Raine was dark in mood as well as literal appearance. It looked as if the vidder used a brown or sepia filter to darken the clips and tone down the bright colors, and also blurred the edges of the frame so that the center stood out more, in a way that tightened the focus on the characters. We could hear faint dialogue from time to time, but could only make out the tone of voice, not the words. The storyline was shown from Starsky's point of view, and it was slow, angsty, dark, and beautiful.
5. Next we saw a vidlet called "Afterimage" by Hardboiled Baby, and even though we knew from the term "vidlet" that it would be short, we were left wanting more. It began with a bit of dialogue from an episode in which--ironically--Hutch tells Starsky to be careful, and is then shot himself. Then the vid cuts to a black screen with diegetic hospital sounds (monitors beeping) over the music, then flashbacks of S&H interacting, with dialogue, then finally we see Starsky angsting--or grieving. Ohhhhh! It hurt, but hurt so good.
6. "Love Lies" by kat-byrd used a song with two different singers, one male and one female. I wasn't 100% sure if each singer represented a different POV, but I was caught up in the rhythm of the song and how the clips moved with it. The title made me think it was going to be angsty, but the full line is "show me where your love lies," and the vid struck me as hopeful.
7. "Everything We Need" by Truelove 11698 included dialogue over the lyrics, which sometimes made the lyrics hard to make out, but I enjoyed the way the clips chosen for the choruses stressed hurt/comfort, and the lyrics laid extra emphasis on the comfort, and the way Starsky & Hutch rely on each other and how each is truly everything that the other needs.
There was a moment that I found very meta in the vid. At one point, for the line "ride on a boulevard," we see Starsky standing still on one of those rotating playground things we called a "merry go round" when I was a kid, with Hutch standing next to it. The clip ends and we move on to an entirely different scene *before* Hutch starts pushing the merry-go-round so that Starsky has to grab on--but if even *I* know that's coming up, I'm sure the dyed-in-the-wool fans know it, too. So just from seeing Starsky on that device, everyone has a mental picture of what happens next--he is about to "go for a ride." It struck me as a really nifty piece of shorthand!
8. I was super happy to see "Hey Na Na" by Garrideb again--it debuted at the DC Slash virtual con and I loved it to itty bitty pieces. The vid proposes that maybe Starsky has a little crush on Hutch. The song is so sassy and the clips, with their repeated parallel motions (like Hutch patting Starsky on the tummy in different eps) and perfect timing, echo and amplify the sass! I appreciate it more every time I see it.
9. "Bang!" by Elizabeth Lowry was quirky and fun; the driving, energetic song highlighted and celebrated the action scenes. I enjoyed the vid and I really liked the song!
10. kat-byrd's vid to the Linkin Park song "Numb" offered a scenario in which all is not well in S&H's relationship; the clips supported the story that Hutch isn't happy because he feels that Starsky finds him unsatisfactory as he is and constantly pressures him to change. The vidder used skillful recontextualization, as well as sparing use of special effects, to tell a disturbing story.
11. "Land of Confusion" by T. M. Production seemed mostly serious, although the line in the refrain about "not much love to go 'round" consistently used a scene involving spinning, which seemed disconcertingly amusing. I probably need to watch the vid a few more times to capture the feeling. I really liked how the bridge of the song used flashbacks to early parts of the series (possibly the pilot?) to represent "so long ago."
12. The next vid, "Lift up your Face" by Elizabeth Lowry, used an intriguing song with spiritual overtones. There were interesting effects with color and movement, and an emphasis on hurt/comfort (possibly from one specific episode) with Hutch worrying about Starsky. In a section of the vid where Hutch saves Starsky, the fight scenes were especially well-timed to the music.
13. "Walking on Sunshine" by Hardboiled Baby used a remake of the original song by the Distractions, which I quite liked. (Pretty sure I saw this vid at some point over the summer, but since I haven't finished writing up my other vid reports, I can't remember where.) The cutting was great and the clips chosen made the vid cute and sweet. For the bridge of the song, which interpolates the "olay olay" chant from "Hot Hot Hot," the vidder used delightful clips of the characters dancing as if to the music.
14. "I Hope You Dance" by kat-byrd was a wonderful choice to wrap up the show! The clips for the verses were nicely chosen, slow and romantic, and then the choruses gave us a surprise: instead of clips from the show, every chorus featured several pieces of gorgeous erotic fanart--everything ranging from hugging while completely clothed to partially-naked afterglow snuggling to at least one outright act of lovemaking. (I think the art was all by the same artist, with a name like Montmere?) I loved it, and so did the audience.
As you can see, there was a well-organized mix of moods and styles, so my kudos to the vid show organizer(s)!!! And my praise and thanks to the talented vidders who contributed their excellent work.
There were actually three vid shows: the premiering vids, the dance party, and the historical vids. I took notes on the Premiering Vid Show, which was very impressive. And fun to watch!
A couple of notes: A. The vids were pretty much all slash, and B. There are probably subtleties in these vids that I didn't catch, and if anyone wants to share their knowledge to clarify things I missed or misinterpreted--I would love to have learningz!!!
1. The show's organizer chose the perfect vid to start with! Back in 1989, Kandy Fong (inventor of fanvids) made her first Starsky & Hutch vid using the cutting-edge technology of the time: videotape. It was a light-hearted vid to Bobby Goldsboro's "Leaving the Straight Life Behind." I had one of her tape collections and I remembered that vid as being well done and fun to watch. Well, this summer, Kandy and I were classmates in Aaron Antium's (computer) vidding bootcamp, and for SHareCon she decided to try an interesting experiment: remaking the vid with today's technology without rewatching the old one. So the show began by showing the 1989 and 2021 versions of the vid back-to-back.
The 1989 version holds up! But the 2021 version put the new technology to excellent use. The clips appear to change about twice as fast, still in time with the song. The larger number of clips allowed for additional clip-to-lyric playfulness: I really liked the use of a close-up on Starsky's butt for a line about an "impossible dream," as well as putting in a reaction from Captain Dobey after a scene of the two of them tangled up on the floor. The vidder used the same clip of Starsky with the baskets and other products for the line about Mexico as in the previous version--but also zoomed in on Starsky's bare chest in that scene as if Hutch was ogling it--a yummy use of computer vidding capabilities! I also enjoyed the switch for the lyric "golden girls in the sand"; instead of cute beach girls as in the first version, here we saw older guys, which made me think of the Golden Girls tv show. The earlier version repeated at least one clip in the refrain each time (which totally made sense; there were other vids back then that had a visual as well as an audio refrain), but the new one used different clips, and saved the one that had previously been repeated for the last one, where it landed with especially good impact for not having been used before. The line was about "blowing in my ear" and I'm sure you all know what scene that was! In the new version, it was followed by a scene of Hutch in a shower, which made me think he needed a cold shower after that scene! I really felt that the new technology didn't just make the vid technically sharper; it allowed the vidder to play around more with the ideas inspired by the song and introduce additional layers of meaning to the vid, without losing the light-hearted charm of the original.
2. The second vid was "I Want Candy" by ACL. We got three levels of candy by my count: eye candy for the viewer, literal candy nibbled by Starsky and Hutch, and affection between the two of them. It began with scenes of the boys in showers, in their underwear, in towels, in super tight jeans ... that was candy for us, the viewers! We also got scenes of the two of them giving each other candy, and then we also saw them dancing and playing around with hats. Or, as I wrote in my notes: So much closeness! Catchy and sweet.
3. The third vid, "Isn't it Time" by Gail Lowry, took us on an emotional journey. According to people in the chat, the clips were all in chronological order. The vid started slowly, as does the song, and even as the song revs up to the chorus, the clip changes didn't speed up, but instead depicted building levels of intimacy. Toward the end, we got a scene of Hutch worrying about Starsky in the hospital, over which were played scenes of the two of them together, providing an angsty frame for flashbacks of their loving interactions. The vid finally ended the flashbacks by popping out to Starsky's successful recovery to give the vid an upbeat ending. Happy sigh!
4. "What Have I Done" by Amber Raine was dark in mood as well as literal appearance. It looked as if the vidder used a brown or sepia filter to darken the clips and tone down the bright colors, and also blurred the edges of the frame so that the center stood out more, in a way that tightened the focus on the characters. We could hear faint dialogue from time to time, but could only make out the tone of voice, not the words. The storyline was shown from Starsky's point of view, and it was slow, angsty, dark, and beautiful.
5. Next we saw a vidlet called "Afterimage" by Hardboiled Baby, and even though we knew from the term "vidlet" that it would be short, we were left wanting more. It began with a bit of dialogue from an episode in which--ironically--Hutch tells Starsky to be careful, and is then shot himself. Then the vid cuts to a black screen with diegetic hospital sounds (monitors beeping) over the music, then flashbacks of S&H interacting, with dialogue, then finally we see Starsky angsting--or grieving. Ohhhhh! It hurt, but hurt so good.
6. "Love Lies" by kat-byrd used a song with two different singers, one male and one female. I wasn't 100% sure if each singer represented a different POV, but I was caught up in the rhythm of the song and how the clips moved with it. The title made me think it was going to be angsty, but the full line is "show me where your love lies," and the vid struck me as hopeful.
7. "Everything We Need" by Truelove 11698 included dialogue over the lyrics, which sometimes made the lyrics hard to make out, but I enjoyed the way the clips chosen for the choruses stressed hurt/comfort, and the lyrics laid extra emphasis on the comfort, and the way Starsky & Hutch rely on each other and how each is truly everything that the other needs.
There was a moment that I found very meta in the vid. At one point, for the line "ride on a boulevard," we see Starsky standing still on one of those rotating playground things we called a "merry go round" when I was a kid, with Hutch standing next to it. The clip ends and we move on to an entirely different scene *before* Hutch starts pushing the merry-go-round so that Starsky has to grab on--but if even *I* know that's coming up, I'm sure the dyed-in-the-wool fans know it, too. So just from seeing Starsky on that device, everyone has a mental picture of what happens next--he is about to "go for a ride." It struck me as a really nifty piece of shorthand!
8. I was super happy to see "Hey Na Na" by Garrideb again--it debuted at the DC Slash virtual con and I loved it to itty bitty pieces. The vid proposes that maybe Starsky has a little crush on Hutch. The song is so sassy and the clips, with their repeated parallel motions (like Hutch patting Starsky on the tummy in different eps) and perfect timing, echo and amplify the sass! I appreciate it more every time I see it.
9. "Bang!" by Elizabeth Lowry was quirky and fun; the driving, energetic song highlighted and celebrated the action scenes. I enjoyed the vid and I really liked the song!
10. kat-byrd's vid to the Linkin Park song "Numb" offered a scenario in which all is not well in S&H's relationship; the clips supported the story that Hutch isn't happy because he feels that Starsky finds him unsatisfactory as he is and constantly pressures him to change. The vidder used skillful recontextualization, as well as sparing use of special effects, to tell a disturbing story.
11. "Land of Confusion" by T. M. Production seemed mostly serious, although the line in the refrain about "not much love to go 'round" consistently used a scene involving spinning, which seemed disconcertingly amusing. I probably need to watch the vid a few more times to capture the feeling. I really liked how the bridge of the song used flashbacks to early parts of the series (possibly the pilot?) to represent "so long ago."
12. The next vid, "Lift up your Face" by Elizabeth Lowry, used an intriguing song with spiritual overtones. There were interesting effects with color and movement, and an emphasis on hurt/comfort (possibly from one specific episode) with Hutch worrying about Starsky. In a section of the vid where Hutch saves Starsky, the fight scenes were especially well-timed to the music.
13. "Walking on Sunshine" by Hardboiled Baby used a remake of the original song by the Distractions, which I quite liked. (Pretty sure I saw this vid at some point over the summer, but since I haven't finished writing up my other vid reports, I can't remember where.) The cutting was great and the clips chosen made the vid cute and sweet. For the bridge of the song, which interpolates the "olay olay" chant from "Hot Hot Hot," the vidder used delightful clips of the characters dancing as if to the music.
14. "I Hope You Dance" by kat-byrd was a wonderful choice to wrap up the show! The clips for the verses were nicely chosen, slow and romantic, and then the choruses gave us a surprise: instead of clips from the show, every chorus featured several pieces of gorgeous erotic fanart--everything ranging from hugging while completely clothed to partially-naked afterglow snuggling to at least one outright act of lovemaking. (I think the art was all by the same artist, with a name like Montmere?) I loved it, and so did the audience.
As you can see, there was a well-organized mix of moods and styles, so my kudos to the vid show organizer(s)!!! And my praise and thanks to the talented vidders who contributed their excellent work.
