new vid: big guns, firefly/serenity

[schmerica]

So, I seem to have actually finished a vid. I don't know about you, but I am both shocked and excited over this development! (Technically, I guess this is my second one? I did make a short Wilby Wonderful vid back in March, but that was basically me going "Whee! Clips! You can set them to music! WMM does stuff!" So I'm a bit less newbie now! And also have left behind Windows Movie Maker, yay.)

"Big Guns" by Jenny Lewis
Firefly/Serenity.
Why are we still chasing our own tails?

2:34, divx, 15.5mb. Right click and save. [Currently offline]

ficbyzee and mimesere both are wonderfully helpful and generally awesome, and I can't thank them enough for their advice and support.

Any and all feedback is eagerly welcomed and beloved, either as a livejournal comment or at my email at schmerica@gmail.com.

Well you praise him
Then you thank him
Til you reach the by-and-by
And I've won hundreds at the track
But I'm not betting on the afterlife

Then you kiss his lips
He forgives you for it
He forgives you for all you've done
But not me
I'm still angry

What have I done?
Why am I always messing with
The big guns?

First I'll build a sword
Get some words to explain
It's a plan, brother, at least
And I'll pretend that everybody here wants peace
Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy on me
Cause we're tired and lonely and we're bloody

What have we done?
Why are we still running
From our own failing bodies?
The big guns, the big guns

Sing mercy, sing mercy, sing mercy on me
Let's pretend that everybody here wants peace

What have we done?
Why are we still chasing our own tails?
The big guns, the big guns, the big guns

Comments

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

I love this vid! I'm so impressed that it's only your second one. The song was excellent, just the right sound for Firefly and had a great beat - you kept pace very nicely. I'll have it in my head the rest of the day. :) The vid opened in a really catchy way; right off I was with you and ready for more.

I couldn't get the POV right away on the first viewing because of the "you kiss his lips, he forgives you for it" section. For some reason that shot of Inara didn't click for me as part of what had come before, and so I was thinking the "he" was Mal and I got a little lost, but on watching a second time it's clear, so it's likely entirely my issue. I say all this because I love the use of her and the Shepherd at 00:36 as reflecting back on that, making the "he" a "He" in Mal's eyes. It's really a fantastic, biased point of view, through the whole vid, but this section is actually my favorite, because it gives extra poignancy to the "What have I done?" - and everything else - that comes after it.

I love the computer map turning on 1:03; it fits the drumbeat there so well. I love both of the "I'll pretend everybody here wants peace" sections, with the first one being so violent and the second one actually being peaceful. It works best that way (instead of peaceful, then violent), because it makes the peaceful one at the end mean more.

And the "have mercy" sections! I really love those. And the words flash onbeat at 1:44 - that makes me happy. *g* And then you end with Serenity, which is clearly the most important thing in Mal's life, and having Inara painting her name continues the connection you started the vid with, bringing them together for Mal. Lovely! Thanks for sharing this!

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

Oh, dude, you have no idea how amazed I was to get this comment -- both because it's so thoughtful and indepth, and also because I really admire your vids. So, yes: huzzah!

I'm guessing the POV thing wasn't just you -- actually, I think establishing the POV from those first verses was probably the biggest challenge of this vid for me; I lost count of how many drafts I went through there, really. So I'm really pleased to hear that on the next viewing it all came together.

Both the computer map and the words flashing onbeat were happy accidents -- I would have tried to have that happen, but they did it on their own! It was a little moment of joy in the middle of all the work. *g*

Again, thank you so very much for your lovely comment; it really made my day!