New Fanvid: Paint It Black (Sanctuary)

[grav_ity]

Every story has two sides.
Sometimes, they're both the same.

(Spoilers up to Pax Romana, warnings for Jack the Ripper)

Download

Paint it Black from emily johnston on Vimeo.

I had a lot of fun with this vid. Originally, it was going to be a gorefest. Then I realized that the bulk of John's violence takes place off camera. So I did a re-evaluation, during which time I accidentally discovered the cross-fade effect, and then there it was: two sides to every story. To that end, I tried to keep myself to two person scenes (mostly with success, I think. I only had to really cheat once).

Ever since artaxastra mentioned the Nesting Boxes in "Golden Apples", I've been kind of obsessed with the idea. Fortunately, the song I picked lends itself really naturally to a story, because it has an awesome rise and fall, and a fairly steady progression. So what I did with the story is go from (relative) stranger, to female relative (well, kind of), to James and Helen, to John himself, with a brief stop during the instrumental section to make you think it might end up being okay. Because it's never going to be okay.

As always, I learned things during this experience. I learned that vidding an invisible character is a pain in the ass. I love Clara, but man...NEVER AGAIN. I learned that while Christopher Heyerdahl delivers a lot of his lines without moving his mouth, he tends to move his mouth A LOT when he's emoting. So while there were huge long clips with complicated speeches that I could use, there were also great moments that I couldn't. Wacky times.

I also learned that I should probably stop making vids until I get less hung up on the literal content of the scene. The "I am nothing like you!" clip, for example, is thematically what I wanted, but it's also very obviously a talking head scene, and there's probably a better one somewhere. I did sub out the scene where Helen takes pills in Hong Kong, and replace it with John's faint in FK&C, but only after I replaced most of the James scenes on account of the talking. I left the "Oh shut up", though, because it's the only moment in the whole damn series where they two of them look genuinely happy.

All told, though? Not bad for a fourth effort. I'd love to know what you think.

Comments

[shadadukal]

I think this is an incredibly difficult song to vid and that you did a good job of it. All the thought you put into it shows. :)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It was nice to get back into vidding, if nothing else. I have a few more ideas, so it was nice to start with something I had a good picture of (well, sort of).

[icarus-chained.livejournal.com]

I love the hope spot during the instrumental phase, love what it does to you, just before ... well. Because that's what we do with John, isn't it? Hope and hope, and then. *smiles lopsidedly*

Excellent vid!

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I went back and changed the James clips this morning, so they were all "reaching" shots...and then I changed the Helen to match, and then all of a sudden I realize that it gets less violent towards the middle, only to go off the rails at the end.

I mean, I totally did all that on purpose. I am glad you appreciate the thought I put into story-telling, as it was exhaustive. ;)

[penknife.livejournal.com]

Oh, John. He's such a mess. And it would be easier not to empathize with him, because when you do, you have to think about how horrible his situation is for him. And yet it's worse for the people he happens to.

And I see what you mean about Helen/John/James. :-)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

He is an absolute train wreck. I really don't know how to deal with him.

And yes: Helen/John/James. I don't even know.

(I was thinking this morning that I would to read a fic where James and Helen are really depressed in the early 1890s and it's James who makes the first move, even though he's still not attracted to women or whatever; he's just angry and lonely and, dammit, Helen is there and he won't have to explain it to her.)

[penknife.livejournal.com]

(I was thinking this morning that I would to read a fic where James and Helen are really depressed in the early 1890s and it's James who makes the first move, even though he's still not attracted to women or whatever; he's just angry and lonely and, dammit, Helen is there and he won't have to explain it to her.)

Oh, yeah, I think that would totally work. (I think James is actually more likely than Helen to have made the first move, because I think Helen assumes by the 1890s that James really isn't attracted to her, and wouldn't push.)

And not having to explain is a big thing, because there's so much to explain. (I keep wanting to write James/A.E. Housman in which they knew each other at Oxford and briefly hook up at some point in the early 1890s, but it sort of makes me want to fling my hands over my face, because I know it will involve Housman saying some version of "I know you're really upset about your friend's suicide, because you secretly loved him," to which there is really no way for James to say "no, I'm really upset because he turned out to be Jack the Ripper and is actually probably still out there murdering innocent people.")

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

If they had normal people problems, they'd be a lot less fun. Fun to write, I mean. And watch. And think about.

Possibly we're all secretly cruel...

ETA: ooooh, maybe I'll expand that paragraph from "Communication" where James is trying to solve the Edinburgh murders and Helen burns his notes to make him stop obsessing.

[oboetheres.livejournal.com]

That? Was spectacular. And gut-wrenching, toward the end. *shivers*

I've already watched it a half a dozen times, and I'm sure I'll watch it more.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Thank you! This one definitely benefited from me sleeping on it last night. Once I shifted the James clips around, the whole thing took on an entirely new tone, and I really liked how it turned out.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

It's an excellent song for him, really. I love the linking of things like Helen shooting him and Helen catching him and curling under his arm--and the bit where she shies away from his hand.

...and, apparently, I never hit submit on my comment. whoops.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

That happens. ;)

As I said above, the whole vid changed when I shifted the James clips around, and I'm really pleased with where it ended up. The way the Helen clips tie together is one of my favourite parts of the whole thing.

Thanks!

[pirateveronica.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched the new ep yet - so I shall bookmark this and come back to it.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Cool!

[oparu.livejournal.com]

this really is all sorts of clever. You wove it well enough that the song could be written for John. Very very neat.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

It's also all sorts of accidental...but with fanvids I take what I get. ;)

(And, okay, some parts were on purpose, but mostly it was just fortune and a vision I've had in my head for about three months now.)

Thanks!

[artaxastra.livejournal.com]

This is really gorgeous! I just downloaded it to keep it. So good! I think you really captured something essential here.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Thanks! The more I watch it (because apparently while I can't reread my own fanfic, I can rewatch my vids), the more I like the simple route I took. I had envisioned something a lot choppier, on every beat instead of shifting back and forth across the lines. And it really, really all came together with those clips of James, which I hadn't even planned to include at all! I'm glad you liked it, and thanks again for such a wonderful review.

[sache8.livejournal.com]

Oooh, finally an excuse to use this icon. Since, you know, she's all violent and stuff. ;-)

I like the editing! Especially the strong contrast beats between the new and old cities at the beginning.

I don't know over half of what's going on, so I'm a little fuzzy on the storytelling, but you definitely get the scream of "dichotomy!!!"

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

but you definitely get the scream of "dichotomy!!!"

Then my work here is done! ;)

I'm really pleased with how the editing turned out, especially because I know all the places I cheated, and you can't really tell in the final product.

[sache8.livejournal.com]

By the way, did you happen to listen to the cover of this song that Siobhan Magnus recorded from last season of American Idol? Not sure it would have worked for you, but I just think it's funny because, you know, her last name is Magnus. ;-)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Um, no. If I make a Helen version, I had planned to use the Vanessa Carlton (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFu_sHcebTQ) version...but I shall check it out!

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

Oooh, yum. I mean, not in a "John is so disturbingly hot sort of way" (though that, too), but just a really wonderful vid that really gets at what I love about the character--that sounds REALLY WEIRD to say about Jack the Ripper, but I think you know what I mean. I love the little matching moments with everyone.

Plus, I LOVE THAT SONG.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

HEE! I often say things that sound weird on account of the JACK THE RIPPER aspect. ;)

I had a lot of fun picking the clip pairings. Well, actually it was kind of torturous after the first set until James was all "Hey! I have an idea!" and then everything worked out. Still: never vidding the Invisible Girl again!

I took youtube apart looking for a John vid to Paint it Black, and found NOTHING. So I made my own. Because REALLY.

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

It's a perfect song for him. I love it anyway, but... PERFECT SONG for him.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Yes. Yes it is.

[illyria12.livejournal.com]

This is amazing, I really love it

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Thank you!