|
Post by legoline on Dec 3, 2011 7:00:22 GMT -5
I think short statements like 'I'm sorry' or 'I love you' are really easy to understand and can absolutely work in context of the lyrics or the conveyed emotions of the face. I agree with this. I think shorter, clear statements in context with the song can work nicely. I think it was counteragent who did the "History of Vidding" vid? There's this one line in the song which is a repetitive "Now!" and the clip used for that bit is from the Buffy season three finale where Buffy rises to her feet (I think) and says "Now!", and it just fits the song so well. It was genius. I do think, however, that talkyface scenes should be easily recognisable, like well-known and loved key scenes and moments that everyone in fandom immediately knows where to place. The more "emotional value" the scene has the better. I guess it also really depends what you're vidding about. If, for example, you wanted to point out that a certain character gets pushed around, told off and commanded by her friends/superiors/family/whoever, it would probably be hard to avoid talky faces...?
|
|
|
Post by voodoochild on Dec 3, 2011 12:48:39 GMT -5
I've been following this discussion because it's fascinating, but haven't contributed because I'm still in the middle of my first vid. It's been good knowing the "rules", so to speak, and learning what works and what doesn't.
So, talkyface:
I like how legoline put this. On some points, I agree it's best to slay the talkyface monster, and go straight for the emotion/movement you want for the point you're trying to make. I'd been talking about that with mswyrr and obsessive24 in my WIP thread - hitting emotional beats by constructing them myself instead of relying on scene content and knowledge of the show.
But there are certain bits where I think talkyface works. There's a bit in my vid (a Boardwalk Empire vid, set to the Indelicates' "America") where POV Character Jimmy's mother Gillian leans in and whispers into his ear. The fact that she's whispering isn't important; it's the very-important scene where she won't allow Jimmy to get out of killing someone. What she's whispering is "it's already done", and it's ultimately the scene that reveals the extent of her control over him. And it ties into the lyric "it must be America", where he's made his choice - Gillian, the Turks, the gangster life over Nucky, Angela, home and family.
eunice, how does the viewer know if/when the vidder is being deliberate or not? If a viewer don't know the fandom the vidder is vidding in, what comes off as "laying down a very long clip just because it fills up a space" might actually be "deliberately resting on an image for emotional or tension-building impact". Do you think there's a way to emphasize or highlight this to viewers who might not be familiar with the source material?
|
|
|
Post by astarte on Dec 3, 2011 13:20:05 GMT -5
Actually I think fans of the show/movie are often more impatient that a vid moves on so to speak, because they know the source well enough to place clips instantly. Deliberation for me means, if a blink or head movement is timed to the music. Even very still shots or close ups convey a sense of movement, like seeing a character break down internally, tears or smiles forming or a realization hitting home. Or leaning in for a kiss. No clip is completely static in that sense and especially none that is considered for this kind of long tension-building.
|
|
|
Post by franzeska on Dec 3, 2011 14:35:06 GMT -5
eunice, how does the viewer know if/when the vidder is being deliberate or not? If a viewer don't know the fandom the vidder is vidding in, what comes off as "laying down a very long clip just because it fills up a space" might actually be "deliberately resting on an image for emotional or tension-building impact". Do you think there's a way to emphasize or highlight this to viewers who might not be familiar with the source material? I think there can be cases where the vid is just always going to work better for the familiar viewer and you have to rely on pretty editing in the rest of it to carry the unfamiliar one through those particular clip choices. Familiar tropes can help though. Cars driving off into the sunset, boats heading out to sea, people walking away--together or apart: there are some kinds of shots that are always a thousand times more significant in the source but where the unfamiliar viewer can guess what kind of context they originally happened in.
|
|
|
Post by voodoochild on Dec 3, 2011 20:47:42 GMT -5
*nods* Thanks for the explanation, astarte.
franzeska, I agree. I think those clip choices are some of the best, because they work for both types of viewer.
|
|