Nutty and I had a nice conversation with Shalott at Worldcon, I hadn't known about the series or I would have congratulated her.

(I forgot that she'd written that story, as we happened to be talking about vidding and how different it is from fic. I met her again a different day, and her husband gave me this hilarious pulp crime reader -- first chapters of trashy novels being put back into print for the trashy edification and joy of readers everywhere.

(At the vid show she did, someone failed to propagate broadly the information that the Star Trek episode showing would not be till 6:30, so halfway in the room filled up with, er, an atypical audience for vids. She laughed later about showing "Razzle Dazzle" and a lot of heads starting to nod: "Ah, THIS I know how to think about!" She tried not to scare them too much with her selections.)

I've been having thoughts lately about vids, and accessibility of same. Because I've shown some to some people and gotten some nonplussed responses. And I wonder how much of that is due to the increased sophistication of vidding, the new tools and the symbolism/thematic stuff going on that isn't evident on a first viewing.

It feels like there are very different audiences for some kinds of vids, and that a lot of vidders are mostly talking to each other.

Which isn't, I admit, all that different from the ficwriting community, where the stories that get the most applause aren't necessarily as accessible to the average fan-on-the-street. But it feels like a difference that is growing in magnitude somehow.

Were the people you were showing them to in fandom? Or "just" fans?

I figured stuff that looked like even slightly like a music video would be more accessible, rather than less.

The only non-fan I've shown vids was a filmmaker, so he was quite fascinated.

It feels like there are very different audiences for some kinds of vids, and that a lot of vidders are mostly talking to each other.

I agree, to a point. I've seen some really interesting conversations about Vividcon vids versus Escapade vids and so on, and I think the kind of thing that comes out of Vividcon is on average less accessible to your average viewer. Of course, it tends to have more depth, too, so that's your tradeoff right there.

But a lot of the folks who I think of as the creme de la creme of vidding are about the vid more than they're about the source, which I think leads to less-accessible stuff. I saw a couple of people in Vividcon reports saying that they were disappointed the audience hadn't been more open to vids from source that isn't traditionally fannish--I'm particularly thinking of a couple of people saying that about a Deadwood vid. Which is... well, I had no familiarity with the source. And you can carry that off sometimes, but my response to that vid was "crap, look at all the bearded white guys who I can't tell apart," and if I can't even get a grip on the story being told--which I couldn't--I can't get a grip on the vid. (Unless it's a "look, pretty pictures!" vid.)

I think that there is a huge difference between watching a vid for a show you know, and watching a vid for one you don't. I'm often left with a "Pretty... but mystifying" sense, when I watch vids for shows I don't know; whereas I know the symbol system, the relationships, the emotional and visual "syntax" of other vids before the vid starts.

For example, the K/S "Closer" video is disturbing because it's a wilful misinterpretation of the text, that still works. If you come from Darkest Manitoba and don't know a thing about Star Trek, you'd probably find it less disturbing on the textual level (although still plenty disturbing on the plot level). It's one of those especially sophisticated vids that tells a story in pure visual format, so that it is still comprehensible to the ST-ignorant, but I imagine it's a lot more meaningful the more you know the situation of that meaning.

A vid that doesn't have that specific story sensibility would be even harder for the non-fan to grasp, because there's so much more work in pulling meaning out of the choices of edits.

In case you're still wondering how the world will be ruled after the apocalype:

There was a time after the debacle and during the very confusing period that followed, when it was thought the former Nations of the World could be reestablished and repopulated. Given the small amount of people left in the Planet as a whole, less than 10,000, it proofed more feasible to bring everyone together and completely readjust humanity to individually fit each person. After much discussion and examination of the facts, it was decided King Paul’s realm was the least affected portion of the globe and thus the perfect Utopia. The Subjects straggled in from parts unknown, they were incorporated into this new society, the dome was finished and on this day the New World was born. Jubilation ruled throughout.

***

The young man was despondent and beyond himself with grief

He's so far beside himself, he's beyond himself.

Michael didn’t answer, then his father added, “Every vile containing her memory has been reinserted into her Michael, but she has only fluttered her eyes once.”

Maybe it's because you've been inserting viles into her Michael.

it proofed more feasible

Ahahahahahahaha!

King Paul’s realm

Pope John Paul doesn't sound bad, but for some reason, King Paul sounds redneck. Like you'd go down to King Paul's Realm for ribs and a little bit of redneck renfaire goodness.

Like you'd go down to King Paul's Realm for ribs and a little bit of redneck renfaire goodness.

It's a good thing Client Support's at lunch, because I just wheezed.

and completely readjust humanity to individually fit each person.

How, exactly, does one go about re-adjusting humanity? It's not like humanity is an old skirt you can eek out a little longer by re-sewing the hem line.

(edited because t cite doesn't work here. Too long on lj...)