So, the Escapade reports have been trickling down in LJ-land so I went and downloaded the McKay/Sheppard vid by Danvers everyone has been squeeing about (destina linked to it here in case anyone is interested) and... huh. Am I missing something? I *like* the pairing, I see good chemistry between the two (although I'm not as squeetastic about them as some other people) and have even read a few M/S stories and loved them, but this vid--there's nothing happening there. The song is nice and evocative and it's a really good-looking vid, but the whole vid is just alternating face shots of McKay and Sheppard looking intense and vaguely angsty and sort of constipated. I understand it's a relationship vid, but it's a relationship in a vacuum--there's little backstory (well, OK, one shot of Atlantis ravaged by the storm) and no other characters from Atlantis on the vid, and I'm sitting there going, "what did I miss?"

I do remember there was a discussion after the first Vividcon a couple of years back (or was is from an Escapade vid show?) about the backlash from the people who felt like the whole ethos of con, the emphasis on relationship and on slash in particular, got shortcharged by the vidders who were more into techniques than portrayal of relationships. Coming from the other side, I guess I fall into the camp that's no longer happy with a straightforward relationship vid, because I just... wanted more.

Anyhow. Just thinking out loud and didn't want to go blabbering in people's squee space and harsh their mellow.

I've downloaded it, but I was holding off until after the season was done because I understand it's got shots from the finale. Am I being overcautious?

I haven't watched it for the same reason.

Am I being overcautious?

Well, if you've watched the latest episode ("The Brotherhood"), you probably can guess that Wraiths are about to mount an attack on Atlantis. There is a shot of wraith ships advancing on the planet at the beginning, but other than that, I don't think there is much spoilerish material in the vid.

Actually, Sal posted about the vid on her LJ, and reading it, I realize that most of the clips from the last 20 seconds or so are from "The Siege" and you may need a context of those episodes to be able to appreciate the vid better.

Hmm. I've watched the season finale, and the vid still did nothing for me. I think a large part of it is that there's a disconnect between the kind of relationship the vidder was trying to convey there (intense, tortured, afraid for each other) and the one in my head (snarktastic banter-filled adversarial married couple thang.) Plus, in my head, McKay and slo-mo are unmixy things.

I'm sitting there going, "what did I miss?"

Huh. Dunno. It could be a case of people dancing around gleefully when someone makes a vid that doesn't completely suck when there's a dearth of vids in their fandom or pairing of choice.

It allows people to use the vid for pimping ("See, this is what they look like! Aren't they CUTE?!") while also not being of such high quality to discourage others from trying (like, say, that simultaneous squee and self-esteem nosedive thing I do when shalott does something fabulous in one of my writing fandoms) to vid the pairing/fandom themselves.

It allows people to use the vid for pimping

Begging the question...What are the all-time best vids for pimping a particular fandom?

What vid would you use to pimp Farscape?

Birgit's Adiemus, which is all about the pretty and doesn't require knowledge of the source. Um, I think the funny Holding Out For A Hero one was Birgit too, come to think of it, and that'd be another good one--very accessible.

What vid would you use to pimp Farscape?

"Right Here, Right Now" by Tazey (scroll down to near the end of the page). Good introduction to each character at the beginning, wonderful driving beat, tons of energy, looks gorgeous, with lots of ass-kicking and angst without being *too* spoilery--it has John's twinning, but not any of the major deaths, I think.

What are the all-time best vids for pimping a particular fandom?

Seah & Margie are the best pimps for little-heard fandoms. I think "Haunted" (for Odyssey 5) and "Big Red Boat" (for Joan of Arcadia) are pretty difficult to beat as pimping vids go. I know a lot of people swear by "Solisbury Hill" for Stargate SG-1. Oh! And Here's Luck's Wonderfalls vid, "Window of Opportunity".

Edited to provide links.

What are the all-time best vids for pimping a particular fandom?

Depends on the level of knowledge of the pimp-ee, I guess...

For total newbies, the vids which usually provoke a "I need to know what that is!!!" reaction are usually incredibly intense, with slick editing, vibrant colors, and just enough narrative structure to hook the viewer. Comedy can also work, so long as it's funny out of the show's context.

As for specifics... well, I'm at work, and thus away from all my resources. May chime in later.

What vid would you use to pimp Farscape?

Where's Consuela? I think she's seen more Farscape vids than I have...