Monday, August 30, 2010

Vividcon 2010 Premieres

Summer really is convention season for me, I went to two in August and I'm currently madly prepping for Dragon*Con which is this coming weekend. I thought I'd be done after this, but I just found out that there's a new con, New England Comic Con, in Boston October 15-17, so I'll probably be at that.

As some of you may recall, I left this year's Vividcon early to be in a wedding party, and I missed the Saturday night Premieres event, "the Oscars of vidding" (though it's premieres and not an awards show, so really sundance or cannes would be a better analogy, I think). This weekend I finally sat down with a friend and watched all of the Premieres vid show in one go. These forty vids were all brand new, finished weeks or months early but not shown or distributed publicly until this event. It's really quite neat to be at the world premiere of anything, in my opinion, and I loved Premieres last year. There's two main ways to watch premieres at Vividcon, you can watch in the utterly silent (except laughter) formal viewing room, where people are only allowed to enter or leave between vids except in an emergency, or you can watch in the overflow room, where talking is allowed. I was right up front in the formal room last year, my first time at Vividcon. I mostly had a great time, but it might be a bit more intense than I want next year, I'm not sure what I'll do. I watched this year's premieres in my living room with a friend, and we were pretty quiet during serious vids that we liked, and laughed heartily during funny vids, and were vocal about our confusion during the strange ones.

So, about those vids! I didn't have my program near me this time, and while I had read through what was listed at the con, I had forgotten most details. Normally when I watch a vid I have to actively seek it out, so I know exactly what I am getting. At the con, I constantly check my program. This time, I just put the DVD in, and sometimes the vid began by telling me what the source was, and sometimes it didn't! It was very different. I think in the future I would like to have the program available for when I am confused and would like to know the source, but I'd also like to make myself stop obsessively checking it, because being surprised can be nice.

Here are some links to some of the vids. Starting with the more humorous ones and moving into more serious vids. Enjoy! If you like the vids, leave a comment! Livejournal takes open id.

  • "I Just Can't Wait To Be King", Stark Trek
    http://lcsbanana.livejournal.com/1990920.html

    I've seen a lot of vids to songs from "The Lion King", and this one still made me laugh. Oh, Kirk. :-)


  • "Because I'm Awesome", Glee
    http://anoel.livejournal.com/117488.html

    I love Glee, and I love Kurt, and this vid is a quick, fun romp through the life of everyone's favorite gay teenager in Ohio show choir. :-)


  • "When I'm up I can't get down again", Takin' Over the Asylum
    http://deejay.livejournal.com/188291.html

    This is the one vid I saw before Vividcon, which made me feel special of course. :-) (Vidders are always allowed and encouraged to get feedback on their vids before they release them). Do you love David Tennant, lately of Doctor Who? Then watch him in his first major role, from all the way back in 1994, as a young bipolar man in a Scottish mental institution. I plan to watch the whole miniseries eventually.


  • "I like you so much better when you're naked", Smallville
    http://sisabet.livejournal.com/400373.html

    So, I've never watched any Smallville (outside of vids), though I think the Vividcon DVDs and my friends might be conspiring to change that. (I hear season nine is really good?) I know hardly anything about the show outside of the standard Superman canon, and that Lex and Clark are ridiculously slashy, at least in the early seasons. (And on that topic, one of the vidders of this premiered another vid at Club Vivid, Clark/Lex and "Bad Romance", primarily Smallville but drawing from lots of other Superman properties. It's fabulous, and I am reminded how compelling villians are for me... )This vid is totally fun and had me bouncing, and just seeing the title again put the song back in my head, which hasn't happened with anything else from premieres. And I've only heard the song once, ever!


  • "CITIHALL*", Futurama
    http://bradcpu.livejournal.com/123653.html

    Wow. Brad took a long song, that is mostly spoken word, and really complicated, and he made a vid that matched up to that better than I would have thought possible. I am really impressed. (My other favorite vid to a Tenacious D song is here)


  • "Ada", Inglorious Basterds
    http://braver-creature.livejournal.com/15702.html

    A lot can, and has, been said about the women that Quentin Tarantino creates, how they interact with violence, and with men, lots of really interesting things. Right now, what I have to say is that Shoshana is awesome and I would have gladly watched her story without all that Brad Pitt stuff. Warning, this does spoil almost the entire movie, but it's beautiful.


  • "I Can't Hear the Music", Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
    http://settiai.livejournal.com/1379002.html

    It's been years since I watched DS9, but I loved that show so much. This is a portrait of Kai Winn, her flaws and her desire, her path throughout the whole show. DS9 has had a minor resurgence in my corner of fandom lately, and I really need to rewatch some of it.


  • "Becoming Brothers", Friday Night Lights
    http://kassrachel.livejournal.com/834852.html

    Do you watch Friday Night Lights? I will have to write a big post on it some day, because it's just fabulous, and I swear on everything, you don't need to like football for this show, and if it's not the kind of show you normally watch, that's a major reason you should watch. Oh, show of my heart! Here is a lovely vid about this amazing show. Watch it, then let's chat. :-)


  • "Stay Awake", multiple sources.
    http://laurashapiro.livejournal.com/304845.html

    This one is creepy and poignant and I love it. It's about women, and fertility and the womb, and... just watch this one, and tell me (and laurashapiro!) what you think!



  • "Bloodbuzz Ohio", Breaking Bad
    http://f1renze.livejournal.com/219264.html

    People have been telling me for awhile that I need to see Breaking Bad, and I vaguely intended to do so someday, but this vid just grabbed ahold of me and would not let go. I didn't quite cry, but I am not sure this show will make me cry when I watch it... in the very near future.



There are so many good vids in there, but the hour is late and the laptop power is low, so I shall bid you farewell for now. Watch vids!