A very small selection of my favourite vids
For a long time I refrained from making a vid recs list, because there are a lot of talented vidders out there, with a vast body of amazing work, and if I made a list then I'll have to discriminate between a lot of wonderful vids, not to mention all the great ones out there that I haven't gotten around to seeing.
So this isn't a full list of vids that I love and admire - that would go on forever and I wouldn't be able to keep up to date. (Check my LJ vid recs tag for frequently updated recs.) The following is only a small selection of vids that mean a lot to me personally. They are the ones that have completely knocked me flat over the years, and the ones that I still find myself constantly returning to for inspiration, cowering in awe.
I hope you enjoy looking through these and, if any of them end up affecting you as much as they did me, then please leave the vidder some feedback. I know they would appreciate that. Some of these vids require logins or passwords, and they are certainly worth the added effort.
Listed alphabetically by vidder.
AbsoluteDestiny
The Gentle Art of Making Enemies (Oldboy)
Too Much Light in This Bar (Life on Mars)
AbsoluteDestiny is the best vidder I've seen in terms of matching visuals to audio, and his technical expertise is unparalleled. When you're watching his vids, they always look exactly the way the music sounds - so much so that you can't quite believe these vids are created by human hands. The Gentle Art of Making Enemies was the first of his vids I've seen; and Too Much Light in This Bar is a more recent effort that, on top of the amazing editing, also showcases his impeccable skills at comic lyric interpretation.
AsukaBulma
Die Another Day (Noir - AMV)
It's so easy to go overboard on pointless effects, and this vid is the perfect example of how to use audacious, in-your-face editing and effects without having the vid explode in a flurry of self-indulgent incoherence. The effects in here reflect a very deliberate decision as to style, and I love the way some of the effects completely echo the sound of the audio. It's a beautifully-paced action AMV to boot.
Bradcpu
Living Dead Girl (Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, Faith character)
Brad is the undisputed king of masterful clip choice and connection. When it comes to character connections or metaphors, he constantly sees what no one else sees - and he presents it all in a way that makes you wonder how on earth you could have missed it. Breathtaking pieces of editing in their own right, but with Brad's vids you also know you can always dig deeper into layer after layer of symbolism and tremendous context-based argument. Living Dead Girl, my favourite Buffyverse vid ever, is a perfect demonstration of his skills and insight.
Charmax
No Bravery (Troy)
Protège Moi (Supernatural)
Charmax never ceases to amaze me with her chameleon-like ability to change her style perfectly in accordance with each different subject matter, and she just keeps upping her game when it comes to tech advances. In No Bravery, emotion is in the foreground, and the editing is subtle and powerful, with beautifully-timed moments of internal motion; Protège Moi flows like a dream and boasts amazing colour effects.
Fabella
The Boy Was a Puppet (Harry Potter 1-4, Harry character)
Documentary (It's Been A While) (real-person slash, Chad Michael Murray/Jared Padalecki/Jensen Ackles)
Me, I'm a Thief (Invisible Man, Fawkes character, Fawkes/Hobbes)
Trying to choose some vids out of Fabella's body of work is like pulling teeth. She is amazingly creative and each new vid is sure to mark some hitherto-unknown territory. The Boy Was a Puppet and Thief blew me away with their use of parallels, imagery, and overwhelming emotional weight, and Documentary really feels like it went where no other vid has gone.
Fluxmeister
Eternal Damnation (Hellsing - AMV)
This vid was my introduction to the amazing fiddly cutting that goes on in anime vids. I love the way the cutting addresses two layers of audio simultaneously - very quick, on-beat cuts in accordance with the rhythm section, and intercutting between longer, slow-mo scenes to address the underlying melody and strings. For me, this vid is also demonstrative of some general stylistic differences between AMVs and live-action vids.
Here's Luck
New Frontier (Serenity)
Thistledown Tears (Firefly)
I didn't really understand the meaning of "motion" until I started watching Here's Luck's vids. Thistledown Tears is an unbelievable showcase of continued motion and amazing pace, while New Frontier remains my favourite vid ever because it's... well, perfect. There's just no other word to describe it.
Killa and Laura Shapiro
Not Only Human (The X-Files, Scully character)
This is one of those vids that I find myself returning to time after time, because there is so much there, so many layers simmering beneath the surface. This vid is a slow burn - all the symbolism, the parallels and metaphors, they creep upon you gradually instead of hitting you in the face all at once. In addition, some of the transitions are simply out-of-this-world.
Shallot and Speranza
A Day in the Life Of (Dead Zone)
I've never seen Dead Zone and this vid remains an unbelievable head trip no matter how many times I watch it. It goes through so many fractured narratives, so many shifts in mood and pace, that you never quite know where you stand. The ending is one of the most (if not the most) memorable endings I've ever seen in a vid.
Sisabet
Without You I'm Nothing (Smallville, Clark/Lex)
Icebound Stream (Due South, Fraser/Victoria)
For me, Without You I'm Nothing is the epitome of the Angsty Slash Video. It takes canon and morphs it effortlessly into something that is almost-AU but continues to work on a canonical level. The unbelievable intensity of this vid, the way brightness/contrast effects are used to add to, instead of detract from, the overall build-up of mood and pace, is absolutely spine-chilling. Conversely, Icebound Stream is all about a sense of movement, of beautiful flow and amazing use of external footage.
Home