New BSG vid

[hazelk]

Title: Safe From Harm
Artist: Massive Attack
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica
Spoilers: Miniseries through to S3.04 (Exodus)
Characters/Pairings: President Roslin
Format: DivX
Size: 38.3 MB

Summary: Laura dreams

Big big thanks to laurashapiro for betaing.

Download:
DivX (Right click and Save Target As)

Lyrics
Midnight ronkers
City slickers
Gunmen and maniacs
All will feature on the freakshow
And I can't do nothing 'bout that, no
But if you hurt what's mine
I'll sure as hell retaliate

You can free the world you can free my mind
Just as long as my baby's safe from harm tonight

You can free the world you can free my mind
Just as long as my baby's safe from harm tonight

Tell us what it is dangerous
Friends and enemies I find it's contagerous
And they're spreading through your system like a virus
Yes the trouble in the end it makes you anxious

I was lookin' back to see if you were lookin' back at me
To see me lookin' back at you
I was lookin' back to see if you were lookin' back at me
To see me lookin' back at you

But if you hurt what's mine
I'll sure as hell retaliate
You can free the world you can free my mind
Just as long as my baby's safe from harm tonight
You can free the world you can free my mind
Just as long as my baby's safe from harm tonight



Short Notes
I had two ideas starting out with this vid, one that “what’s mine” for Laura was humanity and, two to use the image of the peace treaty blowing away in the wake of the Cylon bombs to represent the destruction of the colonies. Other than that and the narrative device of Laura dreaming her past and her future I more or less began at the beginning and let it flow from there.



Feedback all welcome

Comments

[par-avion.livejournal.com]

I don't have time to rewatch and comment in depth right now because I should have been asleep hours ago -- but this is very, very cool. I enjoyed it a lot and I will come back later to tell you more.

[par-avion.livejournal.com]

The opening was fantastic -- the intercutting between the paper flying around with Laura on the stretcher, combined with the music, was incredibly effective.

Excellent use of atypical images: "Known Cylon Agents", the wall of photos, the boots.

I love the push-in on Laura at 1:28 -- great synch with the music.

Great editing on the "I was lookin' back to see" section -- matching the eyelines, etc.

I really liked the whole thing, those are just some particular favorites. I love the idea of Laura vs. The Cylons, and the female vocalist with the intense guitars really worked for me.

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I'm so glad that opening worked, it's one of the rare times where the real thing looked just like my brain!vid. I knew I had to finish it as soon as I laid those clips on the timeline. I also realy enjoyed being able to use stuff like the boots and the mug shots, the show is full of those those sorts of things, it's a real gift. That and the characters, I love Laura her strength and her steeliness, how that developed over the course of the show and Shara Nelson's vocals really seemed to express that quality.

[kelinea.livejournal.com]

...It's very good...great ! I love it ! Thanks for sharing ;)

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Thank you :-)

[monsie.livejournal.com]

That was...excellent! Honestly... One of the best edited videos I've seen lately.

Well done!

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

::glows::

[theladylucilla.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

[yourlibrarian]

I was glad this didn't contain more recent material so I could watch it now and not get spoiled! I liked this a great deal, and am very glad it focused on Roslin who to me is such a marvelous character. This seems so apt for her, she was thrust into greatness but she seems to have a good understanding of her own role in things. Beautifully done.

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Yes, thrust into greatness, exactly. I didn't use the inauguration footage from the miniseries but rewatched it a lot while clipping and it's so clear the time when she realises she has to step up. I'm so glad if that came across from the vid, she's quite vulnerable in the early sections but grows stronger and harder from then on, taking on some of the qualities of the very thing she's fighting. A great female character.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Oh, it came together so *well*! The choruses are a lot stronger now, I think, and your ending really works.

I remain in awe of the movement in this vid, the way you took advantage of BSG's signature camerawork. The thing makes me drool. Go you!

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! But really :-)

Most of the changes came quickly but the ending was a struggle between downloading better source, teaching and drowning in mucus (annual flu bug). I had lots of ideas but they all seemed to lack something vital on screen. Then on Monday, popped up with Laura love from the episode, I tried something new and it just started to fall into place.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

I love it when it all comes together like that. (:

[txlsplash.livejournal.com]

I love it! Awesome work. I loved how the whole thing was so cohesive, tied together by the clips from Epiphanies. Great concept, and wonderfully executed!

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That episode was such a gift and I loved being able to exploit all the camerwork from the show.

[txlsplash.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, BSG is the best show to vid. Much fun.

[carla-scribbles.livejournal.com]

Oh, that was interesting, and it is making me think thoughts, but sadly I will need another rewatch or two to figure out what those are.

In the meantime, may I just point out that it is also just plain visually awesome.

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'd love to hear any thoughts, making the vid made me think a lot. But "awesome" is good too ::glows::

[aurora]

Oh wow, that was amazing. You have an amazing sense of timing. I loved the 'looking back at you - looking back at me' sequence.

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That was one of my favourite parts to make.

[dualbunny.livejournal.com]

This is fantastic! :D I adored the way you wove in the treaty--it was absolutely gorgeous. I loved how in the first few shots the shadows across her face look like they could be coming from the papers flying over her. The movement in this is to die for.

Everything is braided together so beautifully. Gaius as a snake was another perfect transition. I also love how through the whole vid you take scenes and transcend their original context and meaning so deftly and powerfully. Without ever negating that original context. Her dream for example.

The "I was looking back at you" section is inspired. I love this Roslin *so much*, along with the too-sharp world that she lives in. Gah--just love it all round--amazing work. :D

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad the juxtapositions worked, the dream format was really liberating. Oh and thank you for pointing out the shadows effect, that opening combination of shots was one of those times when you put it together it fits as well or better than it did in your head and I still hadn't fully figured out why, if that makes sense. Feedback is good :D

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

This is an absolutely gorgeous vid and I will be reccing it. 'Safe from harm' is one of my all-time favourite tracks and you've made this work for Laura so well. I saw obsessive24 mention that trip-hop is a huge challenge, and I can only imagine it must be so. I'm particularly impressed with how much movement you managed to pack into this vid. The effects were not intrusive, but really match the musical density of the track (if that makes any sense at all!).

I love the way this draws out the weight that Laura carries, her strong drive to protect her people, but without sinking into depressive reflection--rather there's a drive and an intensity to the vid, created by the power of the track and the strong imagery.

There's so much going on in this vid, it's sparked lots of meta-y thoughts for me. The integration of Gaius and the way Roslin sees the danger in him was wonderful. But a less immediate reflection I drew from the vid was the way freedom and violence are linked--whether deliberately or not, I thought that was a very interesting subtext to your vid. There have been so many explosive moments (often literally) that have thrust the human survivors forward (from the Olympic Carrier, through Pegasus, to the suicide bombings). There is loss in those moments, but also an escape or an opportunity, if temporary. And Roslin's desire to keep everyone 'safe' remains, despite the terrible sacrifices.

Beautiful work!

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I love Massive Attack and trip hop in general. I’m not sure if it’s particularly hard to vid, it is dense but I like that. I always figure if you can dance to it you can vid it, the two feel connected in some way. When I first had the idea for the vid I thought I was going to have to learn a whole bunch of special effects skillz to generate the kind of movement it would need but then it was all pretty much there in the source. I did get to play with different compositing functions for the overlays though and that was fun.

That’s a really interesting point about violence and freedom. Really interesting. When I was editing the final section, I did deliberately intercut the return to power with explosions and I also had in mind the similarity between the footage of her reclaiming Colonial One and Six marching in at the end of LDYB. It all relates to the tension between doing whatever it takes for the human race to survive and not losing its soul in the process that’s such a big theme of the show. Another thing I was thinking about, particularly with the Olympic Carrier, was how violence breeds violence and creates choices that would never otherwise have had to be faced. I also wanted to use the treaty, the Olympic carrier note, voting papers, the piece of paper that Duck took to the suicide bombing as a running motif because, Laura being a politician, her old world was built around agreements on bits of paper and the negotiations that they represent. Then the cylon attack was the complete antithesis to that world, just blew it away, war as the opposite of civilisation.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

it was all pretty much there in the source. I did get to play with different compositing functions for the overlays though and that was fun.
Oh, cool! I don't have a sharp enough eye to see what was effects and what was source--it all looked very slick to me.

the tension between doing whatever it takes for the human race to survive and not losing its soul in the process
Yes, that's exactly it!

violence breeds violence and creates choices that would never otherwise have had to be faced
I think that came through: I got a strong sense of Roslin having to come to terms with living in this violent world, where inevitably more violence would follow, and where, as you describe the civilised control of treaties, and democracy is being swept away. War as the opposite to civilisation is a great angle to take. I loved the way the floating pieces of paper were mirrored by Cylon raiders--both hang in space, can't be pinned down. There's a loss of control. Within that context, the violent explosions have a dual quality--they are both a return to control (a directed action), and a loss of control (giving in to the cycle of violence).

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly that ambiguity :-) There's an intoxicating aspect to war/violence/power that characters like Admiral Cain have completely succumbed to and everyone is tempted by. But it's not something you can 'just say no' to either because then they'll just shoot you down like a dog.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Here via galactica_vids

Absolutely amazing. Thank you.

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I love your icon :-)

[obsessive24.livejournal.com]

Ack! Ack ack ack! I watched this, was so bowled over that I had to set it on the "rec now, feedback later" pile (and believe me, there ain't many vids in that pile), and then life exploded and I just realised that I never got around to sending you feedback at all. Much apologies.

Even now I can't put the love into words. It's just too perfect, too amazingly executed to be broken down. I am only capable of loving it as a whole, which sounds like a cop-out but it really isn't. It's so rich and textured, as is your wont, and... gah. Words escape me completely at this point. I think it's by far your best work to date, which is saying A LOT.

My favourite part is the genius snake-shot of Balter, and the wonderful POV switch in the 3D vocal segment around the 1:50 mark. God, so awesome.

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Life is a black hole from which we emerge blinking from time to time :-) And I never thanked you for the rec.

It definitely felt like stepping up a gear with this one, adventures in overlays and I think it holds together as one thing much better than anything I've done before (so it's good that you don't break it down*g*).

[shadowscast.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. That was good. It gave me shivers.

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Shivers is good. Thank you :-)

[sextagteam.livejournal.com]

I loved this, pure Laura Roslin and the song selection was perfect for her. I saw a discussion the other day about Roslin as a female anti-hero and I think this vid really captures that aspect of her, not "good" in the traditional sense but she adheres to a code of her own and has the power to back it up. I especially loved the "if you hurt what's mine" sequences and the way you used clips of the white board, the fleet, etc... to illustrate what she's fighting for.

Favorite moments:
:28 - I love the way you set up Six and Roslin, especially the contrast between Six in a populated area and dream!Roslin all white and glowing in the forest alone.
1:28 - Love the push-in with the music here, Laura Roslin: kickin ass and takin names pretty much 24/7.
1:41 - I really like this clip of Roslin, mostly just cause it's pretty ;)
1:47 - Her shaking Baltar's hand on "virus" is so perfect.
2:08 - 2:13 - I really like this sequence.
2:44 - This clip of the fleet overlayed on her sleeping face really works well.

I love how powerful and complex Roslin is in the vid, makes me love her character even more. Thanks for posting!

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Detailed feedback, what every vidder dreams of :-)

A female anti-hero? Yes, she's not a "good woman" or a hero in the usual sense she's a politician and capable of some very cynical actions. But she's also become possibly the most self-aware character on the show and I love her for that.

:28 I've often felt she and Six have an affinity and I was trying to weave that into the mix although Baltar is the more immediate threat
1:28+1:41 Mary McDonnell has so many sides to her :-)
1:47 I was really happy with that shot and the way the motion carries over into the next clip
2:08-2:13 That second what's mine chorus was possibly the sectioon that went through the most changes but I was very happy in the end with the way Six's face appeared behind the ressurrection ship and the faint image of Billy
2:44 One of my favourite juxtpositions, it just turned out so pretty.

Thank you again for commenting!

[cordelianne.livejournal.com]

This is fantastic!! What a great song choice. The speed of the vid really worked well with these sense of dreaming and the blending of the past and present. Really enjoyed this! :D

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I really wanted to capture a sense of everything flashing past her while she dreams. The camerwork on BSG really lends itself to that.

[projectjulie.livejournal.com]

It's a travesty that I didn't see this vid until recently, when par_avion sat me down with it. I love it more and more each time I watch it -- it makes me FEEL the loss and the rage that Laura feels. It's particularly effective how you anchor the vid in her physical frailty, contrasting that with her ferocious power of spirit. Telling her story largely chronologically stitches a convincing case out of the escalating atrocities for a totally coherent and moving interpretation of Laura -- not making her actions justifiable, but certainly comprehensible. OH LAURA.

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

"I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king."

And now I don't know why I never thought of that line in connection with Laura Roslin before (Elizabeth 1 was a childhood heroine). Thank you!

[midwifeonboard.livejournal.com]

What an amazing vid! Really wonderful, creative editing, and a great take on Laura that I don't think has been done before.

[aycheb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! There really are too few Laura vids.