tishaturk: (TV: Buffy)
[personal profile] tishaturk
One of the articles I'm working on right now is based on the presentation that I gave at the 2009 IP/Gender Symposium, in which I suggested some ways that narrative theory can help us think about vids as fair use of copyrighted material.

In the article, I mention Francesca Coppa's now well-known definition of a vid as "a visual essay that stages an argument." One of the advantages of this definition is that, to the extent that a given vid is an argument, it can be defended on the grounds of fair use—the same kind of fair use that allows me to quote from a novel when I write a review of it or an essay about it.

Now, I happen to think it's true that all vids are arguments, if only in the most basic sense. (For years, the textbook in my first-year composition class was Everything's An Argument.) But here's the thing: some vids are obviously arguments (vids like [personal profile] luminosity's "Vogue" and [livejournal.com profile] sisabet and [personal profile] luminosity's "Women's Work" come immediately to mind), and some vids are not so obvious. This is what Sarah Trombley's getting at in "Visions and Revisions" when she comments that "A fanvid which merely recapitulates the plot of a work or the development of a relationship between previously-existing characters is perhaps the least transformative use [of copyrighted material]" (665). And there are a lot of vids that seem to fall into this category of "mere recapitulation."

So one of the things I want to do in this article is talk about a couple of examples of vids that, although we might make a case for them as arguments, are not primarily or obviously argument-driven, and to talk about how those vids are nevertheless transformative works. The type of vid that immediately comes to mind for me is the celebratory vid, the vid that exists primarily to say "OMG MY SHOW" or "I LOVE THIS CHARACTER SO MUCH." (Celebratory vids tend to have a certain capslock quality to them.) The most recent example that comes to mind for me is [personal profile] fan_eunice's "Walking on Sunshine": I actually think that vid is making quite a few arguments about the new incarnation of the Doctor, the past and future direction of the show, etc. etc. etc., but when I watch it the overwhelming effect is, as [personal profile] fan_eunice puts it, "SQUEE in vid form."

I love celebratory vids—they make me happy, which is exactly what they're supposed to do—and so I have some possibilities in mind already. But I'm sure there are some I need to be reminded of, not to mention many that I've never seen in the first place, and I would love to expand my range of options! So please, tell me:

What are your favorite celebratory vids?

...or, really, your favorite vids that aren't primarily arguments—episodic vids, maybe, or a vid that, as Trombley says, "recapitulates the plot of a work or the development of a [canonical] relationship between previously-existing characters." Tell me about your own vids, other people's vids, whatever you want.

...now I want to watch "Walking on Sunshine" again.

Date: 2010-04-29 03:13 pm (UTC)
cereta: Me as drawn by my FIL (Hardison supports OTW)
From: [personal profile] cereta
One that comes to mind for me is "Start the Commotion" from 2009's Club Vivid. It's a Leverage Vid that can best be summed up as, "Hardison! Parker! Eliot! Hardison and Parker and Eliot and OMG HARDISON!"

Date: 2010-04-29 03:15 pm (UTC)
cereta: Hardison is awesome (Hardison)
From: [personal profile] cereta
And I just had to go watch it again ;).

Date: 2010-04-29 03:16 pm (UTC)
kass: Kaylee; "shiny." (kaylee)
From: [personal profile] kass
There may be something about the Doctor which inspires this sort of thing, because the first vid that comes to mind for me is [personal profile] laurashapiro's They Don't Know. It's possible that my lack of DW knowledge means I'm missing the vid's central argument, but as a viewer who's largely uninvolved with the fandom, my takeaway was "Squee! Shiny! &hearts!"

It also occurs to me that my unfinished Eric/Tami vid fits this bill -- it is primarily about my unending love for that canonical relationship and the characters who inhabit it -- and that that may be part of why I've never finished the vid: because it doesn't feel to me like it says enough. (Well, that and I don't think I can add S4 footage without the color palette feeling all wrong...)

Date: 2010-04-29 08:45 pm (UTC)
laurashapiro: The Doctor grab's Amy's hand as she holds the apple (amy and eleven)
From: [personal profile] laurashapiro
There may be something about the Doctor which inspires this sort of thing

There is, oh, there is!

And I have to chime in that I think "Mothership" actually works better than TDK for argument-free DW squee.

Date: 2010-04-29 11:21 pm (UTC)
laurashapiro: a woman sits at a kitchen table reading a book, cup of tea in hand. Table has a sliced apple and teapot. A cat looks on. (Default)
From: [personal profile] laurashapiro
I won't make you do anything. (: I'm sure you don't need my help, anyway -- you have an embarrassment of riches here already!

Date: 2010-04-29 03:40 pm (UTC)
cofax7: climbing on an abbey wall  (Default)
From: [personal profile] cofax7
I think one of my most favorite celebratory vids is "One Girl Revolution", which okay it makes an argument, but it also just makes me HAPPY. Makes me want to run out and have an adventure.

Date: 2010-04-29 03:45 pm (UTC)
giandujakiss: (Default)
From: [personal profile] giandujakiss
I'd say O24's OMG!, about the Doctor Who companions, or her Freestyler, about Smallville's Green Arrow (although the latter, I firmly believe, is actually about penis insecurity, so maybe it doesn't belong on this list....) Also bananainpyjamas's Intergalactic Friends also Smallville, and which also has a point about the comic book relative to the show, but I'm not really into the comics (or the show, that much, for that matter), so mostly I just go - shiny!!

Date: 2010-04-29 04:30 pm (UTC)
deathisyourart: (TEXT - Spoil Me And You Die)
From: [personal profile] deathisyourart
The first one that comes to mind are [personal profile] kiki_miserychic's I'm on a boat. That is pure SQUEE in a bottle right there!

There is also [personal profile] pipsqueaky's Steal My Sunshine, and [profile] halcyon_shift's Summer in the City. Both of which simply re-tell canon.

Date: 2010-04-29 04:30 pm (UTC)
klia: (party hats)
From: [personal profile] klia
I adore jarrow's Paul McCartney (Will & Grace) and Give it Up ('80s movies), and killa and tzikeh's Puttin' on the Ritz.

Date: 2010-04-29 05:05 pm (UTC)
cathexys: dark sphinx (default icon) (Default)
From: [personal profile] cathexys
I tend to go to multi vids for my squee. For the longest time my go-to was always Laura's Wouldn't it be nice (which kinda clearly has an argument). For a while it was Hot Hot Hot (which we've seen getting analyzed extensively :). Jarrow's Give it Up is definitely a favorite right now as is counteragent's Ladies Night.

Date: 2010-04-30 12:25 am (UTC)
cathexys: dark sphinx (default icon) (Default)
From: [personal profile] cathexys
OMG, Destiny Calling. How could I forget that???

And yes, squee CAN be the argument. Several of my other fave squee multi vids were ones that were too clearly arguments: Us, I'm Your Man, One Night Fandoms, Uncommercial Song, ...

Date: 2010-04-29 08:10 pm (UTC)
par_avion: (buffy stake OTP)
From: [personal profile] par_avion
Celebratory vids (not surprisingly) work best for me when I share the enthusiasm for the fandom. The first one that comes to mind is JS and AAR's Silence vid. It was made as a farewell to BtVS, and is an overview including eps from S1 leading up to (but not including) Chosen. I was madly in love with this vid when it came out and rewatched it constantly in the summer of 2003.

It doesn't seem to be online anymore -- their site was any-time-soon. I can try to find my copy or contact [livejournal.com profile] ascian and [livejournal.com profile] pukajen for more info.

The other BtVS overview that I really enjoy is [livejournal.com profile] river_boat's Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Abridged. (Apparently her vids are down again (i.e. at the new site), but you've probably seen it. If you want me to dig up a copy, let me know.)

Both of these vids are basically saying "Remember when this happened? And that? And wasn't it awesome?"
Edited Date: 2010-04-29 08:12 pm (UTC)

Date: 2010-04-29 11:39 pm (UTC)
stultiloquentia: Campbells condensed primordial soup (Default)
From: [personal profile] stultiloquentia
The Yuletide vid!! That's the one the leaps to mind right away; I'll go off and look through the rest of my bookmarks in a minute. But really, "One Night Fandoms" is perfect, because it is absolutely primarily celebratory, but also transformative in so many ways. It does make arguments. You could write essays about it ([personal profile] thingswithwings and [personal profile] eruthros did). And I think it's a great one for an article or presentation, because it has so many great visual puns.

Date: 2010-04-29 11:55 pm (UTC)
stultiloquentia: Campbells condensed primordial soup (Default)
From: [personal profile] stultiloquentia
[personal profile] dualbunny's I'll Be There for You (Black Books), [profile] mamoru22's "A Little Less Conversation" (Boston Legal), [personal profile] destina's To Touch the Face of God (space flight), Nibikko and dragonfly's I Love the World (Stargate). Huh, I could go on and on.

Date: 2010-04-30 12:38 am (UTC)
vonniek: (DW: doctor and Martha)
From: [personal profile] vonniek
Big Red Boat!

... that seems to be my answer to most vid-related questions (unless the question is something like "which vids worked best to CRUSH YOUR SOUL" or something.)

Destina's "Did You" (SG-1), with its OMG TEAMness for SG fans of all persuasions.

Killa's "Magic Carpet Ride" (Firefly)

Charmax's Pushing Daisies vids, but especially "Modern Nature," a vid that recaps Ned/Chuck relationship in a fashion so perfectly in tune with the quirky sensibility of the show that it's a bit uncanny.

Date: 2010-04-30 04:44 am (UTC)
charmax: (Default)
From: [personal profile] charmax
I never pass up the opportunity to rec "Macedonian Getaway" (Xena) everything that was awesome about Xena is distilled into a few minutes of pure celebration.

I also second the rec for "Here it goes back again" (Back to the future, Festivid).

Date: 2010-05-01 06:35 pm (UTC)
thuviaptarth: golden thuvia with six-legged lion (Default)
From: [personal profile] thuviaptarth
[livejournal.com profile] cherryice's Tamacun, whose primary purpose seems to be to make the viewer want a six-legged flying bison of her very own.

Date: 2010-04-29 03:15 pm (UTC)
juniperphoenix: Fire in the shape of a bird (Default)
From: [personal profile] juniperphoenix
One of my favorites is the recent Here It Goes Back Again by thingswithwings (Back to the Future). It's one of the most fun vids I've seen in ages.

I also love The Long Spear by jmtorres, niqaeli, et al. (Star Trek), which makes more of an argument than "Here It Goes..." but is still essentially a celebration of the long history of Trek and Trek fandom.

Date: 2010-04-29 11:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com
I know The Long Spear, but not Here It Goes Back Again; I'll check that one out. Thanks for providing the link!

Date: 2010-04-29 04:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rhoboat.livejournal.com
[livejournal.com profile] di_br's Tenth Doctor: The Musical (http://di-br.livejournal.com/273805.html) has been making the rounds over the past week and a half in Doctor Who fandom. It maybe be almost 7 minutes, but it sure doesn't feel like it. :D

Date: 2010-04-29 11:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com
Oooh, I haven't seen that one; I will definitely watch! (There's some speculation over in the comments on Dreamwidth that Doctor Who lends itself to this kind of vid even more than other shows. Clearly I will have to test this theory...)

Date: 2010-04-29 08:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] littleheaven70.livejournal.com
My immediate thought is [livejournal.com profile] jarrow's Paul McCartney, which is pure Will & Grace squee. I tend to enjoy celebratory vids the most, because for me they are the purest expression of fandom joy.

Date: 2010-04-29 11:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tishaturk.livejournal.com
That's a great one; thank you!

Date: 2010-04-30 05:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jarrow.livejournal.com
Aww, thank you! ♥

Date: 2010-04-30 07:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] littleheaven70.livejournal.com
You're welcome! Thank you for such a cool vid. It was a big influence on me when I did my CVV vid for this year (which I just finished on Tuesday) - I tried very hard to capture that slightly wacky sense of fun :o)

Date: 2010-05-05 07:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kalichan.livejournal.com
An older one in QaF fandom is [livejournal.com profile] f1renze's Affirmations (http://f1renze.livejournal.com/41249.html). The song kinda lends itself to it though, there's one in Doctor Who/Torchwood fandom too by [livejournal.com profile] butterfly here (http://butterfly.dreamwidth.org/1152896.html) (streaming doesn't work, but the download does.

Also in DW/TW: Love is all you need (http://such-heights.livejournal.com/116091.html) by [livejournal.com profile] such_heights and by sectionDOTone, Banned from Argo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu4mFV3TxTo").

Also, kind of an angsty, slow, guilty, id-stroking squee, but this Smallville one: Because I knew you (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVNIjNGldQw) by littlehollyleaf.
Edited Date: 2010-05-05 07:46 pm (UTC)

Profile

tishaturk: (Default)
Tisha Turk

January 2019

S M T W T F S
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
202122232425 26
2728293031  

Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags