Yeah, the whole vidwatching aspect of vidding is something I want to discuss in more detail in future work too. This essay is about some of the preliminary behind-the-scenes work, as it were -- all the fannish activity that doesn't necessarily have to do with vids, because it happens anyway, but it lays the groundwork for how vidders vid and how vidwatchers interpret. I'm still trying to figure out how to talk about what we actually DO when we watch -- not just what we have to know, but how we connect the various dots of what we know.
The question of what kinds of vids play well at VVC and what kinds of vids we THINK will play well at VVC (which are not necessarily the same thing) is a really interesting one. VVC is certainly a very particular audience; because we're all fans of vids, and an unusually high percentage of the audience is very well versed in vids and vidding history outside their own personal fandoms, I think there are really good reasons for wanting to showcase work that might not have a large audience elsewhere (for any of a variety of reasons, including but not limited to extreme thinkiness). Seah and Margie's "Haunted" always comes to mind for me: almost nobody at VVC 2003 had seen Odyssey 5, and yet that vid was The Vid Of The Con. I probably wouldn't have watched it if I hadn't been at VVC, because hey, Not My Fandom -- but as soon as I saw it it became, and remains, one of my favorite vids.
The flip side of that is that unless they're vidding in the very biggest fandoms, vidders can't assume that the entire audience will know their show or be on board with their 'ship or otherwise be able to fill in the emotional blanks. I mean, I think the Premieres audience DOES sometimes do that, and I think 'ship vids can go over very well at VVC, whether recruiter vids or nostalgia vids; I remember a few years back, when anoel made that very sweet Duncan/Methos vid, a lot of HL fans were really pleased to see a fresh take on those characters -- different music, different style of editing.
But I think 'ship vids, maybe more than any other kind of vid, are made with a very particular community of like-minded fellow fans in mind; they're usually made with the assumption that viewers will bring their own squee. These vids can certainly have persuasive elements -- "Let me show you all the evidence that these characters are So Married!" -- but it's not usually their primary purpose. So I think it can be a little frustrating to send a 'ship vid -- a vid built for squee -- to a place where the reactions may be more aesthetic (in ways that can feel clinical or judgmental) than emotional. Even if the reactions are generally positive, they may be a different kind of positive. Which can be awesome, if that's the kind of feedback one's been missing elsewhere, but can also be a little disconcerting.
...um. Clearly I haven't talked enough about vids lately. *facepalm*
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-03-16 07:38 pm (UTC)The question of what kinds of vids play well at VVC and what kinds of vids we THINK will play well at VVC (which are not necessarily the same thing) is a really interesting one. VVC is certainly a very particular audience; because we're all fans of vids, and an unusually high percentage of the audience is very well versed in vids and vidding history outside their own personal fandoms, I think there are really good reasons for wanting to showcase work that might not have a large audience elsewhere (for any of a variety of reasons, including but not limited to extreme thinkiness). Seah and Margie's "Haunted" always comes to mind for me: almost nobody at VVC 2003 had seen Odyssey 5, and yet that vid was The Vid Of The Con. I probably wouldn't have watched it if I hadn't been at VVC, because hey, Not My Fandom -- but as soon as I saw it it became, and remains, one of my favorite vids.
The flip side of that is that unless they're vidding in the very biggest fandoms, vidders can't assume that the entire audience will know their show or be on board with their 'ship or otherwise be able to fill in the emotional blanks. I mean, I think the Premieres audience DOES sometimes do that, and I think 'ship vids can go over very well at VVC, whether recruiter vids or nostalgia vids; I remember a few years back, when
But I think 'ship vids, maybe more than any other kind of vid, are made with a very particular community of like-minded fellow fans in mind; they're usually made with the assumption that viewers will bring their own squee. These vids can certainly have persuasive elements -- "Let me show you all the evidence that these characters are So Married!" -- but it's not usually their primary purpose. So I think it can be a little frustrating to send a 'ship vid -- a vid built for squee -- to a place where the reactions may be more aesthetic (in ways that can feel clinical or judgmental) than emotional. Even if the reactions are generally positive, they may be a different kind of positive. Which can be awesome, if that's the kind of feedback one's been missing elsewhere, but can also be a little disconcerting.
...um. Clearly I haven't talked enough about vids lately. *facepalm*
In conclusion: Vids! VVC! ♥!