SN fanvideo recommendations - Part II

[galathea]

Okay, as promised here is part II of my fanvideo recommendations! These are mostly older vids and I was happy that I still found them available for download. Lots of the videos I have stored are basically vanished from the net. :( Anyways, part III will probably follow next week. I guess I will be plenty busy with digesting the finale over the weekend! Enjoy!



With Or Without You by hay1ock

“Through the storm we reach the shore” (Keane)

Dean POV; This video focuses on Dean’s fear to loose Sam to darkness and desperation, it concentrates mostly on the BUABS storyline, where Dean’s fears seem to come true. With the whole Meg twist in mind even the female pronouns in the lyrics make some sense. I am far from being a Keane fan but I actually came to like this very quiet and soft remake of the U2 song.

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Soldiering by astartexx

“We keep soldiering on, ‘til its done.” (David Usher)

Dean POV; This video deals with Dean in the aftermath of John’s death, how he remembers his Dad and how he tries to come to terms with John’s sacrifice. It’s a short and quiet video, with muted, sepia colours and the rapid succession of short clips works like a stream of consciousness narrative, at least for me. I am not sure why I love this video so much, I just do. Probably because it focuses less on the anger and pain but more on how much Dean loved his father and values his ideals, it has more of a bittersweet atmosphere instead of the raw grief expressed in other vids. ♥

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Numb by deadflowerss

“Too much light, there’s too much sound.” (Pet Shop Boys)

Dean POV; Bring on the pain! This is one of my favourite videos about Dean’s period of grief, depression, anger, self-loathing and hurt in the aftermath of John’s death. I nearly missed this video since I am really no fan of the Pet Shop Boys, but the lyrics of this song are spot on and in the end the vid deeply resonated with me. Not only is it beautifully edited, it also is one of those vids that don’t try to visualise all of the lyrics literally, but more metaphorically, the choice of clips is really thoughtful.

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Girls Go By by deadflowerss

“The boys watch the girls while the girls watch the boys who watch the girls go by” (Andy Williams)

So, if you feel like you want to jump from the next bridge because of the previous video, just watch this one from the same vidder to get you up again. *g* The title practically says it all, it’s Sam and Dean ogling and flirting with beautiful women all along their roadtrip in S1, it’s about boys thinking with their “downstairs brain”. ♥ The song choice is unusual but charming and totally fitting for the playful tone of the video.

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Turn The Page by sacrilicious

“When you're riding sixteen hours and there's nothing much to do, and you don't feel much like riding, you just wish the trip was through” (Metallica)

This vid starts out with Sam’s POV and then changes to Dean and to the brothers in general. Basically it’s about Sam and Dean on the road, riding long hours, tired and weary but doing what they have to do, despite their sacrifices and supposed destinies. I was kind of bound to like this vid for the song choice alone, but the vidder really stepped up to the task to find interesting visual interpretations for the lyrics. The video doesn’t have a strict narrative but is more about the ‘feel’ of travelling on the road as well as on a chosen life-path. It looks unspectacular on the first glance but really managed to suck me in on multiple viewings.

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There And Back Again by tinkabell007

“Here's your moment to shine.” (Chris Daughtry)

This is an action and effect-heavy, extremely fast paced video set to a song that I totally adore. The boys get knocked out, electrocuted, thrown into things, they fight, they kick down doors, smash things, shoot things, run, jump, fall down and get up again. After watching it you’ll think you just acquired some bruises yourself. *g* The vidder may go overboard with some of the effects at times, but I think she handles most of the timing very well, especially given the pace of the song. I checked the links and the MU link should still be valid.

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Hunter by greensilver

“If travel is searching and home has been found, I'm not stopping.” (Björk)

The thematic choice for this vid is very intriguing, since it focuses more on the creeps and the scares of the show. I am surprised that we don’t get to see more videos that deal with that specific aspect of the series, considering Supernatural is a horror show. Anyways, this vidder has a knack for extraordinary music choices. I love Björk and her song ‘Hunter’ sets an extremely creepy atmosphere here. The editing is straightforward and without effects, the vidder just uses the excellent camera work and lighting on the show itself, but in its simplicity just lies the effectiveness of the vid.

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Protege Moi by charmax

“Protect me from what I want“ (Placebo)”

First off, I think that his video does suggest wincest-y undertones in places, not necessarily in the images but by the style it employs and it’s the style that makes me recommend this vid, because it’s stunning and pretty unique. It’s Supernatural: Noir. Charmax is an amazing vidder, I don’t know how she enhances her clip quality but they look better than DVD and her editing is pretty much flawless. For this video she drained all colour from the clips with the exception of the colour red. In combination with the lyrics (my French is very rusty though LOL) it suggests forbidden desires, hidden fears and nightmares, dangers, lost opportunities and dreams. Basically she works the film noir angle for Supernatural here, great stuff!

Comments

[ejayye.livejournal.com]

Again, thankyou for the fantastic recs.

Soldiering, Hunter and Protege Moi were all vids I had already downloaded and watched repeatedly ;) The rest however, were new, and quite brilliant.

Of the new stuff I think Numb was my favourite, largely because the song is so unusual compared to the style of those used in most vids of this fandom. I was also mightily impressed with the pacing, which is generally the first thing I look for in a good vid.

I also thoroughly agree with your comment about the importance of metaphorical connotations. I often get very frustrated when the images used in concordance with the lyrics are far to suitable in a literal sense.

I think one of the best and worst examples of this can be seen in 'God Decides' by sacrilicious, which I'm guessing you've probably seen. It is my opinion that the lyrics are often taken far too literally at points in this vid. At the same time, however, 'God Decides' also demonstrates some of the best use of metaphor I have ever seen in fanvids. "The painter of your truth" used together with scenes from the virus carrying nurse from Croatoan, and "the parts no one should see" accompanied by Dean at John's pyre both denying that John told him anything, whilst also letting his mask slip and crying, are very good. And I'd be impressed by anyone who didn't feel a shiver go down their spine at shots of the families the boys saved accompanied by the lyrics "small wild birds are eating from your hands".

Anyway, thanks again. Look forward to more! ^_^

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

You're Welcome! :) I am happy you found stuff you didn't see yet.

I am usually not overly annoyed if a vidder tries to illustrate lyrics literally, except if it seriously interferes with the flow of a video. But I really appreciate if someone uses the metaphors that a song provides to give the clips a deeper meaning. In the end I love it most if a creative examination of the show (may it be fanart, fanvid or fanfiction) leads to more insight into its symbolisms and SN utilizes a lot of parallels and metaphors, uses shadowing, mirroring and similar techniques.

I totally agree with you on 'God Decides'. I do love the vid, the song is absolutely amazing and the vidder shows that he can put metaphors into a stunning context and when he falls flat in some instances it just annoys you so much because this vid could be fantastic on all levels, if the vidder would have managed to keep the quality throughout the vid.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_sharvie_/]

Another wonderful list! I'll be looking forward to the third installment. And thanks for letting me rec this at the comm!

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

You're welcome :) Always nice to spread the love, plus it's cool if these vidders get more audience and comments!