Question

[vchrusch.livejournal.com]

I have a question to throw out for consideration: Are there any hard and fast rules (or etiquette) in regards to vidding to a song that's already been vidded to in the same fandom?

ETA - The reason for me asking this question was that recently a couple of new Firefly vids have popped up, both of which were previously vidded. One was to Gobsmack's "Serenity" and the other one is to "At the Beginning" by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis. I thought this was rather strange.

Comments

[jackiekjono.livejournal.com]

Not really. If it is a large fandom - like Buffy - and a popular song - like just about anything by Evanescence- it has probably been vidded 20 or 30 times. It may be a good idea to avoid re-vidding the same song over and over. Not so much because it's tacky as because it can be boring.

Of course, if you think you have a fresh take on the idea, go for it.

Now, if one of your closest friends made that vid last month, it would be tacky.

Fair Game

[ms-3m.livejournal.com]

Since you asked and I'm all for putting in my ten cents worth, I think every song, regardless of the number of times it's been vidded in a single fandom is fair game. One risks having their vid not viewed however by those jaded souls that let their curiosity take a back seat to their 'boredom'. I personally think the name of the game here is: New and Improved!

The only thing not fair game is plagiarism. One needs to be careful in that very talented vidders often edit songs and manip clips specific to their vids. An inexperienced vidder might not clue into this and nick song files and/or scenes from already published vids. One can always seek permission if you feel like you really need to use an existing vid as source material. It may or may not be granted so don't take offense.

I wrote a slightly, more in depth commentary on this subject of 'over-vidded' songs on my LJ if you care to read: http://www.livejournal.com/users/ms_3m/18151.html

With that said, go forth and do it better or at least different.
And above all, have fun. That's what it's all about...YOUR creative endeavor.

Cheers!

AzoniaMMM Productions is an equal opportunity vidding effort.
~ See our vids at http://www.azonia.net/stargate/

[jmtorres.livejournal.com]

1. You should make sure you have a CD copy of your song, and aren't vidding someone else's vid-cut of it. People do edit songs for their vids.

2. Same song, same focus is kind of rude. It seems like a "I could do better," you know?

3. If it's a well-known vid by a well-known vidder, that's pretty tacky, taking that song.

4. If it's an uncommon song, especially if the first time you heard it was someone else's vid (*cough* I've done this, though not in the same fandom), it's polite to email the vidder about it.

[taverymate.livejournal.com]

#1 - An excellent reminder.

#2 - Well, the truth is that often another vidder *can* do it better than has been done before. Just like fan fiction writers often address similar fiction cliches with different levels of success.

For me to consider it a deliberate rudeness, it would depend on how the phrase "same focus" is applied. Same pairing? Not an issue. Same pairing and same episode choices to illustrate the same theme, but better technical vidding skills? That might get closer, but I'm not sure that I'd automatically call it rude.

#3 - Frankly this baffles me. Why does the fact that the vid is well-known or done by a well-known vidder give it any extra import? If the vid is well-known because it is a solid vid, and the vidder is well-known because she/he is technically and artistically skilled, then it might be more difficult for another vidder to create a vid using the same song that will be as well regarded because of increased viewer expectations. But that has nothing to do with it being tacky.

#4 - I'd agree that that is a courtesy if you first heard it in another's vid. But just because a song has been vidded once, somewhere, it doesn't necessarily follow that the next person to vid the song has seen the first vid.

[jmtorres.livejournal.com]

Frankly this baffles me. Why does the fact that the vid is well-known or done by a well-known vidder give it any extra import?

Because then it's not so much, "Well, I'm using a song that's been used by twenty gazillion other people," it's, "I'm using a song which most of the fandom associate with *this* particular vid."

[paraka]

I find that not so much a rude thing, it's just you're limiting your audience. I know for the most part if I have 2 vids set to the same song, I'll generally only keep one of the vids. So if you're going to make a vid to the same song as someone elses vid, that everyone loves and finds amazing, you're just going to end up selling your vid short, since everyone else would rather keep the old one.

I'm not saying you shouldn't use the same song, especially if it's a large fandom.

[aj2k.livejournal.com]

I edit just about every song I use for videos because there's always an unnecessary chorus that makes the song 30-60 seconds longer than it should be. I've heard a couple of my "cuts" floating around for awhile but I never took offense to it because it was used for another fandom and the vidder did something new with the song and made their own expression.

The 2nd point you make I would definitely take offense to though.

Well there used to be, back in the olden days ...

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

Not really any more.

But, if someone else has already done it really well and your vid doesn't cover any new ground, you might ask yourself why not pick another song and do something more original :)

On the other hand, if someone else has done it badly, you can save the song and fandom combination for the people with taste ;)

[melinafandom.livejournal.com]

Honestly? There was a time when this was considered ::really:: bad manners, and there are people who've been around awhile who may think less of you if you choose to vid a song that's already been vidded, particularly in the same fandom. It's one thing if you don't know about the vid and it's a coincidence, but it's another if you do and make a conscious choice to revid the same song.

That may not be fair or reflect the currently prevailing attitudes, but that sentiment does still exist, particularly among some vidders who've been around awhile.