vidding_livejournal_ark2 | suggestions needed: symbol & metaphor vidshow

suggestions needed: symbol & metaphor vidshow

[x-posted to

vidding, and my LJ]

I'm looking for vid recs for the Symbol & Metaphor vidshow at VividCon. Since the current description is a bit cryptic, I thought I'd elaborate...

Vids can incorporate symbols and metaphors in lots of different ways. Some possibilities I've thought of:

The vid uses key symbolic visuals from within the source: arrow of Apollo and other religious iconography (Battlestar Galactica), claddaugh ring (BtVS), rock-paper-scissors (Farscape), snake tattoo (Invisible Man), cross (X-Files, BtVS, probably other shows as well), bracelet/witchblade (Witchblade), etc.

The vid gives symbolic weight to objects or events whose significance isn't necessarily obvious in the original source: the polar bears in sisabet's "Icebound Stream" both stand for and illuminate the characters of Fraser and Victoria.

The song establishes a metaphor that the vid illustrates: in laurashapiro's "Late Model Love," driving=dating (and poor Buffy has bad luck with both).

The vid turns not-obviously-metaphorical elements of the song into metaphors by linking them with particular visuals.

...and I'm sure there are other possibilities I haven't thought of.

Call my attention to your own vids, somebody else's vids, a vid you think I've probably seen but might not have thought of in this context, whatever. I'm especially interested in recommendations (and explanations!) for anime vids, but I'm grateful for any and all suggestions, either as a comment to this post or via the suggestion form.

Many thanks!

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Central Consortium's "I Want Your Sex" comes to mind where "sex" meant chopping off Methos' head (or the Quickening in general).

"Detachable Penis" by Media Cannibals. :-)

To go truly retro, Kandy Fong's "Teddy Bears' Picnic" uses the Blakes 7 Federation troops as the teddy bears.

IIRC, sockii's Brimstone vid "Always Together, Forever Apart" makes symbolic use of a snowglobe, but I could be misremembering (that vid always makes me cry).

The vid turns not-obviously-metaphorical elements of the song into metaphors by linking them with particular visuals.

[silly] I've always liked the moment in the SW vid "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" when Darth Vader kneels before the Emperor on the line "Leroy shootin' dice."[/silly]

I don't know most of these -- I'll definitely check them out. Thank you so much!

wistful_fever's Supernatural vid Kill It (http://wistful-fever.livejournal.com/136602.html) uses insects as a metaphor for emotional decay and frenzy.

I assume, just from your example, that you know of LithiumDoll's Farscape vid A&B Song.

Another one of wistful_fever's vids Thief (http://wistful-fever.livejournal.com/132176.html), this time from Invisible Man, uses both the labrat and the color red as visual representations of Darien's lack of control.

- Andrea.

I do know "A&B Song," but not "Kill It" or "Thief" -- thank you!

Sorry to reply again (and this might not be the last time -- I lost my vid collection when my HD died awhile back and have been slowly rebuilding, so I might remember more as I think on it) but I had another thought.

Actually, anything that

wistful_fever's done in, say, the last six months -- except her just-for-fun Supernatural vid "You're My Baby" -- is probably filled with symbolism. Her other I-Man vid "Underdog," for example, uses the concept of falling down and being picked back up along with some really brilliant use of underused scenes, including the use of fish. Anyway, yeah, that's really her thing, if she can be said to have a thing.

But what I thought of is

merryish's Numb3rs vid Someone You Might Have Been (http://anyroad.org/merryvids/), which uses symbols of death -- bullets, chalk outlines, murder photos, images of dead persons -- to accent the beats in the song and her SGA vid "Hello" (at the same link) which uses wormholes as symbols for communication. Since these are both Vividcon vids from a previous year though, you may have seen them.

- Andrea.

I do know Merry's vids, and in fact I just this weekend rewatched the two you mentioned, but I hadn't thought of them for this show; great suggestions!

Re: anime, I can think of a few Revolutionary Utena Girl vids that might work. There are probably more out there, since the source is a metaphor wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a lot of trippy symbolic imagery. There's Deluge (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=21303), which uses the source's drowning motif to varied effect. There's Imaginary World (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=18905) and Real Enough (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=3812), which are entirely different takes on the way the story plays with reality vs. fantasy. I cannot explain them concisely, and the latter might fit better in the color show, but I mention them anyway.

The Fireman (http://www.deadbutstillpretty.com/videos.html) illustrates the line from "Restless." It's also, um, 20 seconds long.

I was going to mention "New Frontier," and then I actually noticed who posted this. *facepalms away, facepalmily*

Thank you so much for the Utena vid recs; I'll check those out. (And thanks for thinking of "New Frontier" -- hee!)

Seconding Deluge. :) That was the one that immediately came to mind when I saw the post.

Yeah, "Imaginary World" is shit. You want "Deluge," definitely. I'm pretty sure I'm not worthy to speak its name, that's how fricking awesome it is.

SKU is a great series for symbolism, but it suffers from a dearth of good videos; most of them are made from the movie, which had a larger budget and is orders of magnitude more pretty. There are a handful of good series videos ("Sex, Lies & Roses" comes to mind), but not many use the symbolism angle.

Ooh, I hadn't seen "Sex, Lies & Roses." Thanks for mentioning it!

And I'm not sure "Imaginary World" and "Real Enough" are entirely along the lines of the metaphor show, but I like "Imaginary World." It and "Like a Burning Star" are among of my favorite SKU vids. No need to knock yourself.

Oh, my. We need to get you into some good videos, then. :D

Series videos:
S,L&R (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=49964) as mentioned
Roseate Nocturne (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=14482), companion piece to Deluge, unfortunately one of the videos wiped from the org by legal problems
Love Is Flowers (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=1462)
I still stand by Revolutionary Excalibur (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=6267) as a cute li'l intro, but nobody's heard of it so I'm probably wrong moving on

Movie videos:
Adolescence (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=14864)
Bachelorette (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=152)
Liberation of Memories Past (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=6613)
The Two Shall Meet (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=17908) (which is insanely pretty)

I collected them for a while. ^_^;

I think I've seen all but "The Two Shall Meet." "Liberation of Memories Past" is the castles in the sky vid, right?

And TTSM is indeed gorgeous. Thanks for the link! :) I'm always glad to find new SKU vids, and this is the first time in a while.

Yep, that's the Castles in the Sky vid.

Isn't it? :D You're quite welcome.

Sex, Lies and Roses does have its share of metaphor, though it's no where near the levels of Deluge which is very aptly named. It's practically symbolism overload but of course that's very appropriate for Utena.

True true. I wouldn't rec Sex, Lies and Roses to a general audience simply because of context/spoiler issues. Deluge, though, explosion of pretty, enough said.

I have a few videos that have recurring themes, motifs. My videos are located at http://keyofx.cheesejoose.com/main.html. These are all from The X-Files fandom.

Most of the videos have a long explanation of the themes. In particular:

Injection: http://keyofx.cheesejoose.com/musicvideos_injection.html
(aliens, abduction, loss, mystery, self-discovery)

Tears of the Sun: http://keyofx.cheesejoose.com/musicvideos_tears.html
(religion - recurring motif)

The Nobodies: http://keyofx.cheesejoose.com/musicvideos_nobodies.html
(monsters)

Thanks for the recs; I'll check these out!

Another one:

Kwasek's The World At Large (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=70191) is so so great. A lot of work for the audience but if they can keep up the payoff is so worth it. A very clever, powerful vid.

Vrya has a great Spike video called "Schism" that uses some great symbolic visuals. For example, she uses breaking & crumbling walls and shattering bottles to show the inner turmoil of all his different identities warring with one another (villain, sidekick, hero, etc.)

http://vrya.net/ts/

I know I've seen a lot of videos that would fit this vidshow, but I can't for the life of me think of any others...

Great suggestion! I'm definitely hoping to include one of

vrya's vids; I love her work.

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