[SGA vid] Welcome Home

[permetaform]

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Welcome Home | .wmv (624x346, 36.1mb) | .avi (624x346, 43.9mb) | mirror here (thank you paranoidangel_!)
_{Source: Stargate Atlantis (Spoilers up to The Siege III)
Song: "The Blood of Cu Chulainn", by Mychael and Jeff Danna
Summary: Her, city}

Thanks: Much love and thanks to aurora_84, nel_ani, and sisabet for the feedback and advice, and also to lierdumoa and absolut3destiny for audiencing! =D

"Let us resolve that she shall dream dreams deeper than the sea and higher than the clouds of heaven, that she shall come forth crowned and transfigured with her statesmen and wizards and saints and sages about her, with magic behind her and miracle before her."

_{-Vachel Lindsay}

Notes: It's been awhile since I've let myself cut loose on the cutting, partially because I've been experimenting in style and effect and partially 'cause I was testing my threshold of pain/irritation with not molesting every beat. This vid felt like a sigh of relief after all that, what with the massive beat-whoring, finally getting the RAM able to handle the type of vid I've been wanting to make, and finding SGA. Which, just...::waves vaguely at old meta posts:: yeah.

Oh, and there's like huge numbers of things I tried to say about Elizabeth and Atlantis in the vid, all mixed up together, so there are a very many equally valid interpretations of the vid. Hell, I'm not even sure of all the things I put in there, but I'm very curious as to what themes or stories or impressions that those watching the vid might get, so don't be afraid to tell me what you think!

(I would recommend using VLC Player to play the vid, it's free, or you can look at this guide. Also, apparently there's a compatibility problem with playing the vid in Quicktime.)

Notes part 2: The wierd and uncomfortable feeling that occurs before the music starts? That's on purpose; it was my goal that Atlantis is creepy and uncomfortable and wrong...until the expedition came, woke it up, and let it breathe.

Notes part 3: Wow!



::bounces and glomps everyone::

Thanks to everyone who'd nominated and voted for me at the Stargate Fan Awards, it won for Weir's catagory!

Comments

[jesus-freak1234.livejournal.com]

*jaw drop* Wow. That was one of the best vids I've seen in awhile. Definitely going to be reccing this in my journal!

[permetaform]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

[lark_ascends]

Recommended here by celtic_sky, and I'm so glad I did check this out.

Beautifully done, the music fitted it perfectly (and yes, I also do have a fondness for celtic music, so very cool) and it gave me goose bumps.

[permetaform]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

[saavira.livejournal.com]

Watching this with that song just made me all teary. And _I_ don't even know why! I'm just all choked up. Especially when the city started to rise up. It's just like...it's been underneath the water for 10,000 years and now it's just...here. I can't explain it.

But you know, I normally hate instrumental music, but you totally made me download this song onto my mp3 player and now I can't stop listening to it. I even have this slightly chocked feeling when I listen to it now.

And that is porbably the most incoherent feedback you have ever gotten, lol.

[permetaform]

::hugs:: wow. no really, wow, thank you for letting me know your thoughts and reactions on this, this really made me amazed and made my day! I'm so glad it worked for you despite your being normally adverse to instrumentals, that's a high compliment for me so thank you for letting me know! ::hugs again::

[palebluebell.livejournal.com]

This is so good! See, this is the sort of thing that makes me love Elizabeth.

You captured her story, and how it's so deeply and personally entwined with Atlantis, with such clarity. This is the first time I've really stopped and thought of how profound it must be to spread your own ashes over the city you died for.

I liked this so much, thank you.

[permetaform]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

and how it's so deeply and personally entwined with Atlantis, with such clarity. This is the first time I've really stopped and thought of how profound it must be to spread your own ashes over the city you died for.

::GLOMPS:: yes! And thank you for telling me your reaction! I'm glad that you got all that from my vid and I'm glad that you found it clear because I always have difficulty with storytelling and narrative in my vids, so thank you!

[norah.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that was lovely!

[permetaform]

thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

[rydra_wong]

I don't know the canon well enough to get all of this, but wow, this is masterclass editing, and has an amazing emotional impact.

[permetaform]

Wow! I'm glad you took a chance on it despite not knowing the canon, and I'm awed and grateful that you told me that it still has an emotional impact. Thank you!

[titc.livejournal.com]

SGA is one of those things I won't let myself watch for fear of getting into a new fandom when I really, really don't have the time for it; but from time to time I indulge in pretty things like this; and pretty it is - a sense of awe, of action, of wonder.

[permetaform]

a sense of awe, of action, of wonder.

I'm so glad it worked, for you, because yeah, those were the exact moods that I was aiming for, thank you for watching it despite not knowing the source and thank you for letting me know!

[velithya]

I liked the way you wound in them coming to Atlantis for the first time in as them returning to Atlantis for the other Elizabeth. If that sentence makes sense :)

[permetaform]

::nods:: the eyes opening with the first part and the hugging at the end?

Thank you!

[ange01.livejournal.com]

I'm adding my adoration to the pile. *g*

Thank you so much for this.

[permetaform]

Thank *you* for letting me know! =) ::hugs::

*gob smacked*

[neth-dugan.livejournal.com]

First:

Oh My Goodness. In Valen's Name! That is... beautiful. Sad and happy and elated and angsty and....

The music, that works so well, that is... I'm gonna find some more stuff by those people cause it's great. And.... woaaaaaa. But the way you put it together with the video clips...

I am currently gob smacked and not too coherent, other than the fact my brain has drawn up an entire fic thanks to this thing.


Oh, the first few seconds didn't have any music, when I played it. Not toooo sure why, but there we go. Not that I mind overmuch, cause the rest is so darn good.

Re: *gob smacked*

[permetaform]

Sad and happy and elated and angsty and....

=D I'm so glad you liked it! Thank you for letting me know your reactions, it was what I was aiming for.

I'm a bit surprised that people liked the music so much, I knew that I was taking a chance working with an instrumental and the pipes get a little annoying, but I'm glad it worked for you. The music is from the Boondock Saints soundtrack.

And oooo! Fic-bunny! ::glomps:: wow! That's such an awesome compliment! When you post it, poke at me so I can link back to you. =)


Oh, the first few seconds didn't have any music, when I played it.

::nods:: yup, did that on purpose. The music doesn't come until the lights turn on. =D

[kyriacarlisle.livejournal.com]

This may not seem like a compliment, but it is, I promise: the first three times I put this on, I didn't get all the way through. You see, sequence after sequence was so fabulous that I had to keep hitting pause in order to get up and pace about for a while, grinning stupidly (or getting choked up), until I was ready to keep going.

You caught the Atlantis that I want to believe in and the Elizabeth whom I would follow. Thank you.

[permetaform]

Oh wow, that's an awesome compliment! thank you for letting me know! ::glomps::

Just out of curiosity, and you don't have to answer this if you don't have the time, but which three places?

[eternalenigma.livejournal.com]

Simply amazing! I love it.

[permetaform]

=) thank you! I'm glad it worked for you!

[libitina]

I am downloading from the mirror - because of thefourthvine's rec

[permetaform]

cool!

[mercuriosity.livejournal.com]

Okay, so, I know I'm kind of late, I made the mistake of passing this vid up once, but--wow. I'm so glad I finally watched this! It's beautiful, and moving (in a literal as well as figurative sense), and so well done; and I honestly had tears in my eyes before it was over.

The bit at the beginning, with the doors rotating and opening; zooming in on Elizabeth blindfolded; the scene with the ashes; the parallel scenes of John setting foot in Atlantis for the first time and coming back home to Atlantis--all these made me go Yes, yes, yes.

It's a beautiful song, too--and, you know, the whole time I was racking my brain, going, "Where have I heard this song before? Argh!" And then I read some of the comments and said, "OMG Boondock Saints of COURSE"--and, wow, if I didn't love you for this vid already, that would've done the trick. :D

[permetaform]

thank you! I'm glad you liked it and thank you so much for telling me your reaction!

The bit at the beginning, with the doors rotating and opening; zooming in on Elizabeth blindfolded; the scene with the ashes; the parallel scenes of John setting foot in Atlantis for the first time and coming back home to Atlantis--all these made me go Yes, yes, yes.

=) the sequence with the doors opening was, once imagined, what finally forced me to sit down and vid this thing. That ending parallel scenes was one of the last parts set down, but once set down everything else clicked together. Thank you for letting me know that those two sections especially worked for you, 'cause it was a section that resonated with me too ::hugs::

And god, I love Boondock Saints so much. Eventually I'll finish my vid for that movie. ::wry grin::

[just-eunice.livejournal.com]

I'm catching up on the SGA vids I didn't watch while I was working on my own (it's a thing), and oh, this was absolutely *beautiful*. I'm all choked up and I wish I had smart things to say but I don't because OMG ELIZABETH...ATLANTIS! *loves* *goes to watch again and again*

[permetaform]

I'm catching up on the SGA vids I didn't watch while I was working on my own

=) I do that too.

But thank you for letting me know how you felt about the vid despite the time lapse! I enjoy feedback no matter when it comes and it brightened my day to see your review! ::hugs:: And I really owe you feedback on your Sheppard vid, I totally love what you've done with the themes though could tell that you don't come by beatwhoring naturally. I read the comments on your journal and am gleeful that you *are* taking the time to learn beats and think that I'd enjoy talking about it with you maybe. Are you going to VVC this year?

[gobsmackit.livejournal.com]

I've loved this song since I first heard it (just a year or two ago), and it works so well for an SGA vid! This is just awesome, for lack of a much better word.

[permetaform]

=D thank you! I'm glad you liked it and am so thankful that you took the time to let me know! ::hugs::

btw, if it's not too much of a bother, how did you come across this page? It's been awhile since I'd posted it and people are still downloading. Don't get me wrong, this totally pleases me that people are interested enough to download, but I'm kinda curious as to where people are coming from. =) You totally don't have to answer if you don't have time, I'm just curious.

[elke-tanzer.livejournal.com]

This is so completely, wonderfully, utterly stunningly beautiful.

*rewatches again*

[permetaform]

=) ::hugs:: thank you!

[wychwood]

I just... I've had this bookmarked for ages, because I wanted to write something that would really express how much I adore this vid. But it's not happening. So instead, I flail at you inarticulately. This is just great. There's so much in it, so many themes and moods and directions, and I love it all. Above everything else, I think you do a fantastic job of conveying just how awesome it is, Atlantis, the amazingness of the city, just the wonder of being there. Fantastic.

The music - just fantastic. I'm totally buying that album.

[permetaform]

aww! ::hugs:: thank you so much for letting me know this, I totally don't mind inarticulate flailing, especially 'cause that's a lot of the extent to which I am able to fb many vids. I'm glad that you liked the various themes and moods and directions because I'd worried that it might've seemed like it lacked a direction with all the places the vid was trying to go. And yeah, I'm very much at one with the Atlantis-love and just so very glad that you got that so much from my vid, thank you.

The first time I heard that song in 'Boondock Saints' I was just *struck* and downloaded the song asap, but that was several years ago. =) I'm glad I sat on it for so long.

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

I really enjoyed this vid. I'm not a big Elizabeth fan, but what I see in your vid is how much she cares about this mission, the people on it and the city of Atlantis. You show that much better than the show does, and it makes me see Elizabeth in a different way. Thank you for sharing it!

I'd like to rec this vid on my recs lj oceanas_recs in one of my next updates, if you don't mind. (though, it could be a while until I update. Real life, I curse you.)

[permetaform]

thank you! I'm glad you liked the vid and that it showed you something that you've never seen before.

I don't mind your reccing it at all. =) Though, if it's not too much bother, how did you find this vid? It's been up for awhile and I didn't think that anyone new was still looking at it (though I'm pleased to find out that this wasn't true).

[radiophonic.livejournal.com]

I know you made this video ages ago, but I wanted to compliment you on your work. Really, this is the best video I've seen in this fandom. Even thought I'm not an Elizabeth fan, whatever you did works. And the eyeball! Plus, the music is gorgeous. I wasn't planning on working on my video project for school, but I feel inspired. *fangirls*

(I typed in 'Stargate Atlantis fanvids' in Google, in case you're wondering how I got here. XD)

[permetaform]

I know you made this video ages ago

=) feedback is *always* welcome, so don't worry about it.

And thank you for your comments! It's heartening to know that it worked for you despite your not being an Elizabeth fan, and that you liked it so much.

I found the music from the Boondock Saints soundtrack, I'd gotten into vidding after I'd found the song and knew that I'd vid it eventually. I'm glad now that I'd waited until SGA to vid it. =)

And I'm so glad that you find the vid inspiring! That causes me awe and delight because I find myself inspired by certain vids so I'm glad that mine did that for you!

(And thank you for for mentioning how you got here! I'm always a bit curious, so it's good to know. =D)

[red-eft.livejournal.com]

(here via a rec from thisdoesntsuck)
Oh, man. This gave me shivers. Just... it captures this feeling of *wonder*, yes, this is what it's like to be in another galaxy, to be in this city. This is definitely one I'm going to rewatch a lot.

[permetaform]

=D ::HUGS:: thank you! and thank you for letting me know, I'm glad to find that it's effective for you, and yes, the *wonder* ::GLOMPS:: it was one of the reasons that I had to vid this and I'm so glad it came through for you!

[ratcreature]

I actually downloaded this a while ago and the rec from thisdoesntsuck reminded me that I never got around to comment *hangs head in shame*, even though I love the vid, so I wanted to rectify that. It is awesome and I rewatched it several times, and every time it reminds me of why I love SGA and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy towards the show. =)

[permetaform]

::hugs!!:: thank you for letting me know! I'm glad that you found it awesome and that it worked for you...it was sort of my love letter to SGA and I'm so glad that that came through =D

[daemonluna.livejournal.com]

Oh, I loved this! I didn't think I really liked vids to music without lyrics, but this was breathtaking, in terms of music choice, clip choice, and timing. Reccing this in my lj for sure, if you don't mind.

[permetaform]

thank you! I'm glad you liked it despite not liking instrumental vids. =) I'm glad it worked for you 'cause this is the first time I've tried an instrumental piece for a vid.

[silver-venus42.livejournal.com]

Beautiful video. I don't think I've ever seen a better video set to instrumental music. It really captured Atlantis as a city. I really liked inputing flickers of the AU Elizabeth in the first half. Again, excellent.

[permetaform]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! (btw, very sorry for the late response, RL woes and then travelling pulled me away from computer time for fannish obligations)

I'm all bouncy-happy that you thought it captured Atlantis 'cause that was exactly what I was trying to do. I'm glad the flickers of Elizabeth from the AU worked. =)

And you don't have to answer this if you don't have time, but where did you come across this vid? I'd posted it awhile ago and am sorta surprised (very glad, but surprised) that I'm still getting comments on it.

[dubhartach.livejournal.com]

Brilliant. The music works so well and I love the focus on Elizabeth.

[permetaform]

Thank you! Sorry for the late response, I was travelling and just came back. Out of curiosity, how did you come across this vid? I'm just curious because I'd posted it awhile ago and suddenly got a couple more comments...