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[SGA vid] Welcome Home

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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!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

lol I have no clue how to edit with avisynth. I just had adobe open the avs file and figured you should be able to edit the file in adobe...but actually I may give up on adobe for the moment because I just discovered that Ulead came out with Media Studio Pro 8.0 and it has a lot of the same features adobe offers but it imports my files and is a bit easier for me to figure out. Of course I'm still learning how to use this program but so far I really like it. :)

ahhh, cool. You can just edit the file in adobe, but I have no idea how Media Studio Pro 8 is. =) Just mess around and see what works best then? Do tell me how they compare, because it'll just be good to know, you know?

well so far Media Studio Pro has the option to add and delete video and audio tracks, non-linear editing capablities, and pretty much as hall the same features as adobe, it's just more user friendly, as in it only took me three hours of reading the help contents to get the ghist of everything where as I've spent a lot longer trying to figure out adobe and kind of feeling lost half the time. Of course having files I could actually load into adobe might have helped in my previous explorations. :)

So far one of the things I like best about the MediaStudio program is that it does split by scene, has a multi-trim function and the media library...I like being able to see the clips and browse through them. Now the real test will be what happens when I start making the vid and add titles and tranisitions? So far the program hasn't crashed once (always a good sign) But for me this program looks like it has a lot of the advanced features I wanted out of adobe but has all the things I loved about Video Studio. :)

ahhh, cool then! It sounds like it's suiting you well, I know that alot of people have trouble transitioning to Premiere which is understandable 'cause it allows both alot of flexibility and yet also so many ways to fuck up.

::HUGS::

this---eeeeee, wow. ::HUGS::

okay, bit by bit:

I'm a little wary of watching instrumental vids, because I always have a hard time finding a narrative thread to pull it together, but this one felt more like mood than narrative and it worked BEAUTIFULLY.

::nods:: I knew going in that it'll be difficult to catch some people 'cause instrumentals are hard to get a handle on. I'm really glad that it worked for you, then, especially because you mentioned that you usually have a hard time with them. I think you might be right about organization around mood, I think I'll go back and take a closer look at the vid to figure out what I actually did.

It was a love song both to and from the city of Atlantis.

::NODNODNOD:: yes! I just...the city itself ::waves arms:: I can't explain it, but that feeling about the city, that, is a major part of why I fell so hard for SGA. It's home and freedom and danger and lighted ceilings and darkened spaces and breathless air and dark water. It...::flails:: yeah.

this vid was like that feeling cranked up and relentless, the sheer WOW of the Lost City being found and loved and gloried in.

ohgod ::GLOMPS::

I had tears in my eyes for the second half and I don't even know why.

::hugs:: I...wow. Thank you, for letting me know such a compliment.

The city rising from the deep! (I adore the music shift just as the city is breaking the surface - like the instruments are breaking out into sunlight too.)

::nods:: that continues to be my absolute favorite bit of timing, it just...I still get shivers from those scenes, personally. And Letters From Pegasus, when Zelenka was talking, I just, I *cried* and I never cried like that at a tv show before...

The ashes!

::nodnodnod:: Before I Sleep made me choke up...just...her and the ashes...::shakes head:: ahh, SGA, how do you do this to me? ::tragic::

There *is* no place like Atlantis and I'm glad that you like the song, I've loved it ever since I'd heard it on Boondock Saints and was just SITTING on it forever...and then I'd discovered SGA and I'm like, "But it doesn't fit any character! ...wait. Wait...it fits the city." And then it just ate my brain until I'd vidded it. =) I'm glad that it seems to be so well recieved, 'cause I know that the source has been a bit overvidded and an instrumental is always more difficult. Thank you for letting me know how you felt about it, it energizes me and made me smile all evening.

Oh, this was just beautiful! I'm very ambivalent about Elizabeth's character, but this vid really captured what I do like about her.

yeah but I think once you learn how to use adobe you wouldn't want to go back because the more user friendly editing programs also have a lot more limitations on what you can do or how you do it.

::nods:: there is that. I still keep WMM around for encoding purposes tho.

Thank you! I'm glad you liked this vid, that it worked despite your reservations, so thank you for letting me know because that's an awesome compliment to me. =)

"The Blood of Cu Chulainn" is actually a song I listen to sometimes when I'm homesick; there's such a powerful pull in it, whispering about home and people who love you and just wanting to be there so much.

So it's entirely possible I may have cried a little bit just now. Because Atlantis is home, and Elizabeth really is such an integral part of it, and people forget that so often. (Including the writers on occasion. *eyeroll*) But in four minutes you've shown us this huge part of who Elizabeth is, deep down in the very bones of her. Maybe it will help people to remember how awesome she is.

Ok. So it took me a while to gather my thoughts about this, and be able to make a more coherent comment than EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

First, the song. Oh my God that is a beautiful song. As soon as I got to the end of the vid the first time and saw the name I went looking for it, and I don't have any idea how may times I've listened to it since then. Lots. Even without the vid to run with it, it still makes my heart swell, and nearly brings tears to my eyes. And with the vid. WOW.

It does feel so very much like an awakening. Right from the very beginning, there is just such a sense that the city is opening up for them, and that it is happy to have them there. I particularly love the opening of the doors right at the start, and the way that sinks up to the music.

You have captured all of my favorite Elizabeth moments, and you reminded me just how beautiful, caring, brave, strong, and kind she is. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving me the Elizabeth that I love, and that we seem to see less and less on the show.

I'm going to go watch this again now. Thank you for sharing!

Oh, I wish I could, but this is too big for me to download, like, ever. *sigh*

::wry grin:: server's down anyways...and it's one of those vids that I'm reluctant to release at lower quality...

Hmm, okay. I'll just wait; maybe a friend of mine can dl it at some point. & :->

okay, i've finally watched it. that was just gorgeous. that's how i like and want to look at elizabeth. the parallel is just brilliant. and the timing is luxuriantly good.

::hugs:: dude, I just...the first time I heard the song in Boondock Saints my breath just *caught*. I'd got into vidding later and I just still sat on the song 'cause nothing was...enough, I guess? I fell into SGA and wanted to vid it to something and I'd listened to the song again and it wasn't ::flails:: a character, y'know? But then I listened more and realized it was *Atlantis*. And then it was like, "oh, yes".

So it's entirely possible I may have cried a little bit just now

::boggles::

::hugs::

::is extremely complimented::

Because Atlantis is home, and Elizabeth really is such an integral part of it, and people forget that so often.

::nodnodNOD:: And it's just...I mean sometimes people get homesick but with Atlantis and Elizabeth I just know that they sometimes want *so* badly to be out there too, helping somehow. somehow. but they can't, because they're *Atlantis*...but if nothing else they have the arms to greet their protectors and their children and their people and they have a few tricks up their sleeves. I just regret that I couldn't show the ruthless side of Atlantis and Elizabeth in the vid, the song didn't support it at all, but I'll need to vid that in the future because I think they'll go there in the show, mother bear with her cubs endangered and all.

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it so much and that the parallel worked for you!

and the timing is luxuriantly good.

"luxuriantly" ::blinks:: wow, that's a fantastic compliment, thank you! =D

First, thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how you felt about this vid! Your feedback totally brought a smile to my face and re-energized me (which I'm in need of 'cause omg finals season).

Even without the vid to run with it, it still makes my heart swell,

::nods:: I sat on the song for a long time because I hadn't found the right source for it; I'm glad I'd waited until SGA!

It does feel so very much like an awakening.

::GLOMPS::

And thank you and I'm glad that I'd captured Elizabeth for you! What I really regret though is not showing her ruthless momma bear side though, but the song just didn't support that story. I think eventually when her current arc has finished hopefully there'll be enough footage for me to tell that side of her too, where she's so ruthless and so protective of her family that she is willing to sacrifice parts of herself that she holds dear (like her morality and her inherent wish for peace instead of war) so that her family stays safe. I think that's where the show is going for her and I'm staying hopeful that that's where they'll take it because SGA's been good to me for everything prior. ::hugs:: have hope, they're not the best writers in the world, but I think they might be heading somewhere with this.

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback!

Your feedback totally brought a smile to my face and re-energized me (which I'm in need of 'cause omg finals season).

Glad to be of assistance! ^_^ I just got done with finals, and OMG I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. *dies*

What I really regret though is not showing her ruthless momma bear side . . . she's so ruthless and so protective of her family that she is willing to sacrifice parts of herself that she holds dear (like her morality and her inherent wish for peace instead of war) so that her family stays safes.

Yes! I agree, the song had room for a lot, but not really that aspect. Though I do think you touched on it quite well with the rueful, affectionate look that she gives John and Rodney when they're looking at the screen. That was one of the many, many high points in the vid for me. You captured so much emotion right there. I hope that they do give you what you need to show this side of her, since that would mean another beautiful vid. But even if they don't, I feel like this is one is such an excellent summation of all the things that make me love Elizabeth that I wouldn't be disappointed at all.

And you know, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it's not so much that I haven't seen the Elizabeth that I love on the show, as it is that this vid *distilled* all of the things that I love about her, and concentrated them down to four-some-odd minutes of perfection. When we only get a few glimpses of her in each episode, or a few really powerful scenes, then, honestly, the show can't compare. I love SGA, probably more than I have ever loved any TV show, ever. But it is a TV show. The writers are constrained by the fact that, honestly, Elizabeth is not *the* main character, but part of a large ensemble, and that the show is sci-fi/drama/action, not sci-fi/drama. So for the limits that they can work inside, I think they do quite well. But this vid is so obviously a labor of love, and so is perfectly naturally more intense than the source.

I'll be keeping an eye out for any other ways you may improve upon canon, and in the mean time, good luck with finals!

heh, a friend loaded it onto her server and made it available now =) sorry for the inconvenience

This is an absolutely gorgeous vid. It has such a rich, epic feel to it. I love the way you worked in the bits of Elizabeth from "Before I Sleep." Stunning work!

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

I am in love with this -- what beautiful, beautiful work you do. Thank you so much.

thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

Wow -- this is truly gorgeous. Love this Elizabeth and her Atlantis and her people.

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[SGA vid] Welcome Home

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