Vidding: song choice (supernatural)

[butterfly]

I discovered the perfect song the other week... only to discover that the artist is well-known (I hadn't heard of him before, but I'm not actually all that up on the new artists, so that's not a huge shock) and the song has already been vidded for SPN (more than once). Which makes sense, because (as I said) it's absolutely perfect.

So, I'm currently pouting and trying to decide whether I want to make my vid of it anyway.

My vid would include clips all the way through the S2 finale, which none of the vids that I glanced at have (all of which I only read the summary of and watched the first five seconds of, then stopped in case I do decide to vid it).

God, it's such a perfect song.

Other vidders: what do you do in a situation like this? Try to find a different, more obscure song that covers the same emotions or go ahead and vid the possibly over-done song? Something else?

Comments

[azdak.livejournal.com]

I'm not really a vidder but I hope you don't mind me butting in? Go ahead with the perfect song! Did Shakespeare worry because his plots had been used before? Do director's of Shakespeare say "Hamlet? Nah, that's been done to death!" The art is in the details - if you have a new way of realising the potential you see in the song, then it doesn't matter if 50 million people have done it before you. And I'm absolutely certain you can convey your own personal vision, so that your vid will be unique.

[tripoli8.livejournal.com]

I'm not a vidder, but what have you got to lose? I'd watch it.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

I don't consider myself a vidder, although I've dabbled a bit. Personally, I think you should vid to the songs that speak to you, regardless of whether they've been vidded to before, in the same fandom or other fandoms, and regardless of what other people might think of the song in question. (I'm thinking of the fact that there are people who think X band is crap, their music is predictable and their lyrics trite or whatever, and they automatically dismiss any vids made to songs by that band.)

(I'm dying of curiosity to know what song it is, LOL! I've seen VERY few Spn vids, but would absolutely watch one that you'd made.)

I think you should make the vid, although mostly for selfish reasons because I really like your vids. The other day I had a non-fannish friend over (she doesn't participate in fandom at all, but watches most of the same fannish shows that lots of us do with a fair amount of attention and interest) and I was showing her a few vids I thought she'd like, and I had her watch your Tanglewood Tree vid -- she likes Dead Zone -- and she really liked it!

There are a LOT of fairly awful vids out there. Boring ones, where the vidder didn't seem to have paid much attention to the lyrics and just shoved a bunch of images in line with each other, not cutting them where it made sense, using clips that are waaaay too long (or, occasionally, so short that my brain seizes up.) It would be a shame if the really talented, thoughtful vidders didn't use songs that were perfect just because someone else had already made vids to the same song.

That's my two cents (or much more.) LOL!

[spiletta42.livejournal.com]

I can't speak as a vidder, because I'm really not very good at vidding, and in fact have had the same vid half-done on my hard drive since well before Christmas. Nor can I speak for the Supernatural fandom, as I still haven't gotten around to watching the show.

However, you are one of the best vidders I've seen, so if you do make this vid, it will in all likelihood be superior to previous vids with the same song. So the real question is, do you want to outshine your peers quite so directly? I don't know.

If you were to make a vid using a song I already used, in the fandom where I'd already used it, I would probably be thrilled. It would be like, oh, finally, a professional. But I can only speak for myself.

Maybe you could use more than one song in the same vid, or do something else to change it around?

[morgandawn.livejournal.com]

tough call - I think you need to consider your target audience - if your audience was small, and over vidded song can really hamper you. in a large fandom like Supernatural, you have more leeway.

second, be prepared for inevitable comparison. and be prepared for the fact that for some viewers the first version will always be the better version But not always. when this happened to one of our vids - the reverse was true. *Everyone* thought the second version was better. including us. :-)

and and yeah! on another Meta vidding post.

[vampireborg.livejournal.com]

If it wasn't an SPN vid I'd totally watch your's over anyone elses, because your style of storytelling is unique to you and the way you see the series and characters.

usomitai JUST POSTED (http://www.locusmag.com/Features/2007/05/cory-doctorow-in-praise-of-fanfic.html) a link to an essay about something like that. :D

[bell]

GOD I was ABOUT to say that this reminds me of an article I'd just read & posted. XXXD One of my favorite lines from it says "Ideas are easy! Execution is hard!" Ie, DO IT, even if a 1000 people have done it before you-- because your interpretation will always be one of a kind.

That said, I hope you do make the vid. I don't watch many, but I watch yours when I'm familiar with the song or/series. :D

[vampireborg.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was the line I was thinking of. :D

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you want to make the vid for you, in which case, go for it. Just be aware it might put a damper of one kind or another on audience response.

Then again, in this day and age, I don't think fans are all that concerned with whether a particular song's been used before. A few will be, but probably not a significant percentage of your audience.

If I were in this situation, I'd probably hesitate only if a friend had made the previous version of the vid and I thought they'd be upset by it or take it as criticism. (In fact, I'm considering vidding a seriously overvidded song myself at the moment. Join the party. *g*)

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

Make your own!
Just don't watch any more with the same music - but you've realised that anyway.
I mean, how many fics are there about Spike and Xander in the basement?
There's always room for one more if it's well done.

[sol-se.livejournal.com]

I'd say go for it. I understand exactly your hesitancy, because I've faced the same dilemma also. But it sounds like it would make you happy. Personally, as a viewer, I really enjoy seeing different interpretations of the same song. I think it's interesting to see different takes on it. Actually, the SG forum Kawoosh just had a challenge that was exactly that. Everyone vidded the same song to see all the different versions that would emerge from it. So, yeah. Go for it! :)

[sol-se.livejournal.com]

I mean, how many fics are there about Spike and Xander in the basement?

Sorry, this made me laugh. It's so, so true! :)

[kiki-miserychic.livejournal.com]

I had that dilemma when I vidded Supernatural (maybe even same song your talking about). I gave in, vidded it, and don't regret it all. Usually even though the song is the same, the subject matter is different and the style is different. I really see no qualm about doing a song already vidded to in that fandom.

[wolfling]

Dude, I vidded to Evanescence. ;)

I say go for it -- if you have a perfect vid idea for a song, I don't think that other people have used it before is reason enough not to do it. Some of my favourite "definitive" vids for particular popular songs were by no means the first vid done to them; how sad would it have been if those vidders had decided not to do those vids because someone else had vidded to it before?

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I've gone ahead and started work on the vid, because... you're all very right. The world is full of ideas and it's the execution that makes each one different. And this song just fills my head with visuals -- it's practically vidding itself.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Hee! Thanks. I've started work on it already.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I don't consider myself a vidder, although I've dabbled a bit. Personally, I think you should vid to the songs that speak to you, regardless of whether they've been vidded to before, in the same fandom or other fandoms, and regardless of what other people might think of the song in question. (I'm thinking of the fact that there are people who think X band is crap, their music is predictable and their lyrics trite or whatever, and they automatically dismiss any vids made to songs by that band.)

So true! I've never let that way of thinking affect me before, I shouldn't let it do so now.

(I'm dying of curiosity to know what song it is, LOL! I've seen VERY few Spn vids, but would absolutely watch one that you'd made.)

Oh! Did you know that I'd made a S1 Dean vid?

I think you should make the vid, although mostly for selfish reasons because I really like your vids. The other day I had a non-fannish friend over (she doesn't participate in fandom at all, but watches most of the same fannish shows that lots of us do with a fair amount of attention and interest) and I was showing her a few vids I thought she'd like, and I had her watch your Tanglewood Tree vid -- she likes Dead Zone -- and she really liked it!

Thank you! That's so lovely to hear. I've had some really beautiful comments back on my vids and (not that y'all can see it) I always blush and get all emotional about it.

Thanks so much. I've definitely decided to do the vid.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thank you -- that is a pretty huge compliment.

I've actually decided to use a couple of audio clips to frame the mood of the vid, which should help set it off.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice!

It's true that SPN is a huge fandom.

I've definitely decided to do the vid. Partly because, if I don't, it will never leave my head. This vid idea swept me up when I saw AHBL and it just isn't letting go.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Ha, thank you! That's so sweet.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm going to be doing the vid, definitely. The idea has pretty much swallowed me whole and isn't letting go.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice!

I really am mostly vidding for my own personal enjoyment -- I have three finished vids on my HD that I'm unsure I'll release simply because there is no fandom for any of them (they're all from various indie gay/lesbian movies -- so they do have a bit of marketability in fandom, I'm just not sure how many people will have even heard of the movies, though I am thinking of using one of them for VVC). But I had to make them -- the subject matter married so perfectly to the songs that my response to watching the movies would have felt incomplete without making the vids.

If I were in this situation, I'd probably hesitate only if a friend had made the previous version of the vid and I thought they'd be upset by it or take it as criticism. (In fact, I'm considering vidding a seriously overvidded song myself at the moment. Join the party. *g*)

Nope, nobody I know. And that's a good point to make -- knowing one of the vidders personally would make the decision harder.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Nothing like a good example to clear up the question. I certainly wouldn't tell anyone to not write a fic because "it's been done before".

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

It would make me happy to do this vid. And that is reason enough to do it.

Thanks so much for the advice!

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

Everyone has been so great about reminding me that execution matters so much -- how I do the vid will simply be different than how it's been done before because I'm a different person. Thank you for reminding me of that.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Dude, I vidded to Evanescence. ;)

Hee! Good point.

Thanks so much.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Oh! Did you know that I'd made a S1 Dean vid?

I don't think so! I'm downloading it now. :-)

[jic]

So, is it done yet?

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I'd love to know what you think (good or bad!).

[askye.livejournal.com]

As an avid vid watcher I would say go ahead and make your vid. Unless the songs been done in the fandom close to double digits then I wouldn't.

I actually like to see how different vidders interpret songs, and I sort of collect different versions of the songs, and actively look for that (although mostly the songs are done in different fandoms).

I'd certainly watch your vid.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've definitely decided to go ahead and make the vid.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

*sticks out tongue*