Day by Day (Heroes vid)

Vid
Title:	Day By Day
Creator:	whereistheluv
Date:	October 2006
Format:	WMV, 27 MB
Length:
Music:	"Day By Day" by Five For Fighting
Genre:	Gen
Fandom:	Heroes
Footage:	Pilot and episode 1x02
URL:	offline, archived vidder's website
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"Day By Day" is a Heroes gen vid by whereistheluv.

It won for Best Video at the No Frontiers Video Awards Round 15. It was reviewed on November 1, 2007 by counteragent at the reel vidding community.

Vidder's summary: "A look at the Heroes we've met so far and how their lives are changing."

Reactions/Reviews

From the reel review:

Overall impression:
This is a strong vid, and worth downloading for fans of Heroes. It works as a microcosm for the whole first season, even though it only contains footage from eps 1 and 2. Titles: The titles are split into two; the vid and song title occur over the footage in the first shot, in time with the singer saying the words in the title. This is a nice effect for a short, simple title like this. The rest of the titles occur at the end and are simple white-on-black fades.

Music choice:
I grew to like this song more and more as I watched the vid. It at first seemed a bit sweet for what I think of as an action show, BUT, as I watched the vid a number of times, I saw how clearly the song supports the themes of confusion, revelation, acceptance and empowerment that I think the vid is featuring.

The song has lovely atmospheric elements to it that work with the repeated shots of zooming up into the air, and the lyrics match many of the stories well, especially Nikksica’s and Issac’s.

I ended up thinking the song choice was excellent.

Narration, Tone and Movement:

Narration:

The narration is from the POV of the characters. It depicts them realizing and learning to (begin to) deal with their powers, and the ways that those powers create and threaten connections between the characters.

Tone: I’ve mentioned that the tone is “atmospheric” in the music section, which I think fits well with the theme of revelation and acceptance. The tone is also self-reflective, with quickly swelling and then fading dynamics, like someone having a new thought, then repeating it to themselves. (Mental pacing, almost). These dynamics are supported by self-reflective visuals—most notably looking in mirrors, in comic books, through holes, into the sky, etc.

Movement:

The movement is well done—the shots are never static, and always fit the dynamics of the music. I’ve called out some sections for specific praise in the time-stamp section.

My only suggestion is to push it even further if you can; I’m a sucker for repeated/continued motion, especially in ensemble or multi vids.

Cuts, Transitions, Effects & Colouring/Coloring:

The cuts were appropriately straightforward. The transitions were restrained and mostly featured fades. The fades fit with the smoothness of the music.

Specific vid & music notes:

[:05] “I wake up” this line and shot says it all, doesn’t it?
[:12] “who knows who” great lyric match to Nikki/Jessica story. Overall, I think that the lyric matches were especially strong for her story.
[:20 – 23] The swell of music to the tai chi is one of my favorite parts. The visuals and music fit together is a swooping, ineffable way. I love the way that the crescendo fits both Hiro’s confusion (a rush of thought, awareness) and also serves to lift the viewer into the sky, continuing the revelation.
[:30 – :34] “I pretend there’s something to it” This line grabbed me right away. I think it encapsulates the confusion and doubt that many of the heroes felt toward/about their new powers. It’s especially good for Issac here, as it references his inability to paint without drugs, and the ambiguity of the futures he paints. Would have also worked for Peter.
[:43] Shot of Matt’s “shhh” as the music hushes is brill.
[:57 – 58] I haven’t seen Simone’s hand-to-mouth guesture used much in heroes vids. It’s perfect here, revealing Issac as a mess. Again, the look, and the reveal.
[1:09] “and I wash up after you’re through” Um…creepy! And perfect for Jessica/Nikki
[1:19] It’s great how the violins swirl in time to the ever faster ticking numbers and then repeat again on the failing fall of Claire’s at [1:22-23]
[1:31] Good choice to pair the circling of Hiro with the speeding up oooooooh.
[1:55] The burst of flame with the instrumentation is particularly nice—you made a good call slowing down to slo-mo to fade out that section at [2:00].
[2:09 to the end] Great use of the building shots throughout this section.
[2:10] Love that he seems to hang in the air on the sustained violin note. Perfect timing.
[2:15] “if you don’t mind me, I don’t mind you.” Heh! A perfect way for brothers to say “I love you.”
[2:37] does the song cut off abruptly, or is it just me? Continue it into your credits, fade it out, something?

Final word: Well done! I don’t really have any criticism. I’ll keep my eyes out for future vids of yours."