I'm Still Here
| Vid | |
|---|---|
| Title: | I'm Still Here |
| Creator: | Sache8 |
| Date: | November 4, 2005 |
| Format: | |
| Length: | |
| Music: | "I’m Still Here" by Johnny Rzeznik |
| Genre: | character study, Ronon Dex |
| Fandom: | Stargate Atlantis |
| Footage: | Ronon Dex through Atlantis 2.10 |
| URL: | offline, Vid Announcement |
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I'm Still Here is a Stargate Atlantis vid by Sache8. It is a character study of Ronon Dex. The vid was first announced on the vidder's LiveJournal on November 4, 2005.
Vidder's note: "Behold, the well-rounded testosterone and violence that is RONON!"
Reactions/Reviews
This vid was reviewed by Paraka at the reel vidding community on May 31, 2006:
Overall impression: This is a really sweet vid that I think most Ronon fans would enjoy. The song really fits with his character, and really shows how I think Ronon views the Atlanteans. We get to take a look at his troubled past, see his confusions with the Atlanteans, and there’s even a hint of romance. However I do feel that a lot of elements from this vid would be lost on those who haven’t seen the show, or aren’t Ronon fans.
Titles: I think the titles were done really effectively in this vid. Choosing to put them as the music fades is a good way of using a sometimes ackward, or hard part of a song. It also means that there isn’t a long pause at the end of the song while credits roll.
One suggestion would be to put some way of getting a hold of you on the vid. You signed with you LJ name, which is good, but some people might not think to look there, since it isn’t stated as such. It makes it hard for people to leave feedback, or go back for more when they can’t find you.
Music choice: I think the choice of music is the strongest element of this vid. If Ronon were an agstey music writer, :P he could have written this song. I hear this song, and think “Ronon,” and it’s a well rounded view of Ronon. You manage to show his strength and weakness, and confusion, and the chorus of “I’m still here” keeps echoing Ronon’s huge sense of survival.
Narration, Tone and Movement: For the most part the vid just follows the lyrics, but there are a few underlying stories. It starts with Ronon and the Atlanteans, then about halfway is zones in on Teyla and the last bit shows Ronon… asserting himself I guess.
I think this vid could have really benifited from a stronger narration. It’s always good to tie the lyrics into your vid, but they shouldn’t be all that carry it. A lot of your scene choises fit very closely to the lyrics, but a lot of people don’t pay close enough attention to they lyrics to always catch the meaning. Or as I said someone who doesn’t know Ronon very well, or who has never seen the show isn’t likely to get much out of this vid.
The first part of the vid (0-45s) is all just setting up Ronon’s character and showing how he’s doesn’t quite fit in with the Atlanteans, but once you get into the second part of the verse, you veer into his past, then go back. All of the scenes chosen fit the lyrics well, but not really the story line you had set up. You do that quite a lot actually; jump between Ronon’s past and his present. I feel that with a bit more mapping you could have done it in a smoother manner. Perhaps have a verse just for Ronon’s past, or his past as it reflects his present.
The section with Teyla, I think was much more solid. You kept it about them, and didn’t let it get side tracked.
Cuts, Transitions, Effects & Colouring/Coloring: There wasn’t much here in the way of transitions, effects or colouring, so I’m not going to comment on those. This vid *could* have been helped if you had added a few effects, but there’s also a very good chance it would have taken away from the vid. I don’t really find the vid lacking in these areas, but I won’t deny that if done right it could have opened up the viewing audience of this vid quite a bit. The cuts however….
I’m going to start off right away by saying I have a *huge* bias against long clips. I like my vids to be visually stimulating, and generally fast paced, so please keep that in mind.
I love the cuts for the first 30s of the vid. They’re right on beat, and get you into the vid. Then you use a 15 second clip of Ronon and Weir talking. There is some movement in the scene, which is the only reason you can get away with it, but it’s not enough to really hold the viewers interest. I wasn’t really pulled back into the vid until the music had a drum increase to bring you back, timed with Ronon standing up. I also think you should have changed scenes all together after the “Never be what you want me to be” instead of going back to Weir for the 2 ½ seconds of drums that follow. That, to me seemed like 10 seconds of complete filler, and even when you brought the view back, you dwadled for a bit.
Other then that, all of the cuts seem to be good. You keep them well in tune with the beat and in some cases manage to bring the natural effects and movements from the clips into the vid, like the running in the beginning, or at about 55s when they do a zoom in on his face.
I also liked the timing you had down around 2:40-3:10. The music picks up around there, and the cuts you have really draw me in.
Final notes: Hmm, I think I might have come off as kind of harsh, but that wasn’t really my intention. Narration is one of those abstract things that most people unconsiously notice, so it makes it hard to point out. I watched this vid over and over again, knowing that I liked it, but also see that there were some weaknesses in it.
I did like this vid though, and will keep it on my playlist. Thanks for sharing it.