To Touch the Face of God
| Vid | |
|---|---|
| Title: | To Touch the Face of God |
| Creator: | destina |
| Date: | 2008 |
| Format: | |
| Length: | 4:38 minutes |
| Music: | "Nasivern Pi" by E.S. Posthumus |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Multi-fandom |
| Footage: | NASA IMAX, From The Earth To The Moon, The Right Stuff (1983), archival space footage |
| URL: | original vid announcement |
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To Touch the Face of God is a multi-fandom vid by destina that attempts to immerse the viewer in the wonders of space travel. The vid premiered at Vividcon in 2008.
Vidder's summary: "Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth/And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings... Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."
While the vid was well received by some ("this was a really lovely celebration of space and the exploration thereof. Very pretty and full of a lovely sense of wonder"),[1] others questioned its fannishness in that the subject matter was not a TV show or even a meta commentary about fandom or vidding. Documentary footage of space exploration and travel was not, they felt, a central topic of focus of media fandom.[2]
Others pointed out that there were many TV shows and movies that had space travel as either an explicit focus and even more that used it as a backdrop (most sci-fi fiction shows). By distilling so many images and scenes of space exploration, the vidder was doing essentially what all good vids do: taking existing footage and extracting new meaning that was both relevant and emotional to the viewers.[3]
Or as one sci-fi fan expressed it: "NASA was, in many ways, one of my first fandoms."[4]
Reactions/Reviews
- "I feel honored to be watching this vid. There's such respect, appreciation, and awe that can be felt in the vid. The music, visuals, and editing all come together in a beautiful way to tug at the heart strings as it were."[5]
- "This is only debatably a fanvid, since the majority of its footage is from NASA archives, but it's . . . utterly gorgeous. A lyrical meditation on the journey to space. Made me get all teary and remember what it was like to drive out and watch space shuttles launching when I was a kid."[6]
- "I think if there is a universal language of vidding, this vid comes close to capturing it."[7]
References
- ^ butterfly's Premiere Shiw Part Two, dated August 18, 200; WebCite for butterfly's Two.
- ^ "The majority of the source in the vid is actually from The Right Stuff and From The Earth To The Moon; the NASA stuff accounts for only about 5% of the footage in the vid. One of the fans leading the vid review panel at the con said that when she saw the vid by herself prior to the con, she wasn't sure about it, wasn't sure it was fannish - until she saw it in a room full of fans at the con, and could feel them reacting to it, and then she knew it was fannish, possibly on several levels. *g* And I think that was a really interesting observation, since I had some mixed feelings about it myself re whether or not it was fannish." destina relaying feedback she received at Vividcon in her original vid announcement See also the similar reaction to the 2007 penguin vid Walk the Line by tv_elf.
- ^ one viewer said: "Wish my dad were still here to see this. He introduced me to so many things I love, including sci-fi and the space program. He would have loved your vid. comment in original vid announcement.
- ^ comment in original vid announcement, Archived version.
- ^ comment in original vid announcement, Archived version.
- ^ eponis Fanvid recs!, Archived version.
- ^ Morgan Dawn in Does an artist need to think about her audience?