Vid: Weapon of Choice (Multifandom)

[usuallyhats]

Title: Weapon of Choice
Fandom: Multifandom - Agent Carter, Babylon 5, Buffy, Dark Angel, Doctor Who, Firefly, Fringe, Legend of the Seeker, MCU
Music: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Content notes: some fast cutting
Summary: "I don't think I'm gonna be taking any more orders." A vid about weaponised women.
Notes: I've been planning to make this vid since 2011 and finally premiered it in purplefringe's Tropes vidshow at vidukon_cardiff 2015. Huge thanks to purplefringe for motivating me to finally finish it, and for betaing! ♥
Download: here (2'50 minutes, 124MB) or here (68MB) | subtitle .srt
Also available from: Youtube | AO3 | Tumblr

Multifandom - Weapon of Choice - shinyjenni from shinyjenni on Vimeo.

(password: freeusall)

I've gotta speak, and you want to listen up
but there's no time to feast your eyes
you want it all, but the world won't give it up
up to the edge, a star will rise

What is your weapon of choice
What's your weapon of choice
There is no weapon to free us all
What is your weapon of choice
What's your weapon of choice
There is no weapon to free us all

I won't waste it, I won't waste it, I won't waste my love on a nation
I won't waste it, I won't waste it, I won't waste my love on a nation

Everyone's got their own spent factions
Every pawn will pay its price
I've been digging out in all directions
I'll see you through to the afterlife

What is your weapon of choice
What's your weapon of choice
There is no weapon to free us all
What is your weapon of choice
What's your weapon of choice
There is no weapon to free us all

I won't waste it, I won't waste it, I won't waste my love on a nation
I won't waste it, I won't waste it, I won't waste my love on a nation

It's too hard to stand aside
It's enough to stop your heart

I won't waste it, I won't waste it, I won't waste my love on a nation
I won't waste it, I won't waste it, I won't waste my love on a nation
I won't waste it, I won't waste it, I won't waste my love on a nation
I won't waste it, I won't waste it, I won't waste my love on a nation

Comments

[such_heights]

This is SO GOOD. The editing is just one long adrenaline rush, and the sources flow together so well, and MY PRECIOUS KILLER DARLINGS I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. And that moment where the narrative twists, the breakdown and then the fight back, is just the greatest. <33333

[usuallyhats]

Thank you! ♥

[muccamukk]

Wow. I need to grab the high res copy and watch it like ten times to get all the shifts and comparisons, but mostly this is fantastic.

The editing is so great, and perfect song choice.

[usuallyhats]

Thank you!

[kore]

This is amazing! Love all the parallels, and especially that ending shot.

[usuallyhats]

Thank you!

[chaila]

HOORAY! This is a visual onslaught, in the best possible way! Love the motion and the cutting and how well you use the parallels, to highlight the tropes, to connect motion, and also to drive your own narrative forward. And of course that narrative is very satisfying, I love all of it, but especially the long sequence of capture, escape, and fighting back!

[usuallyhats]

Thank you! Parallels are one of my favourite things to use in vidding, so it was great to have a really good reason to use every single one I could find. :D

[frayadjacent]

yaaaaaayyyyy this is so great I love it. You connected the different sources so well, and I love the way you structured the vid to go from "look badass ladies (ALSO: FEMININE)" to "actually this is kind of fucked up" to them taking control.

Also, I was JUST WONDERING YESTERDAY if the clip of Buffy throwing down the cross necklace in Prophecy Girl could be used in a positive, rejecting the patriarchy Watchers Council way, as opposed to the way it is meant to be seen in canon, where Buffy is rejecting her calling/duty. And you totally did it!

I love your editing. This vid has such great style. :D

[usuallyhats]

Thank you!

\o/ I really love Buffy's journey from flat out rejection of her calling to the realisation that what she really wants to reject is the council having power over her, and her lack of choice. ♥ (Also the way the show does a lot of that journey visually is super helpful. ;D)

[goodbyebird]

Oh my gosh, the build in this!

[usuallyhats]

Thank you!

[beccatoria]

Fantastic use of parallels and build in this, dude. Like, it just flows and flows into a mess of...well, weaponised women, slowly pointing out more and more of the way it's messed up rather than super cool.

[usuallyhats]

Thank you! Yeah, I love that this trope gives us powerful women, and usually gives them a rejecting-the-patriarchy moment, but I hate what they have to go through to get that power and that moment, and that they're not allowed to just be powerful.

[croissantkatie]

Ugh, this was wonderful!

[usuallyhats]

Thank you!

[kabal42]

This vid is so damn awesome! I can't wait to show it to friends. I loved it when we first saw it and I am so looking forward to multiple re-watches.

[usuallyhats]

Thank you!

[kiki_miserychic]

I absolutely love this vid. I'll never be over how well you pulled the visual similarities together while keeping the narrative driving with the parallels. The focus is so refined and the clips, while repetitive, aren't monotonous.

[usuallyhats]

Thank you!

[morgandawn]

I just recced this on my tumblr. For some reason I cannot dl either file - - I have a box.com account but when I click on the file it does nothing.

[usuallyhats]

Thanks for the rec! I've been having that problem with box too - I've uploaded the files to dropbox and added the links to the post, hopefully those ones will work!

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

This is great, I love all the visual parallels!

[usuallyhats]

Thank you! Visual parallels are one of my favourite things to play with in vids. :D

[thisbluespirit]

Ah, that's wonderful - it's got such energy and movement, as well as all the links/connections. Brilliant work!

[usuallyhats]

Thank you!

[lynnenne]

This is some fantastic editing. The chains sequence, especially, is terrifying. And all the sequences flow together flawlessly. Wonderful work.

[usuallyhats]

Thank you!