Sweet Charity Vid | Xena: Warrior Princess | Devotion

[charmax]

Video Title: Devotion
Song Title/Artist: Devotion - The Indigo Girls
Show: Xena: Warrior Princess
Summary: Seasons change, time moves on, one thing remains constant. Devotion.
Length/Format: 3.42, (Xvid, Stream)
Notes: For killabeez Sweet Charity RAINN 3.0. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to vid Xena again your beta was awesome. It's been a huge pleasure!

Download Xvid (768x576 - 85MB)
Download Xvid (640x480 - 50MB)
Download Xvid (384x288 - 25MB)
Low quality Imeem stream.

Feedback much welcomed.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Comments

[kjaneway.livejournal.com]

Ooh. Very, very cool.

[charmax.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[lilwitchy.livejournal.com]

nicely done.

[charmax.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[bunnythenavia.livejournal.com]

Gab and Xena is love! I love your use of nature shots (flowers and moon and waterfall), it's a bit symbolic, isn't it? It's soft but fierce, like their relationship. Thank you, this video cheered me up :)

z

[spiletta42.livejournal.com]

I'm one of those people who stopped enjoying Xena when the show started to turn dark, but this used many of the elements I disliked in the source in a really beautiful way. The song choice was fantastic. There were many facets to Xena that I felt lacked cohesiveness, but here you've tied them all together smoothly, and really captured the X/G relationship.

This video makes me want to watch the show again, from beginning to end. Bravo!

[rowan-d.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's seriously awesome.:) I love the rhythm and feel of the clips. Really draws you into the scope of the story. And I should tell you, I'm a huge admirer of your "Boom Boom Ba" video as well, I spent most of this fall watching it at least every other day on my laptop while I cook dinner.:D I didn't reawlize you were on LJ. Hope you don't mind I've friended you.:)

[tallulah71.livejournal.com]

Oh, this was so worth waiting for. My thanks to killabeez for getting you to vid Xena again. Since I'm a little bit familiar with the source(*g*), I'm going to attempt feedback beyond my usual, "OMG, you're awesome. This is the awesomest awesome that ever was awesomed!" :)

I love the opening sequence. It really sets the stage for who Xena was and the quick flash of young Xena reminds us of where she came from. The montage of her riding Argo gives the feeling of her riding away from her past. Here are a few of my favorite moments.

Gabrielle with Hope, then Xena, then the explosion(Dahak's temple?) played over the lyrics, "Blood runs thick and when it rains, it pours."

The scenes from "Remember Nothing" followed by the lyrics, "Gave it up for a love that won't be defined."

The shooting star timed to the cymbal crash.

Xena being betrayed by Caesar over the lyrics, "Building fences for no gain."

The end sequence where you make it appear they're riding towards each other.

So, in a word, AWESOME! ;)

[giandujakiss.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is beautiful! You really make the footage look gorgeous, and I love how you capture the Xena/Gabby relationship.

[charmax.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I was able to cheer you up! Soft but fierce is a great way of describing their relationship and by extension this vid.

The waterfall and flower shots were about Xena starting her new life with everything in full bloom contrasting with the death and destruction of the opening sequence (flower heads as opposed to heads on poles etc) plus the women in the field are dressed in the same colours as the flowers which just emphasises their connection to nature, something Xena doesn't really have at that point but develops later. So, yeah I guess it's symbolic :D

[charmax.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Making Xena and Gab look gorgeous, not so hard. Making the actual footage look pretty, oh the pain and the tears and the languishing in Avisynth Hell!

[charmax.livejournal.com]

Thanks for commenting on this vid and for your kind words about "Boom Boom Ba", I made a vid to cook to, who knew? :D

And I don't mind at all that you friended me.

[charmax.livejournal.com]

"OMG, you're awesome. This is the awesomest awesome that ever was awesomed!" Works for me! :D

I totally rediscovered my Xena love with this and that alone makes it worth doing. I very nearly didn't enter Sweet Charity this round (I had deadline angst and Spike phobia) but I'm so glad I changed my mind.

Almost all your favourite parts are the result of things Killa made me think about with her helpful beta which is the other reason I loved this particular Sweet Charity experience so much.

[charmax.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I'm pleased that it made you want to watch the show again. It's particularly flattering, given that I used stuff you weren't happy about in the source, that you felt I'd conveyed the relationship well.

[kimberlite.livejournal.com]

This was absolutely gorgeous! I liked how Xena's journey was highlighted and all the moments that showed the intensity of the X/G relationship. The music/lyrics worked beautifully as well as the rich colors and landscapes. I really want to go back and watch both the vid and the show again.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

I really, really wish I had a play counter on this vid, because I think it would be sort of hilarious to find out exactly how many times I've actually watched the various versions. However many it is? It's a lot.

This last time, I realized that I don't think I ever mentioned to you how much I adore what you finally came up with for the line "haven't much need to look for work." I always adored that line for Xena, and you nailed it. That shot of them on the ramparts was exactly the episode I was thinking of, and I love the sword going back in the sheath, and that you found a perfect spot for Boadicea.

Um, I have to go to bed now. Must... stop... watching... vid...

[counteragent.livejournal.com]

Wow! All I've ever seen of Xena before are somewhat awesome/cheesy action sequences, so you might imagine my surprise when this vid turned out to be luscious and dramatic, tough and tender. You worked magic with the source---it looked like a feature film on my computer. In fact, the whole vid had the pathos of a feature film.

The storytelling was so good that I feel I can really get a sense of narrative without knowing the source.

Beautifully done!

[copracat]

What I love best is how you ranged over the whole series. Or maybe what I love best is how much of the love you show. Then again, maybe what I love best is that this vid makes me fizzingly happy.

Yes, that's what I love best; all of that.

[charmax.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad I don't have a play counter because I really don't need to find out exactly how much of my life I spend watching vids. It's one of those things it's probably best to remain in blissful ignorance about.

I finally found that clip of them walking the ramparts handing out weapons. I have must have scrolled past it many times and even now I'm not sure which ep it's from. Anyway it works and that's what matters, also I'm giving myself bonus points for Boadicea, just because.

Anyway it's been a pleasure.

*faints* with GLEE from your rec.
brb.

[charmax.livejournal.com]

Many thanks! The song and the show are such a perfect fit it made it particularly joyful to work with.

[charmax.livejournal.com]

Heee! That you loved all of it is just the best compliment. Thanks you so much.

[charmax.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Xena was definitely not adverse to the cheese. But there's also some really awesome stuff to work with, pretty and emotional and epic and magical and just everything I want from a show. I'm so thrilled that you were able to get a sense of that from the vid.

Being compared to a feature film has really made my day! Particularly as 4:3 footage feels so old-fashioned now.

[femmenerd.livejournal.com]

This is fabulous. It makes me want to go back and rewatch the show. I love how it's totally about their relationship and also just who they are. ♥

[charmax.livejournal.com]

Xena and Gabrielle are just so fabulous, everything about them is just love. To capture a little bit of that makes me happy. Oh you must go watch it again! It's really sad to think that there will never be another show like it.

[missyjack.livejournal.com]

Oh this is so THEM! Beautiful work.