Vid: Unnatural Selection - Battlestar Galactica/Terminator: Sarah Connor

[charmax]

kiki_miserychic & zombiep0rn were the inspiration behind the vid.


Video Title: Unnatural Selection
Song Title/Artist: Pussycats Gone To Heaven (Pixies vs Pussycat Dolls) - DJ Lobsterdust
Shows/Source: Battlestar Galactica, Terminator: Sarah Connor, Terminator movies.
Summary: That body was made to look like a person. We were made in God's image.
***Images of apocalypse and violence that some may find disturbing.***
Length/Format: 3.36, (Xvid, Stream)
Notes:
OK so first off this is so far outside my comfort zone as to be in another continent. This vid is one big experiment designed to help me evolve (geddit?) as a Vidder. Everything from the song (first time using a mashup) to the physical editing process (storyboarded in Premiere but mostly edited in AE) to the tone and themes (my dark side, let me show you it.)

The inspiration for the vid came from the fact that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of "The Origin of Species" and the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth. I've always been struck by the similarities between T:SCC and BSG and I tried to show some of that here. As humanity teeters on the edge of extinction they slide down the evolutionary tree of life whilst the machines evolve into better beings.

kiki_miserychic has written an insightful commentary for this vid over at vid_commentary. A little more of my choices is discussed in the comments.

Unnatural Selection - Battlestar Galactica/Terminator: Sarah Connor - Charmax

Links: Download Xvid (720x400 - 40MB) | Download Xvid (416x240 - 20MB) | Stream@Imeem | Stream@Youtube

Comments

[sasha-feather.livejournal.com]

That is amazing! Gave me chills!

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

superb. simply and beautifully superb.

I like how you meshed and merged the scenes from the shows and film. (and I thought I saw a brief scene from Space: above and beyond)

you did great!
*adds to Memories*

[nightxade.livejournal.com]

This is incredible. Everything worked perfectly. I would not believe that this was your first time using anything to make this vid. Fantastic.

[mranderson71.livejournal.com]

Pure unadulterated awsm.

Its always a joy to watch an idea come to life because of the editors masterful execution & obvious knowledge of their source material. And I love the idea, especially the way you've included some nature footage in amoungst the carnage, to further support it. Its one of those vids which demand multiple viewings & I will definately be subscribing to that newsletter.

Im on a bit of a Terminator high (new T4 trailer has me in a tizzy) & I'm right into BSG at the moment, so this vid has hit the sweet spot. Like when a batter hits a home run, and this one is out of the park.

[leviathan101.livejournal.com]

Awesome, I loved it. Fantastic editing as well.

[tassosss.livejournal.com]

That was amazing. I think I'm going to have to watch it about ten more times to start to get everything in it.

Definitely a keeper.

[daegaer.livejournal.com]

Here via thefourthvine - the vid is brilliant!

[sainfoin-fields.livejournal.com]

Holy crap this is so awesome. So awesome.

I particularly love: the little shot of Sarah with the turtle. It may not be the fittest to survive, but damned if she's not going to try to even the odds.
the bodycount, especially the SCC pool scene because I love it, but also the use of the BSG bodies.
the juxtaposition of the words "adaptable to change" and Catherine learning to be Savannah's mom.
the bonus footage from T2 snuck in the back door.
how many levels you made this work on!

[belenustenebrae.livejournal.com]

I loved the images of fire, and the bird and the worm in this.
Awesome vid.

[dlasta.livejournal.com]

Stunning.

[a-slow-descent.livejournal.com]

Amaaaaazing!

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

Oh very cool. Awesome song choice.

[woolly-socks.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm in awe. This is STUNNING.

The music absolutely blew my mind, and the vid finished me off.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

WAY COOL. Our eventual death by the hands of our robot oppressors has never been so fun.

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

OH my god, that's freaking amazing. Great work.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

OMG BRILLIANT!!!!!! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FRAKKING BRILLIANT. I am just... totally blown away. BEST FANVID ALL YEAR, for sure! Just... WOWWWWWWW!!!! *mind explodey*

I promise to be back with more thoughtful thoughts when I come down from the squee.

Give me a few days? :)

[iseult-variante.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow, that was amazing - I hope that you are happy to have gone outside of your comfort zone, because, wow, seriously. I really liked how the outside sources were integrated into the vid - the fire sweeping over the schematic of the skeletons, and the various ways the text from the Origin were worked in - and the mashup seemed a really perfect fit for the ideas you were working with. I totally jumped at the start of the guitar solo-y bit, where the terminator and the centurion sort of jump out! And the turtle made me cheer for humanity, heh.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

That was ASTONISHING.

I need to go away and think about it. I hope to be smart at you later. (:

YEUH

[gega-cai.livejournal.com]

Whoa. Pixies meets Terminator meets BSG. Slike you read my nerd brain.

I'll be honest, I've never watched a frame of BSG, but this vid was awesome. Sgoing in my memories, ondelay!

Mucho kudos for the hard work that went into it!

[luzula]

Oh wow, that's creepy but awesome. I'm definitely going to watch it again, to catch everything that's going on.

[ecila-etc.livejournal.com]

That is amazing!

I'm teaching a masters class on science fiction and want to show this to my students as an example of images of science and technology in fan works - would that be ok with you? We'll just watch it along with reading a load of fic. They won't sit and critique it for hours or anything.

[parallactic.livejournal.com]

Whoa. I'm sitting here stunned, sure that I have to watch this vid several times to let it seep in. I've never watched BSG, but the TSCC, Darwin, voiceovers, and song choice parts are perfect. The vid feels seamless as well.

This monkey's gone to heaven, indeed.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_omnivore_/]

Completely stunning!!! Just... made of pure frakking win. *fails at words*

[turnonmyheels.livejournal.com]

stunning

[(Anonymous)]

wow! just wow!