New Vid: Culmination

Watch on YouTube

(On AO3.)

vid_bingo submission for the Instrumental tile! The backstory for this is that for every vexercises color grading assignment, I have completely failed at actually using color to guide anything and have instead either slapped a LUT on the finished vid or just used an oddly lit/internally color graded segment. However! In the offseason, I realized I had an actual idea that would use color! I grabbed an instrumental (Surma - Rendition) that was a steady build in intensity and used a master effect so the saturation rose from 0 at the start to 125 (100%) at the end. Then I built it from the end by sections: the final section is Maul + Qui-Gon, ending with Qui-Gon's death; the prior section is the start of the Theed palace fight, ending with Obi-Wan being yeeted off a ledge and fake dying; another section back is the Tatooine fight; then arrival on Tatooine; then, at the start, a "prelude" with Sidious and the Trade Federation.

Maul thus enters the picture when the music first crests into audibility and goes to Tatooine when the dun-dun-dun of the drums appears (which is also when the first hints of color are visible). His probes set out with the first vocals, and he attacks Qui-Gon when the vocals and drums coincide, but the music has yet to build up to sufficient energy for a swordfight and thus Qui-Gon gets away. Then we cut to Naboo, and the music goes up with a faster-paced melody, enabling Maul to take on Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon both, kicking Obi-Wan to his doom; the vocals reappear as Maul duels Qui-Gon and he wins on the moment of musical climax. When Qui-Gon's knees hit the floor, the music cuts off, having fulfilled its purpose.

I had a lot of fun vidding an instrumental. I should probably do it again sometime. :D