[Vid] Reincarnation

[extrapenguin]

Reincarnation
Fandom: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Original Trilogy (in roughly that concentration)
Music: Reincarnation by Beyond the Black
Runtime: 4:13
Warnings: rapid cuts (throughout), natural strobing (entire second half), flickering image (esp second half)
Premiered at fanworks con 2023.

  You can't run from who you were.

Watch on YouTube

This is my magnum opus. The entire reason I watched the OT and ST. On the 28th of February, I told a friend over Discord "RIP to me, I have a vid idea that I super want to do and that necessitates watching the OT and ST (and clipping through all 9 movies)" after hearing the song for the first time and then, uh, went and did it. I originally planned to submit it to VidUKon, but I wasn't even done with the clipping, so I swapped to the idea I got a few days later watching ANH: Burn It Down. I finally finished the draft in August and asked on the Vidders Discord for someone to make sure the concept was clear. seekingferret answered the call, and then we ended up having a truly comedic stint of taking turns being AFK for weeks on end, but I did end up with invaluable feedback on how I needed to toss out my instrumental intro and make a new one.

General notes on how I made it: I first did the purely-ST Rey "frame", starting from ~0:31, vidding along as I clipped. This led to one false start, where I originally used TLJ and Rey holding Kylo's red saber, for the section from 2:26, but then I realized I had nowhere to go to for the instrumental from 2:50, and ripped that out and replaced it with TRoS footage after I'd clipped that. Then I watched through all the lightsaber fights I'd included, made notes on what Rey's lightsaber was doing/directions of slashes etc, and went through my clip library to see what clips would best match. Matching the TRoS Rey-Kylo fight footage with OT Vader-Luke footage was a bit hard, since I was working against lightsaber color coding and also the OT fights were Of Their Time. Grabbing PT Anakin clips to match with the TFA fight in the snow, OTOH, was pretty easy ... apart from the bit where the PT's fights are faster-paced than the ST's. But I really like how the bit from 1:30 goes, with the intercuts to the Anakin-Dooku fight, as well as the 3:09 to 3:46 flashback section, especially the final "Reincarnation – My soul won't die" from 3:43 to 3:46.

Also, because I knew this was Fast Cuts: The Vid, I watched my final draft at half speed in VLC to make sure everything was timed and to really have time to consider every image I presented in the montage. I think this is a good process step and will repeat it for any future vids with lots of rapid cuts/a plethora of visuals.

Comments

[shadaras]

oohhhhhh that's VERY COOL! :D The fight footage must have been such a pain to match-cut for but the effect is so good. <3

[extrapenguin]

Thank you! It was a bit annoying at times, but OTOH it was soooo satisfying to get it right. Whenever I got the matching, I would legit do the mad scientist cackle all "Yes... YES!!!" :D

[maggie33]

What a fantastic vid, I love it a lot. And that song is great, too. Now I want to find and listen to other songs of that band. :)

[extrapenguin]

The album it's from is great! I like basically everything off it, but for a first look, try Dancing in the Dark and Is There Anybody Out There? I like how the lyrical themes are mostly about slightly out-there stuff, like reincarnation, rather than the usual love etc.

[maggie33]

Ohh, thank you for the rec. I'll start with that album then.

[atamascolily]

Oooh, very epic! The song is such a great fit, and I love how you intercut past and future together so that we feel the full weight of the story.

I struggle with fast cuts in my own vids, so I admire how you did those here. I will have to try reviewing at 1/2 speed in VLC, because that seems like a great way to make everything is where it's supposed to be in the finished product.

[extrapenguin]

Thank you! Yeah, the intercutting was the meat and bones of this vid, and it was sooo satisfying to get a good match.

WRT fast cuts, I think what helped me most was watching (and seeing praise for) hollywoodgrrl's No Maker Made Me, since that gave me the confidence that yes, people will be able to keep up with fast cuts and assimilate the information. And yep, reviewing at 1/2 speed was great, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

[independence1776]

Wow!!!

[extrapenguin]

Thank you!

[bluedreaming]

I loved this at FanWorks; what an epic vid—you really sold the idea and it was so cool how all that could be conveyed with edits. All the match-cuts!

[extrapenguin]

Thank you! I was so happy to find all the match cuts and legit cackled whenever I got a good one.