Firefly FanVid

[guest_age]

Title: "Virgin State of Mind"
Fandom: Firefly/Serenity (footage from Firefly, Serenity, and the R. Tam Sessions)
Character(s): Mostly River, a little Simon, too.
Song Used: "Virgin State of Mind" by K's Choice
Details: .mp4 format, plays in QuickTime, iTunes, and VLC Player.
Summary: Got a knife to disengage the voids that I can't bear
To cut out words I've got written on my chair
Download (Right Click + Save Target as, or Option + Click if you're on a Mac like me): Virgin State of Mind | 18.5 MB

Want to know the words to the song? Lyrics

There's a chair in my head on which I used to sit
Took a pencil and I wrote the following on it

Now there's a key where my wonderful mouth used to be
Dig it up, throw it at me
Dig it up, throw it at me

Where can I run to, where can I hide
Who will I turn to now I'm in a virgin state of mind

Got a knife to disengage the voids that I can't bear
To cut out words I've got written on my chair

Like do you think I'm sexy
Do you think I really care

Can I burn the mazes I grow
Can I, I don't think so

Can I burn the mazes I grow
Can I, I don't think so

Where can I run to, where can I hide
Who will I turn to now I'm in a virgin state of mind
Virgin state of mind
Virgin state of mind
Virgin state of mind

Hark! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the notes, and they are long!

Detailed Notes

Okay. Um...I'm not quite sure how to write up the notes for this. This vid is very...experimental for me. Usually when I make a vid, I have a storyline in my head, and I tell that story. I go in order and I follow a set storyline. This vid is more...soft on the story aspect, but, if possible, more structured. (At least for me. I tend to be a fast and loose vidder.) In this video, I tried to let symbolism and deep meaning work its way in, though whether or not I succeeded in that, or just simply ended up with a montage that makes no sense is entirely up to you. To me, it's actually one of my favorite videos that I've done, because I do feel that, to an extent, I have succeeded in getting more experimental and deep with my vidding. Again, just my opinion.

Um, I guess I should do song choice.

Okay. I first heard this song during the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode, "Dopplegangland." The more I thought about it, though, the less it felt like a song fit for that Buffy episode, and more like a song for River. It makes sense to me, in that after the Alliance got through with her, the way she feels emotions and can't stop herself from expressing them, that is a very child-like quality. Kids wear their hearts on their sleeves, but supposedly we grow out of that as we get older. Jaded. River can't do that. She's stuck in a virginal, childlike state of mind because of what they did to her. By contrast, however, she's still as brilliant as she ever was. Just now she's trapped in a mind that...well, do I have to say it again? VIRGIN STATE OF MIND. There, that's like, the fifth time this paragraph I've said it. Anyway, after having already decided to make this video about River, then I saw the Our Mrs. Reynolds deleted scene in which River wants Book to marry her and Simon, and when he's shocked, she replies, "Two by two. Everyone a mate. A match. A dopple." Given that I first heard this song in a show called "Dopplegangland," that just sort of sealed it for me, and I knew I'd chosen the right characters to vid it with.

Now, we all know that I am big on the CSI (Crazy Space Incest, aka Simon/River) ship. But I don't think this video is necessarily a shippy vid. It's pretty damn tame, actually. It's more...River + Simon with CSI Optional. If you want to see it, then great. If you don't want to add a little CSI to your viewing of the vid, then that's fine, too. I don't mind either way. I tried not to be too overt with my CSI-tendencies. The only time I can think of that it might be obvious is the "do you think I'm sexy?" line, but I actually hadn't intended it to be. I was trying to show how River's mind works now, post-Alliance, and that meant showing all her crazy, weird moments, and stuffing a pillow under her shirt and telling her brother he has to marry her because she's, "in the family way" is definitely one of them. But, I guess, if there's a point in which the CSI becomes obvious, it's that one, though it was unintentional.

I debated for a long time about having Simon say "Light it" at the end, because it's supposed to be River's vid. But then I decided that...part of River's craziness is Simon's devotion to her, and it was necessary, so I left it in. Meh.

And um...

I think that's it, actually. I sort of like this video (for now), so we'll see how I feel after a few days time, when I'm ready to delete it and never vid again. Heh.

***

Edit: This vid won an award of Merit at the Art of Vidding Awards! :)

Comments

[fahrbotdrusilla]

I would love to see this, but I can't get the file to play on my computer. Is there any other format?

[guest-age.livejournal.com]

I normally don't upload to YouTube unless someone asks, but you did, so here ya go. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU3ndQ_adtE) Sorry it's YouTube. I hate using them, but I can't really convert to any other format at the moment. :)

[fahrbotdrusilla]

Thank you, I liked the match for "do you think I’m sexy"

[guest-age.livejournal.com]

Heeheehee, me too. I love the look on Simon's face during that entire scene.

I really did try to keep my CSI tendencies out of the video, but I guess they came through a bit. :-/

[redshoeson.livejournal.com]

Ooo, very nicely done!

[thirdblindmouse.livejournal.com]

This I have to see. The first vid I ever mapped out was River to this song. Pre-Serenity, though, and it got deleted before I finished it. I'm interested to see your take on it.

[guest-age.livejournal.com]

I was having a hard time figuring out a song for her, and then I heard this one on Buffy, and I knew it was a match right away. :)

[lostandalone22.livejournal.com]

That is so touching. I loved the video, and you picked some nice scenes. The song is amazing.

[guest-age.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I love the song, too. I just wish it had been on Firefly instead of Buffy, lol. :)

[octagonal.livejournal.com]

I really like this. I've only just watched Serenity, and I don't really know what's going on (I was just curious) but this was really pretty. Which scene was the one that you had trouble with the program? I couldn't tell, so that's a good thing :)

[guest-age.livejournal.com]

Oh, you should watch the show! AMAZINGNESS I TELL YOU. (I like the show better than the movie, because the show is more about the character's and their interactions.) But anyway...I didn't have any problems per se, just that I can't figure out how to go image-masking. But once I decided to forgo that, I didn't have much trouble. This was one of those rare vids that just sort of poured out of me without (much) fighting. Heh.

But I'm lad you like it! :)

[octagonal.livejournal.com]

Firefly is $20 at Target right now so I'm debating buying it. It looks intriguing. Hmm!

[guest-age.livejournal.com]

DO IIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTT!

[badplanmobile.livejournal.com]

This vid looks great! I really want to see it, but it won't download. D:

[guest-age.livejournal.com]

The link is fixed now. Sorry about that.

[notadate.livejournal.com]

Really nice! You picked great music for River and I love that you ended with my absolute favorite line from the whole series. Nice job. :)

[guest-age.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! It's my favorite line from the series, too. (Although, "I'll be in my bunk," is a close second, lol.)