få music video - brace yourself

[common svensson]

hi everyone,

I've just finished my second få music video, entitled "brace yourself". You can download it here:

http://www.achim-der-angler.de/fa/fa_brace_yourself.zip

Just right-click on the link and choose "save as...". The file size is about 11 MB. You should have Windows Media Player 9 or later installed.

It can be seen as a sequel to "anything she does", my first video, which you can find here:

http://www.cameopictures.com/roel/viewt ... 4e146e03c7
(or just look for the topic "new få music video")

Have fun! (comments are highly appreciated)

[kant1781]

Well, fabulous! I just come home from vacation and find this great surprise – the thing we have all been waiting for! And I even have the honour to be the first to say thank you! I’m sure this will be outstanding work again, commonsvensson. A detailed commentary will be forthcoming, I know your work deserves careful attention...

[kant1781]

Here I am again with some comments on your clip... it is great work indeed! The first thing I noticed is how unusual and surprising I found your choice of the song. It testifies to your musical taste, but I admit that I would have never chosen that song or anything like it if I had been asked. (I would have chosen something more... well, energetic. Something more rock’n’roll. ) So I was quite irritated the first time. But that is great – it just made me realize how much the song interprets the pictures. Together with another kind of music, the same pictures would look completely different, give a totally new impression. So your unusual choice made it all the more interesting. (Can you say why you picked the song? I’m really curious. Even the lyrics didn’t give me a real clue, while in the Genesis song it was very clear. What I got is that you changed perspectives – the first video was basically Agnes’s, this is mainly Elin’s.)

Now, here are my favourite bits – there are quite a lot. You obviously used more gadgets of your software this time...
- Agnes materializing out of the classbook picture while the rest of it vanishes – just beautiful.
- Agnes and Elin kissing in or rather behind Elin’s head while she tries to evade Jessica’s questions where she has been – perfect.
- The split screen with Agnes and Elin turning heads, looking at each other – also very nice.
- The picture to the second appearance of the line „Maybe I’ll hold my breath“ makes me smile every time...
- I liked the ending of your first clip more than anything else because of the way you included the dialogue, and it is the same here. The fade-out and –in of the song is very effective and highlights the meaning of what comes in between.

But the best bits are those that aren’t just visual but a part of your storytelling. And you do tell the story in your own way with this video, you never use the pictures quite the way they were intended in the film. In fact, one only gets your story if one more or less ignores the original context of the pictures. And this makes the clip an artistic interpretation of the story, one that completely makes sense to me! The way you quote sequences running backwards to introduce flashbacks is a good example. Another small thing I noted and liked especially is the look that Elin seems to throw at Agnes over her shoulder before she runs away from her room. That look isn’t in the film, it is in fact a look that she throws at Jessica when she asks her to leave the room while she will try to get to kiss Agnes. The picture has been mirrored and I assume that it wasn’t easy to fit it in smoothly. (Did I get it right?)
But finally: What I loved the most is that you included Agnes’s „Men det är du inte!“ („But you aren’t!“) from the bridge scene. Maybe you remember that this is one of the most important lines of all to me.

Since I am always the one to ask for critical feedback, here is some, though it’s really only minor points: There is just one stretch, between 1:50 and 2:40 approximatively, that seems not as well-composed as the rest (although it contains two of my favourite moments), in which the story and its structure didn’t get quite clear to me. And then, the intro to the video is great and the slo-mo just before the kiss is breathtaking, but afterwards, the clip seems to be sped-up (maybe it just seems to be because of the slow motion immediately before), unfortunately making the kissing look rather hasty and unsensual.

So: Chapeau, commonsvensson! Interpreting the film through a song and editing alone is quite a different thing from interpreting it with words. You did extremely well!

Will we get more??!

[common svensson]

hi kant1781,

thank you so much for your insightful and truly uplifting comments! That's just the kind of spiritual lifting I needed today

(Can you say why you picked the song? I’m really curious. Even the lyrics didn’t give me a real clue, while in the Genesis song it was very clear. What I got is that you changed perspectives – the first video was basically Agnes’s, this is mainly Elin’s.)

Regarding the music: it usually doesn't take much to convince me that a certain song belongs to certain images. Sometimes it's just a line of the lyrics (this was the case with "anything she does" and its resemblance to broder daniel's "whirlwind", after all, both sing about the unapproachable love of a superstar), sometimes a certain mood/feeling of a song strikes me as somewhat fitting or amplyfying the images (and vice versa). The idea often comes out of the blue: I just listened to "brace yourself" once while glancing through some screenshots of få. When I looked at the night scenes (agnes and elin on the bridge, on the road, after the kiss), with the music playing in the background, it occured to me that this combination really worked well. I felt that the sound of this simple live recording of a beautiful song, using only voice and guitar, appearing somewhat lonely in a wide and empty space, reflects the atmosphere of the images of the two girls standing alone in the darkness. I see a strong connection here: You only hear the voice and the guitar, and you only see the girls in a very toned-down, hard-to-see environment. In some scenes, their surroundings have completely disappeared (agnes leaving elin after the kiss). That's the main reason why I paid so much attention to the night scenes in the beginning of the clip. So this initial idea got stuck in my head.

But there is more to it: as I started thinking about a concept for the video, I took a closer look at the lyrics, in search of some hints for a possible structure. As I wasn't quite sure what "brace yourself" literally meant, i looked it up: bracing oneself means "pulling yourself together", I also understand this as something like "making up your mind about something". And that's basically what the clip is all about: the process of Elin taking a run for her leap of faith, for her committment to Agnes. I use the words from your essay here, because I strongly agree with you. I was really surprised that the lyrics reflected the story so well; after all, I only had a vague idea of the song's meaning, before I looked up the words.

So to sum things up, this is what I wanted to do: create a sequel to "anything she does", that takes place after the girls meet the first time (technically, I included (almost) no footage from the first clip), using the kissing scene as a starting point to re-tell the story of elin deciding about her feelings for agnes in a non-linear fashion.

Now, here are my favourite bits – there are quite a lot. You obviously used more gadgets of your software this time...
- Agnes materializing out of the classbook picture while the rest of it vanishes – just beautiful.
- Agnes and Elin kissing in or rather behind Elin’s head while she tries to evade Jessica’s questions where she has been – perfect.
- The split screen with Agnes and Elin turning heads, looking at each other – also very nice.
- The picture to the second appearance of the line „Maybe I’ll hold my breath“ makes me smile every time...
- I liked the ending of your first clip more than anything else because of the way you included the dialogue, and it is the same here. The fade-out and –in of the song is very effective and highlights the meaning of what comes in between.

I'm glad that the work I put into the visual tricks paid off - what's the use of effects when they don't add to the viewing experience, maybe even destroy some of the magic? I guess the kissing in the beginning is a negative example here, but more on that later.

Regarding the ending: I had my doubts about creating just a shortened version of the real film's ending - while the open ending of "anything she does" was, in comparison, quite easy to create, I found it nearly impossible to edit the toilet scene. Moodysson composed the final so well that you feel somewhat guilty using the editing axe (ore should i say scalpel?) here. That's why I included the most important part of the dialogue uncut, to preserve its beauty. The fact that you liked the ending shows that it worked! One thing I would like to point out: in the last moment where agnes and elin hold hands, you can see a strong light coming from the right, reflecting on their skin - like they are walking into the light. This reflection is repeated in the following scene where agnes is sitting on the bed - now they are "in the light". I think that's such a sweet visual connection.

Another small thing I noted and liked especially is the look that Elin seems to throw at Agnes over her shoulder before she runs away from her room. That look isn’t in the film, it is in fact a look that she throws at Jessica when she asks her to leave the room while she will try to get to kiss Agnes. The picture has been mirrored and I assume that it wasn’t easy to fit it in smoothly. (Did I get it right?)

It's so much fun altering the storyline a little, surprises always make the result more interesting (guess how surprised I was when I finally saw the two scenes in the Swedish Version of få that were missing in the german version). Elin's look over her shoulder was a so-called happy accident: I just mirrored the image, and it fit perfectly. That's something I like most about editing: You just try things out, and suddenly it works in a way you haven't imagined before. But you're still right that the fitting wasn't that easy. It took me quite a while to remove Jessica from the scene (I asked her politely, but she just wouldn't move ). With Jessica, I also removed the evil bet from the storyline. The look over the shoulder is a symbol for Elin's uncertainty.

But finally: What I loved the most is that you included Agnes’s „Men det är du inte!“ („But you aren’t!“) from the bridge scene. Maybe you remember that this is one of the most important lines of all to me.

Indeed I remember that this line is important to you! And I see it the same way; when I watched få for the first time, I was surprised that Elin wasn't aware that Agnes was in love with her - I saw the expression like "no, you're not like the rest, you're something special" as a clear declaration of love. So I included it, for this sentence is something special.

Since I am always the one to ask for critical feedback, here is some, though it’s really only minor points: There is just one stretch, between 1:50 and 2:40 approximatively, that seems not as well-composed as the rest (although it contains two of my favourite moments), in which the story and its structure didn’t get quite clear to me. And then, the intro to the video is great and the slo-mo just before the kiss is breathtaking, but afterwards, the clip seems to be sped-up (maybe it just seems to be because of the slow motion immediately before), unfortunately making the kissing look rather hasty and unsensual.

The stretch you mention here is a result of my attempt at some non-linear storytelling. I wanted to show what happens before the kiss, sometimes I used footage running backwards, which you noticed, sometimes I changed the order of the scenes. From 1:50 on it's stopping car - talking on bridge. Then we see Elin walking backwards from the car. This was meant as Elin's final retreat from the kiss (which happens in the car), leading to "forward time" where she calls Agnes and hangs up on her. Especially this change goes together with a change in the song ("false alarms"). But I understand that this did not work out the way it was meant, that it remained unclear. A more experienced editor could have made more of the reversed-time concept. But anyway, the stretch contained some of your favourite parts, which speaks for the old rule (which I just made up ): If it doesn't make sense, at least make it look good )

The Kissing was one of the earliest scenes I finished. The footage after Elin touches Agnes' lips is indeed sped-up, just to enhance the contrast to the slo-mo before, and to match the timing of the images better to the timing of the song. I must have watched it so many times that I got used to it, and accepted the new speed as normal timing. Good you pointed that out, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed that it looks unnatural!

So: Chapeau, commonsvensson! Interpreting the film through a song and editing alone is quite a different thing from interpreting it with words. You did extremely well!

Will we get more??!

So, to close this rather lengthy post, I thank you again for taking your time to comment on my work so thoroughly. Declaring it as an "artistic interpretation of the story" is a great compliment for me, the positive feedback definitly encourages me to continue my work. I feel a bit saturated at the moment, regarding the countless times i watched the material, but I still have some ideas that I want to realize in the future (maybe in a couple of months? maybe next year? I don't know yet...).

PS: And of course I haven't forgotten about your essay. I have just read it for the third time, and I'm thinking thinking thinking to give you the feedback it deserves. I promise.

[ioana]

Hi common svensson!
I just wanted to say that the song "brace yourself" was a really-really
good choice!I watch that every day
It's a perfect song for the movie!

[aLan4ever]

I loved the videos!! I havent seen the movie yet because well I found about the movie when I was packing all my stuff because we're moving from The Netherlands to Germany.

maybe you could make one on the music of <Seether & Amy Lee - Broken> Its a beautifull song and I'm sure you're abel to make something beautifull out of it!!

Xx
Marieke

[aLan4ever]

if you're not familiar with the song or something let me know! I'll send it to you or something, if you would like that...

Xx
Marieke

[kant1781]

Olé,

thanks for your long answer, commonsvensson! Just some more bits in response:

I felt that the sound of this simple live recording of a beautiful song, using only voice and guitar, appearing somewhat lonely in a wide and empty space, reflects the atmosphere of the images of the two girls standing alone in the darkness. I see a strong connection here

Thanks for that elucidation, I immediately saw your point! You're absolutely right. (I guess I tend to see the whole film from the perspective of its ending, that's why intuitively I'd opt for a different kind of song.)

One thing I would like to point out: in the last moment where agnes and elin hold hands, you can see a strong light coming from the right, reflecting on their skin - like they are walking into the light. This reflection is repeated in the following scene

Never noticed this before, but you’re right, it’s beautiful!

(guess how surprised I was when I finally saw the two scenes in the Swedish Version of få that were missing in the german version)

This will forever be one of the unsolved riddles of the universe: Why on Earth has anyone anywhere in this country thought it necessary and worth the effort to cut two utterly insignificant little scenes of less than ten seconds each in which nothing whatsoever is shown out of a film that is less than 90 minutes long anyway???

From 1:50 on it's stopping car - talking on bridge. Then we see Elin walking backwards from the car. This was meant as Elin's final retreat from the kiss (which happens in the car), leading to "forward time" where she calls Agnes and hangs up on her.

Now I got it! I missed that she’s walking backwards – like always, it’s obvious once you’re told, but it escaped my attention before. It does make good sense now.

the old rule (which I just made up ): If it doesn't make sense, at least make it look good )

Right! A close relative of the better known „If it doesn’t make sense, at least make it sound good“, as exemplified by the question „How many roads must the man walk down?“, which, as I presume you know well, the mice picked as the ultimate question because it „sounds very significant without meaning anything at all“.

I feel a bit saturated at the moment, regarding the countless times i watched the material

I know what you mean...

And of course I haven't forgotten about your essay

You shouldn’t have said that... now I’ll be waiting!!!

[loveagnes]

wow. Great music video . I loved it!

[common svensson]

hi there,
thank you so much for your positive comments! It makes me so happy to know there are people out there having a good time watching the videos!

maybe you could make one on the music of <Seether & Amy Lee - Broken> Its a beautifull song and I'm sure you're abel to make something beautifull out of it!!

I'm sorry to disappoint you, aLan4ever. I don't feel like creating something new at the moment, I'm lacking time and motivation. And I know the song by Seether & Amy Lee, but I don't like it; it's just not my type of music. It may sound a bit selfish, picking only the music I like to make videos, but otherwise it would be quite difficult for me to come up with some ideas. And the thought of cutting my favourite movie to music I don't really enjoy (and listening to it over and over again in the process) just does not appeal to me. Förlåt...

as exemplified by the question „How many roads must the man walk down?“, which, as I presume you know well, the mice picked as the ultimate question because it „sounds very significant without meaning anything at all“

Mice? Uhmmm... Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about... Is this a reference to Douglas Adams? I'm just guessing here by the results that google gave me...

[kant1781]

Mice? Uhmmm... Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about... Is this a reference to Douglas Adams?

Yep. Sorry, no intention to irritate you! Online jokes are a risky affair...

[mizfit]

to the person who made the video, thumbs up to you . I'm a new member by the way. I saw this site about two days ago. After watching F.A. last Aug. 13 I started searching all the infos I can get, hehe (talking about obsession) and I found this site.

I'm in Canada by the way, and nobody knows about F.A. I can't even find a copy in video-rental/stores. grrr! so seeing the a clip for just about 4 minutes is a big surprise, and makes my day. I watch it like twice a day . It's like a drug!!!

[common svensson]

hej mizfit,

thanks & welcome to the forum!