Notice

[thuviaptarth]

Hey. I'm having a pretty bad post-con crash and dealing with some personal stuff that started coming down over the weekend, so I'll probably be even slower about responding to comments than usual.

I locked the Townhall on Vidding and Visibility notes after posting them because of some concerns about (ha) too much visibility. I'd like to make them public again, but only if the people cited are comfortable with the level of anonymity and the way I've represented them, and it's going to take me a while to check with everybody. In the meantime, kassrachel has a public post here.

I'm going to try to get down panel reports first, because they'll suffer the most from delay and dimming of memory. I wanted to comment on the premieres of non-attending vidders, because they didn't get to judge by applause, "aw"s, or laughter, but my first several comments came out backhanded and/or zombie-like, so that will have to wait. But I recommend people check out aycheb's "Scarlet Ribbons," charmax's "Tanglewood Tree", keewick's "32" and "Sorry", halcyon_shift's "Natural Blues", and cherryice's "Ghosts (4)", all non-Premieres-Show premiering vids by nonattending vidders that are just as strong as the best of Premieres.

harriet_spy has an interesting take on the Vids That Push The Envelope panel, which ... hmm. Her perceptions of the panel don't exactly match mine, and I disagree with several things in the comments. But it's worth reading. I'm not sure it will come out right because of my current zombie-like state, but I don't feel like I'm anxious about changes in vidding as an artform (whereas I am definitely anxious about changes in visibility). I'm excited! I think the potential for new and different vids is awesome. I'm excited by the new kinds of vids I'm seeing, I'm excited by the new vidders I've discovered, I'm excited by having needs met that haven't been fulfilled before, I'm excited by seeing things I hadn't even thought to want before. Some people at the panel spoke of how what they wanted to see as viewers or achieve as vidders had expanded over time, but for me, honestly, I feel less like what I want has changed (that was probably the first two Vividcons I went to) than that what I want is finally happening. cesperanza spoke (at this panel? some other time at the con?) about how, looking at vids, she felt like she was watching TV "as we would make it--and it's better than the way the mainstream makes it," but this was the first year I had a glimpse of that. And that relates, obviously, to the different ways that people define "we," as well as our different wants, and relates to some of the issues I have with cesperanza's own premiere, "Supersmart."

Vidding is so intertwined with slash fandom, and that means different things to hardcore slashers, people who have slash as a sexual identity, people for whom the presence of slash indicates us, and people who enjoy slash sometimes but who don't see it as inextricable with their personal or fannish identity. Maybe I am simplifying? I don't want to misrepresent people. But I think there are a lot of people who see slash on the screen and that makes them basically happy, that makes them feel represented, that fulfills their desires, and I don't just mean their sexual desires. Whereas for me it's not enough for me to see women's art on the screen: I need to see actual women. I need women to be present in the text, as well as reshaping it. I need new stories, or old stories brought out, I need marginalized stories centered, I need the world re-centered on women (white women and women of color) and people of color (women of color and men of color) and queer people and slash stories (which are not the same thing. I think? Maybe? Sometimes?) I need more.

And I'm getting more. This excites me and satisfies me and makes me happy in ways I can't even say.

And some of the more isn't for me, doesn't do what I am interested in doing, but I'm glad that it exists for other people and also I think that it enables some of what I want or don't yet know to want. Creative ferment is exciting, it's the sign of a living, changing artform, it makes me so happy that it's going on.

Comments

[cofax7]

I saw the vid last night, had some interesting conversation with Katie and Eli about it, and I have to admit that if Katie hadn't told me about it at length, I would have found it impossible to parse, and also frustrating and a bit annoying. As it is, I disagree rather fiercely with Ces' argument. But that shouldn't surprise you.

[ratcreature]

If I hadn't read an explanation before watching it, I wouldn't have understood it either. I mean, watching on my own I'd probably thought it said only something like "SGA women are kind of cool, but the guys are more awesome, lovable and also adorkable, so there are fan vids and websites for them but not for the women characters" or something like that.

[keewick.livejournal.com]

Sorry to butt in here, but could you point me to the explanation of the vid you read? I'm in SGA fandom as a McShep slasher and yet all I could take from the vid was basically what you said here, that SGA women are kickass, but the guys have *personality* so the super smart women who make up fandom choose to focus their talents on the latter.

[ratcreature]

Er, iirc it was in several places that I've seen people post their interpretations, some f-locked but one I can find again was [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] here:
http://kassrachel.livejournal.com/640595.html#cutid13

[keewick.livejournal.com]

Thank you.