This is my most ambitious attempt at a vid yet. It took me forever to make, largely because Movie Maker is the suck. If I had money I'd get myself some real video editing software *le sigh*.

Anyway. Due to the ambitiousness of the video (effects, titles, etc) the file size is close to 16 MB and there was no way to edit that down to 10. I now have an account at FileFront and I hope people will be able to download it from there *crosses fingers*.

And please, please, please leave feedback. Even if it's only "I liked it"--this was such a pain to put together, I need some feedback to make it worthwhile .

Title: Blaze of Glory
Artist: Bon Jovi
Description: A Soul Mates-y, New Krypton-y vid about going out with a bang. Literally.

oh I love it!! Was at the Bon Jovi concert last Saturday and this is one of my fav songs.

I love the scence you've chosen especially at the beginning. Wild wild west. And I love the final scene.

This video is perfect in every way.

Could you try Always and I am? I love these two songs and Never say goodbye.

Good job.

Have to watch it a second time now. Wow.

C_A it was great! Loved it. I can tell you put a lot of hard work and thought into the scene selection you used. They matched up wonderfully. I loved all the scenes from Soul Mates, and the scene of him streaking through the atmosphere in All Shook Up. And of course the final scene was yummy.

Great job! Please don't ever quit making vids. I like them all!

I posted feedback on Zoom's boards too, but this one was just so great I had to say it twice!!!

Great job, thank you SO much for sharing!!!!

Loved this video. Great transitions and the scenes you choose were excellent.

Ooo, Bon Jovi! I was thinking I'd like to see a vid done to one of their cowboy songs, but I didn't think there'd be enough clips to do it.

I can see it took a lot of work.

You've done a great job with it. The beats at the beginning are very effective. You have some beautiful image/lyric matches.

My favorites:

The ship leaving Krypton.

"At least they gave me something I didn't have to steal or have to win."

Superman's mugshots.

"Mr. Catch Me If You Can"

Clark crashing back to Earth in a blaze of glory.

"You ask about my conscience."

The timing on "sing songs in the rain."

"I've seen love come, I've seen it shot down, I've seen it die in vain."

Sir Charles kisses Lady Loisette

Sir Chalres stands

"I pray the lord my soul to keep"

(The drum beat effects weren't to my tastes, but I'm impressed with the work they must have taken to put in.)

I'll say, too, that I've really enjoyed a number of your past vids. Sorry I suck at commenting, but your name came up fairly often in my AK noms.

You've matched each lyric really well. Some especially well. You've put in some deft touches with timing and transitions. Moment-to-moment, it's great.

But... here's the thing. I don't see a bigger picture. It doesn't hang together for me. It doesn't tell a story. It's a series of very clever image/lyric matches, but... It's all about the song. For me, there needs to be a balance between the story of the song and the story of the video.

So, there's my honest FDK. I appreciate the work. I love the moments. Sorry I can't do better.

Paul

Thanks everyone

Thank you, Tahu. I can't believe nobody's done "Always" yet. I'll keep it in mind for the future, but at the moment I'm working on other projects.

Glad you liked it, DJR. I did indeed put a lot of thought into the scene selection and I'm happy that seems to have paid off. And don't worry: at the moment I have no plans to retire as a vidder .

SuperGEM, I'll reply to you over at Zoom's boards .

Thanks, tayryn, for letting me know you liked it. I appreciate it.

Thanks, Paul.

Regarding the effects, I think that's a matter of individual taste. I wanted to broaden my horizon by experimenting with effects and transitions, and I realize not everyone's a fan of gimmicky stuff like that. I am, however, and I think I'll keep using them in the future, whenever I find them appropriate.

Also, I'm sorry you couldn't see the "bigger picture." In my mind, it was there: Clark, the outcast--the Lone Rider, in any incarnation--who'll throw himself into any dangerous situation to save those in need of saving.

To me, there are basically two different kinds of videos: those where I try to match a storyline on the show with a song, and those where I try to match a song with scenes from the show. This video was, obviously, in the latter category. With those vids, it's more about the visuals effects and matching pictures with lyrics. It's about generating a mood or a feeling that will be there, regardless of whether or not you've ever seen the show and know what was said or what happened in the clip that was chosen.

Obviously, it would have been nice (for this video, not for the audience) had "Soul Mates" been a five part episode arc set in the Wild West with lots of explosions and shootouts and horseback riding. Alas, it was one episode and only half of it took place in the 1800s.

If I wanted a lyric match, I needed to look to other eps for clips, and so I did, always keeping in mind the general theme (Clark as lone protector of humankind, throwing himself into explosions and battles and near-death experiences). And, at least in my mind, "Soul Mates" is the connector, the frame that gives the video some sense of continuity and togetherness. Evidently, that didn't work for you, but if there's one thing I've learned it's that you can't please everybody all the time . Thanks for taking the time to post lengthy feedback, even if we don't agree. I very much appreciate it.

C_A, I tried to watch it, but I couldn't download it!

Ann

Ann, if you could tell me what the problem was I can try to fix it.

I have no idea what the problem is, except that when I have downloaded it and try to play it, the server - the Windows Media Player - refuses to perform the service I've asked for. It says I have encountered error message COOD2EE7.

Ann

I have no idea what the problem might be. Googling the error code didn't yield results. It does seem to be a problem with Media Player on your computer, though. Have you tried downloading and saving the file to your hard drive?

Maybe someone else will be able to help.

Downloading it to my hard drive helped, C_A. I was able to watch it, and I liked it a lot. I certainly loved the Bon Jovi song, and I thought it was beautifully and dramatically illustrated with Lois and Clark images. The special effects were impressive. I liked the Wild West/fairy tale feeling of much of the video. And like Tahu, I definitely loved the ending.

Ann

Of course. I'm kind of like that with the subtitles. I like having them there for most vids. Some find them distracting, others like them. You can't please all of the people all of the time, especially not when you start doing more unusual things. The important thing is to do it so that you're happy with it. It's your vid.

Experimentation and broadening of horizons are certainly well worth their while, too. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.

Hmm. I'll have to watch it again with that in mind.

Sorry I needed the explanation, but thanks for taking the time to give it to me. Very good to know.

Yeah, that's where I always got stuck when I was thinking of doing one of the cowboy songs. It seemed an insurmountable obstacle to me. I was very impressed that you found a way to do it.

Glad to hear that. After I posted, I found myself worried that I'd been too harsh. I wasn't sure, given the time and effort you'd obviously put into it, how you'd take the criticism.

I wouldn't have posted if the vid hadn't been worth it, if I hadn't found so much to love about it, but it wouldn't have been honest to leave out the other side of things, even if it was a major issue. Glad to hear it was taken in the spirit it was given.

Thanks again for the thoughtful response.

Paul

YAY, Highspeed! <g>

Awesome video, C_A!!! And I see you got some beats in there<eg> I loooooveee beats. Very good on the effects, and I loved how you got fire in there too. SO two of my fave things, WooHoo!! Fire+Beats=Freaking Awesome!

Keep up the good work!! Hope to see more from you.

Rach

Ann, I'm glad you were able to download and watch the video and I'm very glad you liked it . Thank you.

No problem, Paul. Your criticism was not mean-spirited, so there was no reason for me to get offended or anything. Especially since, in my opinion, this is more a case of "different strokes for different folks."

Beats are my new passion (sorry, Paul) . Thanks, Rach, and I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a new Psychofurball production. That's a hint, by the way.

I'll assume from context that you meant "not mean-spirited."

As for beats... I like them quite a bit as scene cuts and such. I'm just not much for color inversion. Like you said, different strokes...

Paul

Oy! Yes, of course that's what I meant. Thanks. I edited my post. That's what happens when I don't proofread :rolleyes: .

CA, this is awesome!

I missed a good deal of the fourth season but now I'm just dying to see Soul Mates. Yum.

I thought this was very clever, with all the different episode explosions used to great effect. You did a good job matching up the lyrics to clips as well.

Hopefully you feel it was worth all the work and aggravation. I certainly do!

Sue