Seriously Kickass BSG Vids

[bop_radar]

In honour of Battlestar Galactica's return to our screens, I've put together a vid rec list. These are my personal favourites so far in a fandom that's got some awesome vid talent (I must be attracted to those, I think...). These are all vids that transcend their genre, so I'd totally recommend trying them out (if you haven't already), even if you're not a major fan of the character, ship, or, hell, even the show!

Let's start with More Human Than Human by luminosity
ETA: Her site appears to be down at the moment. Woe! :-( But I'll let you know when it's accessible again.
This is a mini-series and season one vid focussed on the Cylons. (Yes, kristiinthedark, it does have Leoben in it!) It's super-fast and the rock song really makes me want to be thrashing away on a dancefloor in some basement nightclub in the 90s... but I usually settle for freaking the cat out by making crazy arm motions to it. ;-) In any case, if you want to get pumped about BSG, watch this vid. And if you want to go meta-y, it's an exploration of the evolution of Cylons and their nature--an eternal mystery. I always start out thinky with this one and end up bopping...

Next up, we need some character vids. BSG isn't huge with the subtext like Smallville, so my preference is for vids that explore the character as shown to us by the show.

In A Day Like Today, laurashapiro has the finest Lee vid I've seen. It's listed in this post and you need to email her for the password to her site. IT IS TOTALLY WORTH DOING THIS!
OK, I'm stating the bleeding obvious here, but this vid is very emo and angsty--in the best possible way! It IS Lee, after all. Actually, this vid is beautiful and haunting and explores the ways in which Lee tries to connect not only with Kara, but with Roslin and his father as well. It puts you in Lee's world. Which, until recently, was how I watched the show. I sobbed when I first watched this vid, but even if you're not such a crazy Lee fan, you'll appreciate the subtle construction and careful crafting that's gone into this.

While you're there, laurashapiro also has the best Sharon vid I've seen: Barcelona. Sharon's not a character I connect with naturally on the show, but this vid explored her so well, in all her incarnations, that I felt my appreciation for her grew just by watching it. It's both creepy and uplifting, which is probably appropriate for this conflicted Cylon model.

Another character I'm fabulously fond of is Roslin, and I throughly enjoyed There by gwyn_r. (Again, you need to email her for the password to her website. Roslin's a fascinating character, whether you see her as having 'ice cold water in her veins' or as a naive schoolteacher (thanks for that call, Tigh!). What I love about this vid is that it bypasses both readings and puts you in Roslin's internal world, inside her struggle to find meaning and to carry on. In doing so, it describes something ineffable about her strength, and (for me, at least) about female strength more generally.

You may think I'm neglecting Kara... we'll get to that! Meanwhile, let's not forget the importance fun of shipping...

dualbunny's The Perfect Drug explores the sexy addiction of Six/Gaius. This song is their anthem, I swear.

Cold, Cold Water by sdwolfpup is a Kara/Lee vid with a Kara focus (making up for my earlier neglect!). It's a little on the angsty side, but a beautiful exploration of Kara's world and the role that Lee plays in it up to mid Season 2. It puts a knot in my stomach that I can only overcome by singing along with the gorgeous lyrics. Such haunting lines as 'Is it not enough to be complete?' help capture the subtelty and complexity of Kara and Lee's relationship and this vid is really well paced to match the crescendos in the song.

On the lighter side, I'm a big fan of vids that make me giggle, and Last Word by anno_superstar sure did! It's one of the cutest Kara/Lee vids I've seen. The first line alone is worth the download. I know that having shots of people talking in vids can be a big no-no, but it works completely brilliantly in this vid, given the theme. And seeing Lee yap on and on and on is just so funny! Awww, Lee. Lee when he was cute. *sigh*

Random squee: Have I ever mentioned how much I love the Apollo/Starbuck viper wiggles shot being used in vids? You know the one where Kara's flying the Cylon ship and they wiggle at one another? I love that! I love vidders using it! *squeeeeeee*

I'm From Further North than You by fahrbotdrusilla is a Kara/Lee vid with a bit of an AU spin, though it ends up being really cute commentary on their actual tangled friendship. This vid makes really cute use of literalism (watch out for the 'weird pornography' line!) and always puts a grin on my face.

And last, but not least, because we need to end on a high: dualbunny's masterpiece God is a DJ. This is not only the best Starbuck/Kara vid I've seen, it's also one of my favourite vids ever, any fandom, any genre. One of the first things I did when I got my new lap-top was dl the big version of this in all it's glory. *happy sigh* I've watched it a good 20+ times. It's layered and complex as a character vid and it's also a complete squeeful joy to watch--guaranteed to get you pumped up for the show. Actually, it's a great antidote to the show's bleakness as it celebrates Kara's joie de vivre. Kara says 'Get your fat ass on the dancefloor, Lee people!' ;-)

Please remember to give feedback to these vidders if you take my Extremely Excellent Advice and watch these vids. *g* I'm still a noob in BSG fandom, so I'm sure I've missed some glorious vids. If you're thinking 'I can't believe she left out XXX', tell me what they are!! *prods*

Comments

[kristiinthedark.livejournal.com]

Eeeee!!!! Thanks for the recs! I guess I know what I'll be doing for a while.

LEOBEN! WOOT!

[kristiinthedark.livejournal.com]

But the links on the More Human vid don't work :( Any other place she has them posted?

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Ach! Her site was down earlier which is why I linked to there... I'll go investigate...

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

:-(
http://kamil.slashcity.com/eyecandy/
This is her site, but it does appear to be down. I'll have to ETA the post and let you know when it's back up.

Comfort yourself with 'God is a DJ'. It has a leetle Leoben and a LOTTA kickass Kara!

[kristiinthedark.livejournal.com]

I am very comforted right now *g* Yow knew I would be. That was an amazing vid and Kara just owns me. Thanks Boppy! I'll be watching the rest later!

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

*g* Yup, I knew! She's SO AWESOME. \o/

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

*giggles* It was interesting rewatching these because Leoben was just 'that cylon dude' to me until recently, and I couldn't have told you whether he was in any of these or not. But he does make a flash appearance in a couple. ;-) He's been given new significance!