Fanvid Reviews
We'll
make this short and sweet, shall we?
I'm
Doctor Owen Harper. I'm the team's
medical officer and resident wit.
I'm
here to talk to you about how to stay safe if you're out after midnight in
Cardiff.
Advice:
Don't be out after midnight in Cardiff.
I've
been asked to tell you a little about fanvids and their value as art. This is punishment for downloading RedTube
videos onto the Hub servers. Jack might
think it's funny for a while but the moment Gwen sticks her nose in, I'm suddenly
a pariah.
So,
here we go.
Fanmade
videos are a form of art like paintings, sketches, and fanfiction. They may be only tributes to a character, a
movie, or an episode, but they can also tell a story within the mix of lyrics,
dialogue, and imagery. Sometimes, those
stories are time capsules which create a sort of portrait, but there are other
fanvids which tell unique stories of their own.
Each
month, starting with September, we will publish five videos found on Youtube
which either encapsulate the month's featured episode, is a tribute to the team
or a character or a relationship, or stand as a sort of video fanfiction. During the month, we will post twelve to
fifteen fanvids to the Project: Torchwood Facebook page and you, as readers,
can vote on the ones you think should make the final cut. Vote on every one of them if you like, no one
minds, but please do vote. If you have
comments about the fanvid, have at it---your words are valued. Well, valued as much as anyone values words
around here.
And
with that in mind, let's begin.
The
top five videos are chosen by a process of vote elimination. The more votes, the higher each video is
rated. At the end, the team tallies
things up and bob's your uncle.
Video Winners for September
5.
Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood) - I Can't Decide
username: jleigh329
This
infamous Scissor Sisters song is a Doctor Who fan-favorite. It featured in the Doctor Who Series 3
episode "Last of the Time Lords".
On a whim, I decided to see if anyone had ever used it for a Torchwood
fanvid and was pleasantly surprised to find this. The clips have been masterfully placed within
the context of the lyrics, making even the darker side of Torchwood events into
something you can grin at. It is
Jack-centric, but don't let that be a reason to ignore its very existence; it
is full of the team, because they form the bulk of Jack's life on Earth. It's a cute romp through this beloved group's
many adventures.
4.
Powerless - Cyberwoman
username: Banned bythe Beeb
The
song 'Powerless' is by Linkin Park and the lyrics are used to tell the story we
see on-screen in the episode "Cyberwoman"; it has a doubled meaning
here. In a way, the viewer sees the
story from Jack's and Lisa's perspectives, but both sides involve Ianto. The dialogue used from the episode is
perfectly placed in non-lyrical points of the song and chosen for its maximum
impact; unlike many fanvideos we've seen, this does not detract from the music
here. It is one of the best
"Cyberwoman" tribute videos we have found, to date.
3.
Bloody Cyber Mix
username: SariaGray
This
is a remix of the song 'Pet' by A Perfect Circle and its rhythms are perfect
for the Cyberwoman. The clips were timed
to follow the beat, so that it seems as if Cyber-Lisa is moving at the same
pace as the music in many places. The
lyrics are ferocious, forbidding in their intensity. There is no doubt, upon viewing this video,
that the song's meaning goes back and forth between Ianto and Cyber-Lisa and
leaves the viewer a little breathless at the thought of Ianto's darker side.
The color changes to black and white towards the end and gives the video a
stark look. It's easy to imagine the rhythm
containing a metallic clank; it becomes an auditory suggestion that makes us
wonder if we really heard those boots or not.
2.
Torchwood - Jack/Ianto - Tears of an Angel
username: geekchick1013
'Tears
of an Angel' by Ryan Dan is a beautiful song and its lyrical meaning is very
appropriate to Jack and Ianto. The video
is not as visually crisp to watch as others we viewed, but its meaning is far
more poignant than many Janto fanvids.
Jack and Ianto live, as co-workers and lovers, constantly aware that
their relationship is a temporary situation; it might be a chunk of Ianto's
life which changes how he sees the world and love, but for Jack, it's a moment
in time that will be soon washed away by Ianto's mortality, no matter how or
when the younger man dies, and yet he learns how to appreciate the ephemeral
for how it touches his soul.
1.
Torchwood - Running Up That Hill
username: PrinceZukoFanGirl
'Running
Up That Hill', a cover tune by Placebo, is a song which seems to be used by
every fandom at some point or another.
For its lyrics, it is highly appropriate that this one turns up in a Torchwood
fanvid; could there be anything more touching than how Jack is wounded by his
immortality? He can never trade places
with those who die in his presence, often for his sake. He would give his life for his friends and
yet that is not really an option. His
undying state might appear to cheapen his efforts to protect and serve as hero,
but in fact, it's just the opposite. His
pain comes from how his friends and team follow him into battle and fall under
his command, all for the purpose of saving a world that sometimes doesn't
deserve the sacrifice.
And
there you have it, boys and girls and weevils and funny-looking fish
people. Go check out these fanvideos and
keep in mind that each one is just as artistically put together as any
fanfiction or script, created for emotional impact. I'll see you again next month when you come
in to have that rash looked at. Don't
say I didn't warn you about being out at midnight in places like Splott.
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