Music: It's Importance in Vidding

Music is an essential part of life, at least it is to me. It is one of the ultimate forms of expression; there's happy music, sad music, angry music, and dance music, to name only a few. It's amazing how much emotion can be transmitted through song. So when a vidder picks a song to vid to, it can be a powerful thing. They are, in essence, committing to conveying the song through the images they select to put on the screen. Their cuts and their effects are all there to aide in the translation. 

The vid that immediately comes to mind while writing this is one that you have most likely already seen and, if you haven't, you really should. The Vampire Diaries: Devastation by ShatteredxDesires is simply an amazing work of artistry and the perfect example of how to edit a sad song. 

For the first 16 seconds, there is nothing but black screen with opening credits. However you will also notice the voiceovers that are used to compliment the sad melody in the background. Now clips could have been used here; but by using voiceovers, and more importantly, voiceovers that overlap each other; it not only upped the tension level, but did an amazing job of representing the human mind when we're upset. Thus making it relatable to the viewer.

The actual clips do not begin until the lyrics start, and you'll notice that the clip choices are all somewhat slow with a tendency to fixate on the characters faces and expressions. 

At 2:40, the vid shifts gear and changes to a vid of optimism and empowerment. This feeling is again reflected in the clip choices, which are no longer slow, but fast and upbeat (this also goes with the rising music). Emphasis is still given to the characters faces, but not as much as before.  When they are displayed they are now smiling and happy, instead of broken. More attention is given now to the far away shots of general dancing and jubilance.

When the vid slows back down, 3:36, the close ups of the characters resume. We are back in their emotional world of pain and despair. Gone is the joy of the dancing. 

For the final shift (4:03), to end the vid, the mood transitions back to uplifting; and we are treated to, once again, distant shots of a happy Rose, who has decided that she is no longer scared anymore and is ready to embrace her death. 

These, Our Bodies, Possessed By Light by SecretlyToDream is another amazing video example. It is extraordinarily unique as, instead of just picking a song, the vidder chose to edit two poems together and add in an underlying instrumental song. I've never seen this done before and it is brilliant; especially since it works beautifully.

With all videos, you have the sense you are "watching a video", rarely do you get the feeling that someone has cut a hole into the private world of the characters for you to view. This is exactly what this vid does, almost to the extent that you feel like you are invading the privacy of Sam and Dean.

This is the result of, not only the splendid editing, but also the echoing effect of the poems; which borders on being hypnotic. Be careful not to go into trance while watching this. 

The perfect slow clip choices, again with heavy emphasis on facial expression, serve to draw you into the characters emotional world. Although there is not as much focus on this element as in the aforementioned video. This is most likely due to lyric matching. 

At 1:57 when the music changes to a faster more rapid pace you'll notice, along with the clips naturally moving faster, the more intwining between facial and distant clip choices. By doing this, the emotional element is sustained, along with adding a sense of urgency to the vid.

2:49 is when the vid slows back down to it's prior, slower pace, and you'll see that the first clip is a close up shot of a face (sleeping Sam). The remainder of the vid mostly features facial shots, with a few solitary clip selections, and a couple of intense Sam and Dean looking at each other moments. All of which contributes to connecting with the viewer and emphasizing the loneliness and weight that the brothers feel. 

As you have seen with these two examples, and after being bored to tears if you have bothered to read my brief analysis of them, music and a vidder's interpretation of it (with clip choices, voiceovers, and effects) greatly impacts how a viewer will perceive or otherwise connect with a video. It is important to remember, that no matter how amazing the song is, it cannot carry a video alone. A video is one part audio and one part visualization, and it is your job to bring the song to life with your editing.


- Irishalo