Sick Cycle Carousel

"Sick Cycle Carousel" is a Star Wars vid by Wolfling. It premiered at Vividcon 2007. 
Vidder's note: "To break the cycle, sometimes you have to let go. My look at the Star Wars movies."
==Reactions/Reviews==
This vid was reviewed by Counteragent at the reel vidding community on December 28, 2007: 
"Overall impression: This is a very strong vid—recommended download for fans of Star Wars (and who isn’t a fan?). It represents a good concept that has been well executed.
Titles: The titles are a static frame with an image of ghostly Yoda, Anakin and Obi Wan and the title of the vid written in Star Wars font in an icy blue above and below the static frame.
 
I feel these could be simplified—there is a handcrafted feeling to them that is a little awkward compared to the vid itself. I’d go with no freeze frame, and probably just white text.
Music choice: The song choice fits the themes and moods of the imagery. If there ever were a sick cycle, it would be this triad of flawed father-son relationships. The heavy rock sound supports the drama in the vid.
The alternation of slow and fast sections works well to underscore the cyclical nature of the theme and also to support contemplative and action based sequences.
Narration: The narration is from the POV of Ben/Obi Wan, Anakin/Vader and Luke. It depicts their connection in a “sick cycle” of flawed father-son relationships. Each man reflects on their relationship with their son/father, admitting that the cycle of disappointment and violence between them should be stopped.
 
The triple POV works well because the song has good parallel structure and you take your time establishing the POV each time it switches.
Tone: The emotional tone of both the song and the vid ranges from “bitterly regretful” to “explosively dramatic.” The overall visual tone of the vid is appropriately dark—very few shots have daytime lighting, and this works well.
Movement: The movement is well done—the shots fit the dynamics of the music. Occasionally I saw what I considered to be a static shot; I’ve called out some sections for specific critique and praise in the time-stamp section.
 
I suggest pushing it even further if you can; I’m a sucker for repeated/continued motion, especially in ensemble or multi vids.
Cuts, Transitions, Effects & Colouring/Coloring: The cuts were appropriately straightforward. The transitions were restrained and mostly featured fades. There did not appear to be any alteration of the coloring.
Specific vid & music notes:
*0:05 LOVE the opening shot of the circular suns! You are announcing your theme right away—a circle of sons. You follow it up very nicely with the three contemplative shots.
*0:34 chills when light saber grows on “one more time.” However, I’d like something dramatic to happen on that first big beat, if possible. Maybe just a jump zoom to frame them more closely.
*0:37 Climb your steps: could this be a better shot thematically—Obi Wan training or chasing Anakin?
*0:50 Tame this mind: Could this be a better match thematically—Dooku isn’t a central character. I’d rather see him lecturing Anakin or taming his own mind (if I recall, Obi Wan was pretty impetuous, too).
*1:00 nice call back to :34
*1:08 Nice shot choice to “spin around” it’s literal but that works here
*1:11 good choice to show Ben’s face on “I know it won’t stop” to underscore POV
*1:18 Vader prodding the Ben pile gives me the giggles every time. I might cut that. Could be just me, though.
*1:29 Shot of lil’ Anakin tugs at the heart with emotions but it is not over the top
*1:40 – 1:41 Nice montage of older and younger Vader kneeling.
*1:44 – 46: “Now one more time!” begs for an action transition shot. Or a lightsaber growing shot. Or a dramatic head turn shot, etc. A shot like the 1:51 would be awesome, but I know there’s only one of those in the movies, so.
*1:50 This shot is oddly static even though he’s on a flying vehicle (not your fault—Lucas loves his green screen). Was there a better shot?
*1:54 - 56 This shot works, but it is very literal…I’d almost consider switching it with the shot at 2:03-2:04. I think that him killing Dooku in cold blood is pretty low…? I’m not sure about this though—I’d play around with it.
*2:34 – 35 Perfect placement of their heads to match up!
*2:47 - 8: and 3:08 – 9 Possible missed opportunities with the drum beat—a quick montage would ratchet up the drama even more.
*In the first (2:47 – 8), a montage of the three of them or of Luke only would work (I especially love the Battleship Potemkin-inspired shot of him hanging and waiting for his friends at the end of that fall). For the second (3:08 – 9), quick cuts of their light saber battle would be exciting.
*3:33 and 3:37 awesome cuts to Anakin and great match on action with Vader. Can you zoom even more into Anakin? If not that’s fine.
Final Word: Less literal choices, even faster cutting and stronger use of the beats would elevate this from “very well done” to “one for the ages.”
==References==
 
Category:2007 Vids
Category:Star Wars Vids