On the Prowl

On the Prowl is a multifandom vid by sisabet and sweetestdrain made for Vividcon's 2010 Challenge show "Self Portrait". 
The vid is a meta commentary on both media fandom as well as vidders who celebrate media fandom and our fascination with hurt/comfort fan fiction and images. The vid's slow build from "sexy" scenes of naked or semi-naked men fighting to more and more graphic portrayals of violence and torture (always involving men) asks the viewer to examine their own fascination with sex and violence. As the singer's voice is female (and she is singing about her sexual fantasies with men), the vid's subtext is one that challenges female viewers to examine themselves and their motivations (aka a "Self Portrait").
Sweetestdrain has blogged about The Making of "On the Prowl":"WebCite for "The Making of "On the Prowl"."Structurally, we set a few rules for ourselves. a) No dead bodies. We decided that was too much of a line even for us. (We also didn't castrate anyone! But that was more incidental.) b) No blood spilt before a certain point in the vid (1:08) -- everything before that can bruise but not break the skin. c) Must hold off on the full-on torture until 2/3rds of the way through the vid. We only broke c), and that was due to me getting a little overenthusiastic when it was my turn at the timeline."
One viewer commented: "Maybe the most provocative vid of the convention was this one, which was a "Self Portrait" in the challenge show on the final day. It's something that I feel has needed saying about fandom for a long time, and I'm equally surprised and relieved that someone has said it... and said it this effectively. Bring a strong stomach."bradcpu's VVC 2010 Vid Recs Part 1 , dated August 11, 2010; WebCite.
==Reception==
==Gallery==
Gallery of screencaps showing the progression from sexy to violent. Many of the images in the vid are more sexually explicit and more graphically violent than the ones included below.
File:Vlcsnap-2011-11-14-15h09m34s24.png|the first 30 seconds of the vid focuses on images of naked or semi-naked men. This is Sam Winchester from Supernatural. Typical viewer's comment at this point: "Wow, isn't he hot?"
File:Ontheprowl3.png|bare chested Patrick Swayze bleeding from a fight in the movie Roadhouse
File:Ontheprowl4.png|Hercules from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys bleeding after being beaten
File:Ontheprowl5.png|naked and bound Captain Jack from Torchwood waiting to be buried alive. Typical viewer's comment at this point: "Oh yeah! But wait! Buried alive is kinda icky. Still, kinda hot, with the handcuffs and all."
File:Vlcsnap-2011-11-22-21h20m47s51.png|Mal and Wash being tortured. On Firefly the scene serves as a bonding moment between the two men.
File:Ontheprowl7.png|Clark Kent from Smallville as his Superman insignia is being burned into his chest. Typical viewer's comment at this point: "Uh, that hurts, doesn't it? But he's Superman, so it must not hurt much. Right? Right?"
File:Vlcsnap-2011-11-22-21h39m25s15.png|Spike from Angel screaming as he is being resouled
File:Vlcsnap-2011-11-22-21h39m42s163.png|knife being heated to amputate Krycek's arm (X-Files). Typical viewer's comment at this point: "I think I am going to be sick."
==References==
Category:2010 Vids
Category:Multifandom Vids
Category:2022 Featured Articles