Data's Dream

Data's Dream is a multi-fandom vid drawing from science fiction and fantasy movies and TV shows from the past 40 years set to Enya's "Orinoco Flow." The vid premiered at the 1994 Escapade vid show. The concept was sparked by a suggestion by Tashery S while the vid itself was almost wholly edited by Gayle F. It is a VCR vid but was remastered digitally with additional source material in 2004 by Morgan Dawn.
In the summer of 2013, the vid was selected to be part of the vidding segment in the New York Museum of the Moving Image exhibition "Cut Up". In 2016, it was selected to be part of the 2016 Vancouver Mashup Art Exhibit (alongside Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Brian Eno). 
== Summary ==
The vid is deceptively simple at first glance: Enya's song has, at best, a few recognizable lyrics which are often overwhelmed by the vocalizations and synthetic music (the chorus "sail away, sail away" makes up the bulk of the lyrics). The structure of the vid as well seems formless: images of characters from TV shows and movies randomly intercut and the vid lacks a coherent narrative flow.
It is the vid's 'frame' however that tells the true story. The vid opens with silence as the android Data, a character from Star Trek: TNG, watches in a dream as a heated metal raven's wing is lowered into water. From the resulting steam bath a raven flies up, past Data and into the ceiling of the Starship. The vid then flashes to white and the viewer finds herself soaring alongside an Icarus-like figure and flying next to Peter Pan as he travels to Neverland. What follows is a smörgåsbord of imagery of spaceships and sailing ships, lovers dancing and heroic adventures, journeys of exploration in both space and under the sea, unicorns and pegasi, aliens and lovers - essentially every science fiction and fantasy movie or TV show that has managed to capture the world's imagination. 
File:Dataraven.png|The raven from the beginning of the vid's frame signaling the beginning of Data's dream
File:Dataendframe.png|end of vid frame, Data awakening from his first dream
File:Datasdreametclip.png|The center of the vid takes the viewer on a journey through sci-fi and fantasy worlds. Flying is a major theme.
File:Pegasiftwn.png|clip from Disney's Fantasia which Morgan Dawn cites as the inspiration to become a vidder
Viewers familiar with Star Trek: TNG will recognize the opening clip: it takes place shortly after Data, the android who longs to be human, has been implanted with a microchip that will enable him to dream for the first time. The vid ends by returning to Data and the microchip. The camera flows back down from a white ceiling to refocus on Data as he opens his eyes and gasps in awe after his first dream. By the end of the vid even viewers not familiar with the Data's story understand the frame: this is a journey of wonder and imagination.
The vid has often been included in lists of vids to show fans unfamiliar with vidding or non-fans because it does not rely on an extensive understanding of the source. Since it pulls from a wide variety of science fiction and fantasy movies and TV shows aired over the last 40 years, most non-fans will have at least a passing familiarity with the imagery:
:"...I think that multi vids are the best way to show what vidding does, because it tends to be about cross-comparison among shows. In this case, I gave D. an old favourite, a vid that was made originally in 1993, but then remastered and slightly remade a few years ago. It's a vid about a genre (speculative fiction) that is more about evoking mood and wonder than telling a story (though the frame-story of Data's Dream is fabulous)." How do you make a vids starter-pack? by thingswithwings, dated July 3rd, 2008.
At least one vidder has been inspired by the vid to learn vidding:
:"I was at the 1994 Escapade vid show and was enthralled when Data's Dream (or Orinoco Flow as it was called then) came on the screen. The flow of the music perfectly matched the clip choices with both color and internal clip movement carefully selected to create a form of visual poetry. When the pegasus from Disney's 'Fantasia' came swooping down to land in the water perfectly timed to a trill of music, I suddenly understood what vidding could be: as a vidder, I could beam my thoughts and feelings straight into my audience's head and through the combination of music and video reach them emotionally and viscerally on a level that writing could never do. I wanted to be that vidder and so I started my journey to learn how to vid." Morgan Dawn's personal notes, accessed August 4, 2011.
==Editing and Technical Notes==
===The Remaster===
In 2004, Morgan Dawn offered to remaster the vid since the original VHS tapes had degraded and many copies still suffered from distortion caused by Macrovision copy-guard protection:
File:Datasdreamlovers1.png|original image from Star Trek: TMP where two characters merged with an alien entity to form a new consciousness
File:Vlcsnap-2011-08-05-09h03m19s155.png|new clip from Ladyhawke with the doomed lovers reaching out to touch one another
File:Datasdreamlovers3.png|new clip from Lord of the Rings, Frodo kissing Sam goodbye
File:Vlcsnap-2011-08-05-09h04m03s82.png|new clip from Lord of the Rings, Frodo sailing off to the Grey Havens
File:Datasdreamgointothelight1.png|original image from Ghost where Patrick Swazye's character walks into the light after death
File:Datasdreamgointothelight2.png|original image from the movie Brainstorm where a scientist experiences the recording of someone's last dying moments
===List of Movies and TV Shows===
Sources listed in the original (not in order):
Star Trek: TNG, Little Mermaid, Abyss, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial , Clash of the Titans, Star Wars (A New Hope), Star Trek 4, Around the World In 80 Days, Quantum Leap, Legend, Sinbad, Star Wars (A New Hope/Empire), Blake's 7, Tron, Fantasia, Time After Time, Babylon 5, Close Encounters, Star Trek: TNG, Star Wars (A New Hope), Superman, Indiana Jones, Flash Gordon, Starman, Star Trek 3: Search For Spock, Ladyhawke, Last Starfighter, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Satyricon, Edward Scissorhands, Legends, Superman II, Excalibur, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Ghost, Brainstorm.
Sources used in the remaster (in clip order. note some source is used multiple times): Star Trek: TNG, Brazil, What Dreams May Come, Hook, Little Mermaid, Abyss, ET, Harry Potter, Clash of the Titans, Stargate SG1, ??? , Star Wars (A New Hope), Star Trek 4, Around the World In 80 Days, Legend, Sinbad, LOTR: the Two Towers, Star Wars (A New Hope/Empire), Blake's 7, Yellow Submarine, Tron, Fantasia, Time After Time, Babylon 5, Close Encounters, Contact, Star Trek: TNG, Farscape, Star Wars (A New Hope), Superman, Indiana Jones, Spirited Away, Flash Gordon, Beauty & The Beast (Disney), Adventures of Baron Munchhausen, Deep Space 9, Close Encounters, Farscape, Starman, Star Trek 3: Search For Spock, Ladyhawke, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Clash of the Titans, Flash Gordon, Finding Nemo, Abyss, Edward Scissorhands, Crouching Tiger, Legends, Superman II, VR5, Contact, Stargate SG1, LOTR: The Fellowship, Excalibur, Ladyhawke, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, LOTR: The Return of the King, Ghost, Brainstorm, Star Trek: TNG.
==Reviews/Comments==
===Unknown Date===
===1994===
===2005===
===2006===
===2007===
==Highlighted in 2015==
This vid was featured at MashUp: The Birth of Modern Culture at the Vancouver Art Gallery at the Vancouver Art Gallery in February 2016, along with six other fanworks. This part of the exhibit was curated by Francesca Coppa.
The exhibit is here: 
The vids were: 
* Both Sides Now - Kandy Fong
* Something To Talk About - Kandy Fong
* Data's Dream - Shadow Songs
* Starships! - bironic
* The Lightning Strike - obsessive24
* Flow - Lim
* The Test - here's luck
Vidder brionic describes their visit to the exhibit here: , February 24, 2016 
here's luck's comments are here: 
==References==
Category:1994 VidsCategory:2004 Vids
Category:Multifandom Vids
Category:Meta Vids