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bironic
One of the vids I'm making for the Fandom Trumps Hate auction, requested by ![[twitter.com profile]](http://twitter.com/favicon.ico)
sigridellis, is a celebratory snapshot of characters of color in current SF/F & horror film and television. It is a neat project, although it means I've gotten myself into a pickle with the scope! I haven't quite figured out how many sources will be feasible, but we've started a list off the tops of our heads and flagged characters who are Sigrid's favorites and/or who feel particularly important to serve as the core set.
If you're willing, I could use some help on two things, outlined below. I hesitated to post about it because I don't want to be That Person Who Keeps Making Big Vids That Require Other People To Do Work, but then a friend said that she finds contributing fun, and I do believe this will be a better (and more efficiently produced) vid with a little help from some friends, so here we go.
(1) Flagging important characters and identifying major gaps in the character list. I don't want to turn this into an encyclopedia entry, and in fact don't even know if I can include everyone who's already on the list, but I don't want to miss someone significant either.
General guidelines as things stand now: non-white characters, who are not covered in makeup (i.e. Gamora) nor are only voices (i.e. Maz Kanata), in live-action SF/F & horror sources from the last 3ish years. Prefer them to have a significant role of some sort in their canon. There may be more space for women than for men. Am not sure yet how the vid will handle villains. Feel free to pitch me an argument against these limitations if you think they unfairly distort the portrait we're trying to sketch.
How does the Google spreadsheet look so far? Is someone not marked as "important" (bold font) who should be? (Female characters are in the top half, dudes below. Don't mind much beyond columns A and C.)
(2) Volunteering source knowledge. I've never made a vid before with so many unfamiliar sources where clips from those sources need to be appropriately contextualized with the lyrics and narrative flow. i.e. This isn't like the electricity vid, where visual parallels took precedence over needing to know characterizations and plotlines. The song we're using will work best if I can tell stories about these characters' struggles and triumphs.
Now, I've already begun to watch some of the sources I don't know (Sense8, Suicide Squad), and there are more in the queue, but others I can't handle (American Horror Story, The Walking Dead), and still others are big and/or not super interesting to me and I could use some pointers on key episodes for the characters in question.
With that in mind, is anyone willing to serve as a consultant on the following sources?
Thank you. <3
ETA: Follow-up poll.
If you're willing, I could use some help on two things, outlined below. I hesitated to post about it because I don't want to be That Person Who Keeps Making Big Vids That Require Other People To Do Work, but then a friend said that she finds contributing fun, and I do believe this will be a better (and more efficiently produced) vid with a little help from some friends, so here we go.
(1) Flagging important characters and identifying major gaps in the character list. I don't want to turn this into an encyclopedia entry, and in fact don't even know if I can include everyone who's already on the list, but I don't want to miss someone significant either.
General guidelines as things stand now: non-white characters, who are not covered in makeup (i.e. Gamora) nor are only voices (i.e. Maz Kanata), in live-action SF/F & horror sources from the last 3ish years. Prefer them to have a significant role of some sort in their canon. There may be more space for women than for men. Am not sure yet how the vid will handle villains. Feel free to pitch me an argument against these limitations if you think they unfairly distort the portrait we're trying to sketch.
How does the Google spreadsheet look so far? Is someone not marked as "important" (bold font) who should be? (Female characters are in the top half, dudes below. Don't mind much beyond columns A and C.)
(2) Volunteering source knowledge. I've never made a vid before with so many unfamiliar sources where clips from those sources need to be appropriately contextualized with the lyrics and narrative flow. i.e. This isn't like the electricity vid, where visual parallels took precedence over needing to know characterizations and plotlines. The song we're using will work best if I can tell stories about these characters' struggles and triumphs.
Now, I've already begun to watch some of the sources I don't know (Sense8, Suicide Squad), and there are more in the queue, but others I can't handle (American Horror Story, The Walking Dead), and still others are big and/or not super interesting to me and I could use some pointers on key episodes for the characters in question.
With that in mind, is anyone willing to serve as a consultant on the following sources?
Poll #18066 Auction vid help
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 12
I can advise you on these (probably) major sources:
View Answers
American Horror Story
1 (9.1%)
The Walking Dead1 (9.1%)
Z Nation0 (0.0%)
The 1006 (54.5%)
Agents of SHIELD2 (18.2%)
Supergirl5 (45.5%)
The Flash3 (27.3%)
I can advise you on these (probably) minor sources:
View Answers
Grimm1 (14.3%)
The Magicians1 (14.3%)
Timeless2 (28.6%)
Teen Wolf2 (28.6%)
Falling Skies0 (0.0%)
Travelers1 (14.3%)
Cleverman2 (28.6%)
Crazyhead1 (14.3%)
Gotham1 (14.3%)
Thank you. <3
ETA: Follow-up poll.
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Date: Mar. 5th, 2017 11:24 pm (UTC)I also volunteered to advise on The 100 but have only seen up through mid-S3; others may therefore be more useful to you than I am. But I can be backup!
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Date: Mar. 5th, 2017 11:30 pm (UTC)Totally agree about Maeve, and I just double-checked and she's in there - do you see her in row 8? If not, that is good to know as there may be something wrong with my Google Sheets sharing settings.
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Date: Mar. 5th, 2017 11:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 5th, 2017 11:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 5th, 2017 11:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 5th, 2017 11:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 5th, 2017 11:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 5th, 2017 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 12:17 am (UTC)Michonne is definitely the most iconic of them all, along with Glenn. :)
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 01:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 12:47 am (UTC)From Killjoys I'd also like to make a case for Pree, since men of color getting to be femme is so rare in scifi - he's a secondary character, but in a lot of eps.
Not things anyone would miss or a gap or anything, but if you're looking for more footage for any reason, I loooooved Advantageous, a 2015 near future film starring Jaqueline Kim. Also, Chiwetel Ejiofor in Z for Zachariah (also 2015), which has some great footage of him.
I clipped the 100, Killjoys season one, Advantageous, Z for Zachariah, and a bunch of other recent apocalypse-y scifi last year so I may be able to answer questions about footage if there's anything in particular you're looking for.
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 01:39 am (UTC)All suggestions added to the spreadsheet - thank you for the tip about Pree, whom I either didn't get far enough into season 1 to meet or else have forgotten, oops; will keep an eye out on rewatch - and for the other recs. Also very much appreciate your willingness to comment on the sources you used for, I'm guessing, Dance Apocalyptic? Movies are easier for me to watch and clip than TV shows, but you never know what roadblocks a vid project will throw your way.
And maybe now I will finally watch Advantageous, which has been in my Netflix queue pretty much since you & tww recced it ages ago!
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 01:53 am (UTC)Pree is the owner of the bar on Killjoys - he later gets more to do, but in the eps you saw probably the only thing he did is pour drinks and toast people so he would be easy to miss :)
And yes, for Dance Apocalyptic - so my sense of the 100 is a little specific! But I can point you towards good Raven and Lincoln eps if you want.
I hope you enjoy Advantageous! Z for Zachariah on the other hand is not a good movie, but it has SUCH great Chiwetel footage in it and it's filmed really beautifully. (In Dance Apocalyptic it's the shots where he takes off a biohazard suit and cries at breathing fresh air.)
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 12:56 am (UTC)Just out of curiosity, have you watched the sci-fi shows with female (!) leads (!) of color (!), Killjoys and Dark Matter? I guess The Flash does have Cisco, and Supergirl has Grumpy!Space!Dad J'onn, but these are still shows suuuper-focused on their white leads (to say nothing of The Walking Dead, which I had to stop watching).
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 01:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 01:56 am (UTC)I don't know if Mickey in Doctor Who is significant enough; he has a bit of an arc in season 2. And there's Bill this upcoming season, though no eps have aired yet.
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 02:01 am (UTC)I think Martha and Mickey are too "old" for the scope here, but yes, if I have one I should probably have the other. We'll see if the new season airs in time for inclusion; thanks for the reminder...
ETA: Hm, but Danny Pink...
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 02:00 am (UTC)Art Bell (male) -- Orphan Black
Luke Garroway (male), Magnus Bane (male) -- Shadowhunters (specifically thinking of the TV show)
...aaaand we have now exhausted my current film/tv knowledge
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 02:03 am (UTC)At some point, would you be willing to supply tips on key episodes for these guys? I haven't seen either show. (I know, I know, Orphan Black will probably be as great as everyone says.)
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 02:14 am (UTC)Shadowhunters I can kind of suggest stuff for, but I mostly fast forward watched it, sooooooo my knowledge is less. But I think I watched most scenes in the first season with them -- I was fast-forwarding through other characters. FYI Luke is an African-American cop who is a werewolf who used to be a shadowhunter and is in love with the main characters' mom. Bane is played by Harry Shum Jr and is a bisexual warlock in love with a male shadowhunter. Fandom loves him.
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Date: Mar. 7th, 2017 01:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Apr. 17th, 2017 12:45 am (UTC)(Edited because spelling it right would help)
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 02:16 am (UTC)I'm current on The 100; its approach to its characters of colors is very problematic and the first 2 seasons are not necessarily representative. I also watched Teen Wolf through season 3 but quit maybe 3 episodes into season 4.
I love the suggestion upthread of Art in Orphan Black!
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 02:23 am (UTC)This may be too new, but I've been hearing good things about The Great Wall, a monster/dragon flick which has a primarily Chinese cast.
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 06:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 02:56 am (UTC)Almost Human, Dorian the (black) android cop. I have the series, can upload vids. Also, I have Killjoys vids I can upload if you need sources.
Offered context help on Teen Wolf - happy to try but not really expert on later seasons.
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Date: Apr. 17th, 2017 12:27 am (UTC)(Edited AGAIN because spelling it right would help)
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 03:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 7th, 2017 12:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 06:32 am (UTC)I haven't watched Cleverman yet, but I have the episodes and was planning to. I could move it up my watchlist if that would be helpful, especially if it leads to there being more (any!) indigenous characters in the vid.
Oh, and another for the list, Kelly from the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror.
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Date: Mar. 7th, 2017 12:42 am (UTC)No need to rush on Cleverman, as two people have already volunteered to help! Fandom community power is mighty. If you do watch, feel free to chime in later. There are five or so indigenous actors & actresses on the list so far and more would be even better.
Mm, not keen on the white actress thing re: Supergirl, but thank you for that tip anyway! On quick Google, M'gann M'orzz looks like a possibility, though, assuming she's not always covered in green latex.
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Date: Mar. 7th, 2017 02:46 am (UTC)M'gann M'orzz has three distinct morphologies in the show. She wears the human face most often, with the white latex or green paint appearing only at highly dramatic moments.
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Date: Apr. 17th, 2017 12:25 am (UTC)Supergirl is coming up in the viewing queue for this project, and I was wondering if there is an email address you are comfortable sharing? That way I can contact a few volunteer advisors at once, maybe save someone some work. ETA: I'm at closet.fangirl at gmail if you want to go straight there.
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 06:36 am (UTC)Harry Shum manages to be amazing and grounded even when surrounded by nonsense, he is absolutely my favorite thing about Shadowhunters.
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Date: Mar. 7th, 2017 12:44 am (UTC)& thanks for the confirmation on Pree.
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 06:51 am (UTC)Will let you know if I think of others you don't have yet. :)
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Date: Mar. 7th, 2017 12:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 02:05 pm (UTC)(EDIT: Also on the subject of Sense8, Sun and Kala should probably be bolded as important!)
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Date: Mar. 7th, 2017 12:49 am (UTC)Point taken for Sun and Kala - thanks!
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Date: Mar. 6th, 2017 03:31 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: Mar. 9th, 2017 02:03 am (UTC)