Festivids reveals #4-5: Dead Poets Society (Smokin' in the Boys Room, I was meant for the stage)

[bironic]

deelaundry was kind enough to include Dead Poets Society among her Festivids requests after I got an email from the mods the day before the signup deadline saying that no one had requested any of the fandoms I'd offered. Then we didn't even get matched, ha, but I still wanted to make my original vid idea ("I was meant for the stage") as well as give her a custom-tailored treat in appreciation. In addition to themes about performative identity, she'd asked for humor or for a crossover with other stuff the actors had been in. Three tries and a Google search later—including one failed attempt to match clips to the Potter Puppet Pals "Wizard Angst" episode, and one idea to do a DPS/My Best Friend Is A Vampire fake trailer that didn't get off the ground—there came into the world "Smokin' in the Boys Room." Maybe not funny, but at least happy.

And here we are. Together with isagel's beautiful Measuring Cups, Dee ended up getting a full collection of DPS vids this year. And no, she didn't know two of them were from me until several days after go-live. :)


Title: I was meant for the stage
Characters/Pairings: Neil, others
Music: The Decemberists (edited)
Length: 2:34
Content notes/warnings: Depicts suicide
Dedication: For deelaundry as thanks, for festivids 2012/2013. Originally posted here and here.
A/N: I just want to give credit to Dani/MysticTwilight, who made a DPS vid to the same song back in 2006 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luslnWzeZ1M), which I didn't learn about until after this one was finished. I remember Dani's great DPS/House crossover vid where Neil grew up to be Wilson (http://house-wilson.livejournal.com/499082.html), but don't recall having seen the Decemberists one. There are some similar clip match-ups between us, understandably, but overall I think the two vids tell their stories in different enough ways to warrant going ahead with posting this one. Apologies if we shadows have offended.

Streaming at Vimeo | Download mp4 (17 MB)

Lyrics:

I was meant for the stage
I was meant for the curtain
I was meant to tread these boards
Of this much I am certain

I was meant for the crowd
I was meant for the shouting
I was meant to raise these hands
With quiet all about me
Oh, oh

Mother, please be proud
Father, be forgiving
Even though you told me
Son, you'll never make a living
Oh, oh

From the floorboards to the flies
Here I was fated to reside
And as I take my final bow
Was there ever any doubt

And as the spotlights fade away
And you're escorted through the foyer
You will resume your callow ways
But I was meant for the stage






Title: Smokin' in the Boys Room
Characters/Pairings: Neil, Todd, Knox, Charlie, Cameron, Meeks, Pitts
Length: 1:20
Music: by Brownsville Station (edited)
Summary:
Physical/content notes: None
A/N: For deelaundry, who issued a challenge to make a funny Dead Poets Society vid for festivids. You can decide whether this (*cough* third attempt) succeeded. Originally posted here and here.

Streaming at Vimeo | Download mp4 (9 MB)

Lyrics:

How you doin' out there?
You ever seem to have one of those days
Where it just seems like everybody's gettin' on your case
From your teacher all the way down to your best girlfriend?
Well, you know, I used to have them just about all the time
But I found a way to get out of it
Let me tell you about it—

Sittin' in the classroom, thinkin' it's a drag
Listening to the teacher rap just ain't my bag
Noon bells ring
You know that's my cue
I'm gonna meet the boys on floor number two

Smokin' in the boys room
Smokin' in the boys room
Now, teacher, don't you fill me up with your rules
Oh, everybody knows that smokin' ain't allowed in school

One more!
Smokin' in the boys room
Oh
Smokin' in the boys room
Now, teacher, I am fully aware of the rules
Oh, everybody knows that smokin' ain't allowed in school





Comments and concrit are always welcome as I try to improve my vidding.

Comments

[flywoman.livejournal.com]

These are both wonderful, and because I watched the perfect, hilarious "Smokin' in the Boys Room" first with a huge grin on my face, the other packed that much more of a punch. It almost seemed like that song had been written specifically for the film! *sniffles*

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that song follows the movie suspiciously closely. Googling the song title and the movie title together to find out whether the Decemberists or any critics ever talked about it is what turned up Dani's own version of the vid. (Whoops.) Glad you liked the vids, different as they are!

[linaerys.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this. I watched them in that order too, and the Decembrists one was almost too much to watch.

Lovely work.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. As time passes and as I compare it to other vids, including isagel's much more layered one that she made for the 'fest, the Decemberists one has felt more like an obvious, sentimental, one-note sort of vid - but I will be honest, your response is all the reassurance I needed.

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Aww, I enjoyed them both, bit of a nostalgic trip to revisit DPS. I thought the first one had a really strong ending, I would have totally teared up if I'd been the type *g*. Perfect song for Neil, of course.

The second was just fun and I'd actually forgotten a lot of what they did, including the smuggling of the girl (teacher?) in there and the actual, literal smoking! Quite inspired, and I think you cut it down to just the right length :)

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I had forgotten there was literal smoking in the caves until I started clipping for the vid. It posed sort of a problem, because there's that thing about being too "on the nose" with clips - but I hoped that waiting until the second chorus would help. :) The girls I think were from the local high school? I don't really remember either. Confession: I made both these vids without actually watching the movie again, heh.

Anyway, glad the fun one was fun and the sad one was sad!

And I'm smiling a bit because if the "Guess the Festividder" post they do each year is any indication, no one read too much into my default icon and pinned the three DPS vids on me.