New vid! "I Hear the Bells," The Nightmare Before Christmas

[bironic]

Made a little something simple to ease back into vidding.

Title: I Hear the Bells
Fandom: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Music: Mike Doughty
Length: 3:14
Summary: The Pumpkin King tries on Santa's hat for a day.
Content/physical warnings: None
Notes: For Halloween/holiday season 2013. (Hey, if department stores can put up tinsel and Christmas trees in October...) Lessons learned include: Avoiding talkyface in this movie is impossible; Jack Skellington raises his arms a lot. Also turned out to be good practice in advancing a narrative against repetitive choruses.

Streaming on Vimeo and YouTube (with captions) | Download mp4 (38 MB)

Lyrics:

I hear the bells
Down in the canyons, it's
Snow in New York
Some blue December, I'm
Gone to the moon
About to go, and I'm
Calling to you
Throughout the world and well

I can (I can)
Hear the bells are
Ringing joyful and triumphant and
I can (I can)
Hear the bells are
Ringing joyful and triumphant and

I hear the bells
They are like emeralds, and
Glints in the night
Commas and ampersands
Your moony face
So inaccessible
Your inner mind
So inexpressible

(Chorus)
Dum dum dum dum be dum dummm
Dum dum dum dum be dum dummm

I'm seeking girls
In sales and marketing
Let's go make out
Up in the balcony
Your business dress
So businesslike and I'm
Tossing the blouse
Over its chairback and

(Chorus)
Dum dum dum dum be dum dummm
Dum dum dum dum be dum dummm

You snooze, you lose
Well I have snost and lost
I'm pushing through
I'll disregard the cost
I hear the bells
So fascinating and
I'll slug it out
I'm sick of waiting

(Chorus repeat)

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

x-posted to vidding on LJ and vidding on DW

Comments

[mific.livejournal.com]

That was great! I don't know the Nightmare Before Christmas, but I feel like I've seen all the best bits now, in one shiny package. :)

[sol-se.livejournal.com]

Looooooooooooove!!! Yay, Jack Skellington! This was great! :D

[bironic.livejournal.com]

:D Thanks!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

The vid is basically the movie, with the beginning relocated to the end, and minus the two subplots I found annoying (Sally the doll girl's attempt to break free of the mad scientist, and Mr. Oogey Boogey Man, who sort of tortures Santa while Jack takes his place). Anyway, glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching.

[siegeofangels.livejournal.com]

This is awesome! I really liked the cymbal crash when Jack gets shot down.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Awww, that was sweet! I really liked the little musical touches (the echoing skeletons, the moment the sleigh blew up). And you definitely got to the heart of the movie. Great credits, too!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Yay, thanks! I like how that worked out too.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! Re: the credits, since I open After Effects about once every year and a half, I once again had to re-teach myself how to animate text, heh, and lost patience before I could figure out how to make the letters blow off screen entirely. Oh, well.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Well, I have never mastered either AE or Motion, so I was impressed!

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the movie either, and I found the ending of the vid both happy and sad. On the one hand, it says, "You don't have to try to be someone else to be happy; who you are now is triumphant"; on the other hand, it says, "Don't try to be part of something new; you'll only get shot down; stay in your own subculture because you can't be part of the mainstream."

I ... may be projecting a little tiny bit onto your very wonderfully created vid. Editing is great; love the credit effects at the end, they reminded me so strongly of leaves in the fall.

[cosmic-llin.livejournal.com]

Eeee, that was delightful!

[healingmirth]

I don't know the movie, at all, but that's one of my favorite songs, and I really enjoyed watching what you put together. An incomplete list, but I particularly liked "I'm gone to the moon" with his first peek through the window, his lecture(?) as the richer second time through the chorus, and the point in the narrative that you set to the "I have snost and lost," which I could have sworn I had on an icon, but apparently not here!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Thanks. <3

And yes, no, those are all valid readings. As is one where there's a morality tale about seeking help/feedback before jumping in to a project you may not know as much about as you think. It is a bittersweet ending, and while I don't think the movie was pushing conformity or discouraging the crossing of streams (although it's been a while since I've seen it) so much as allowing a bored Jack to try something new before reaffirming his confidence in and love for being the king of Halloween, you're right that it could have been happier. Who will write the fic where Santa and Jack decide not to switch back at the end? :)

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! An LJ friend shared the song years ago and at some point it struck me as a good match for this movie. I'm glad you enjoyed the "moon" match in particular. Okay, and also "snost." Great line. Thanks for watching.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thanks.

[cincodemaygirl.livejournal.com]

I've loved that song since Veronica Mars, what a perfect match for NBC in both content and tone! Such a good choice. I love how this sums up the movie so well with none of the icky parts (I too hate both the mad scientist and Oogey Boogey). The skeletons-as-backup-singers at 2:34 are my very favorite part. <333

[bironic.livejournal.com]

:D

Ya, have heard that this song was used in an important scene in VM. (One day I'll watch that show.) Glad it still worked for you for this source!

*hug*

[tearful-eye.livejournal.com]

YAY this is awesome :`)

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you think so. Thanks!

[aruan.livejournal.com]

Your use of movement is just a joy. Love this movie, love what you've done with it, xoxo.