Olympics Opening Ceremony Vid!!!

[quinara]

So, the Opening Ceremony happened and I loved it. I then had a dream of vidding it, but couldn't pick a song, and couldn't wrest the beautiful HD pictures from anywhere for love nor money. So I left it. But then Yuletide brainstorming happened, and hearing about other people's love for the ceremony fired me up again - and at that perfect moment, also, the song seemed obvious! For what else actually leads the viewer into the stadium after we've been taken on our jaunt down the Thames...? And, as usual, I managed to make the 'putery parts work eventually, mostly through sheer bloody-mindedness. So now there is vid! Which I of course accompany with Satan's words at Paradise Lost I 242-5, because that's how I roll. Also it's relevant.

Map of the Problematique.

I am, as ever, very fond of bright lights, which are somewhat flashing. There are a few slightly jerky sequences too.

is this the region, this the soil, the clime,
said then the lost archangel, this the seat
that we must change for Heav'n, this mournful gloom
for that celestial light?

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[ Olympics Opening Ceremony + Muse - Map of the Problematique [Rich Costey Edit] ]
[ stream in HD | download in proper 720p ]

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Comments

[cryptolect]

This is so lovely! Really captured the energy & joy; grinned as I watched.

[quinara]

Oh, thanks very much! I'm glad you enjoyed. :)

[china_shop]

Awesome! I didn't see the original, so it was especially good to see a summary, so beautifully edited. \o/

[quinara]

Thank you! I was hoping for it to be more than just a summary, but I'm glad you enjoyed. :)

[china_shop]

Well, I have a very low vid reading level. /o\

[quinara]

Oh, no, don't worry! I never seem to get my vids comprehensible to people other than me. I'm sure it's not you.

[jelazakazone]

I didn't see the opening ceremonies, but I loved this. I thought it was great.

[quinara]

Thanks very much! :D

[starlady]

That was really interesting! I admit the song choice doesn't seem obvious to me; but I'd really like to know more about why you chose it, if you have the chance.

Anyway, yeah, really interesting concept and editing! I need to rewatch, I think, and I will.

[quinara]

Oh, thank you very much! I hope it holds up on rewatching. :)

As for the song choice - back when the ceremony aired, one of the things I loved about it was the sense of darkness and uncertainty, specifically about whether the industrial revolution was a good thing or not. I think it resonated through the whole hour and a half (I wrote something a bit rushed and incoherent about it here). The choice of music in the show all seemed quite obtuse to me, if this was a plainly celebratory pageant - Nimrod, with its connections to funerals, Jerusalem, which is fairly anti-industry (to say the least), Abide with Me, which accompanied a very downbeat ending. In the run up to the show too, including God Save the Queen + London Calling in the montage seemed a somewhat damning approach to national celebration, and Map of the Problematique then provided the riff as the montage came into the stadium and the countdown to the ceremony begins. It's one of my favourite Muse songs, so I wanted to explore the implications of its negativity and uncertainty with the ceremony as a whole - and I chose this mix in particular because I think it really draws out the darkness and the space inherent in the song (plus it has a lot of internal dynamics, which are always good for vids and what the original mix somewhat lacks).

[starlady]

Thanks so much! When I first watched it I just got the spectacle - which was pretty spectacular - but now I definitely understand the actual vid, and it's really great! Now I want to watch it about ten more times, but I really like what you have managed to do here in terms of questioning history and stitching it all together!

[quinara]

Awesome! I'm so glad you get it and that you like it. :D

[jb_slasher]

That is fantastic. The music and the images just flow together so well. Wonderful!

[quinara]

Thanks very much! I'm glad you liked it. :)

[echan]

This was so wonderful! All the joy and history and community and striving and and *flail*. Awesome.

ETA: The download link has expired, sadly. Would it be possible to have a new link to download & save this fantastic vid?

[quinara]

Oh, thank you very much!! I'm really glad you liked it (and sorry it's taken me a couple of days to get back to you).

I'm sorry about the file; I haven't really worked out a more permanent solution, but here it is uploaded again: Map of the Problematique. Hope you enjoy the higher def!