Vidukon Premiere: Starkville (Xena)

[frayadjacent]

Title: Starkville
Song: "Starkville" by the Indigo Girls
Source: Xena: Warrior Princess
Characters: Gabrielle, Xena (Gabrielle character study)
Content notes: Bright flashes. Institutional and relationship violence (as depicted on the show). Spoilers throughout the series.
Summary: "I chose the way of friendship"
Captions are available on the youtube and vimeo streams. They are also included in the downloadable zip file. If you don't want captions, just delete the .srt file.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you want more specific information about warnings/content notes.

Remastered for 720p (ish -- it's still 4:3) in 2020. 

Download | Vimeo | Youtube

 

Watch on YouTube

If you were here in Starkville
the townie boys would love the way you stare
If you were here in Starkville, the local girls
they wouldn't have a prayer
I spent a reckless night inside the wonder
of your everlasting charm
now I'm haunted by geography
and the flora and the fauna of your heart

At the dawning of some road worn day
I called you on a whim just to say-
The morning birds are singing
but I could not do them justice
so I hung up and fell back to sleep

I'm in love with my mobility
but sometimes this life can be a drag
like when I noticed your nobility
and how my leaving only held you back
I remember one occasion when you were drinking
and you asked me to the coast
but I was hell bent on agony back then
so I missed the boat

At the dawning of some road worn day
I called you a whim just to say
My regrets become distractions
but I can not do them justice
then I hung up and fell back to sleep

When I was down in Starkville
I was hiding out inside some Comfort Inn
from a local gang of troubadors
when the homecoming queen -she come riding in
I slipped out of my room into the rain
and I went running for my health
I watched the headlights turn to moonlight and finally
 I was running by myself

Now it's the dawning of some road worn day
I call you a whim just to say
The morning birds are singing

Comments

[sanguinity]

Water and fire.

I'm gonna have to watch that lots more times, because you've packed a lot in there, coding-wise (an excellent use of the medium!) and I'm still unpacking it as I watch. But I love this epic arc for Gabrielle, where she began as a counter-influence for Xena -- Gabrielle's water to Xena's fire -- and their association shaped Gabrielle every bit as much as it shaped Xena. (The montage about Xena's charm? Oh, that's poignant, given where this vid goes: Gabrielle seeing the laughter instead of the sword.) And I especially love how you drew out the ongoing theme of blood-innocence: the virginity that matters in this show is whether or not you're taken a life. The sequence with the bloody knives, calling out to different points in Gabrielle's arc... Mm. That's real nice, there.

And that opening pair of shots, casting Gabrielle as the river? Beautiful.

This is real nice work.

[chaila]

This is really lovely! I feel I'm missing so many layers of your Xena vids since I've still seen so little of the show, but due to your clip choices the overall narrative arc still seems to come across clearly. The progression of them shaping each other, and Gabrielle choosing Xena in the end, over (along with?) all the conflicting principles were at stake, was very nicely done.

[bradcpu]

Beautiful. Really lovely use of motion, overlays, coloring. Such a clear narrative journey but you tell it in such a poetic way. It really feels like it came from the heart.

[china_shop]

This is gorgeous!

[beccatoria]

Dude, this vid is just so fantastic. I think it might actually have been my favourite premiere. I adore lyricism in vids and you use the complicated depth provided so well. One of the most striking moments is Xena's "charm" and your perfect capture of her violent joyful ease. You understand then, it's not the violence that attracts Gabrielle, it's that devilish grin, that freedom. The way the water imagery becomes more forceful and violent, with bloody hands and violent waterfall-fallen impacts and Xena islanded in chains in a lake. Water is powerful and deep, and capable of both defeating fire and causing far more devastation and employing more force. But it's also more thoughtful, more changeable; less simple joy and quick decisions. It's a more complex element capable of many states.

I love how it frames this as Gabrielle's choice. The flames over her at the end, what she's chosen to embrace, but still so much more complicated than either a simple tragedy or an improvement.

It really is an extraordinarily well-constructed vid. And it may just be my perception, but I feel that lyrically dense vids are getting rarer, and I love them so, and this one is so good.

Thank you so much for making it.

[cosmic_llin]

Oh, Gaby! Sorry I was incoherent at Premieres - what I wanted to say is that this is perfect - everything from that first shot of Gabrielle with the flowers, her longing for adventure, everything she learns about the reality of it, everything she goes through and becomes... and then ending on that heartbreaking shot. Ow, my heart.

[laurashapiro]

Every time you vid Xena, I think 'I've really gotta watch that show.' This time is no exception. You make it look new here, with a great focus on saturated color and speedy cuts on actions, it's got a freshness quite different to other Xena vids I've seen. I sure wish I had the context, though.

Oh, and how great is that blur transition? I've never thought of doing that, but I suspect I will be stealing it.

[colls]

Oh... wow. You really did a fabulous job with the narrative in this and it flows so nicely.

[alwaystheocean]

Just wanted to say I just re-watched this and it's still incredible. I'll only be echoing what others said above but yeah, the 'charm' thing really jumped out at me this time, likewise the water/fire stuff, and the focus on blood innocence. It's...well, it's just such a good Gabrielle vid, and about the choices she makes and how deliberately she makes them. Ugh, show. <3

[endeni]

Oh, wow. Terrific vid! *_*

[thirdblindmouse]

This vid has poetic, flowing visuals in a clear, compelling narrative of Gabrielle's relationship with violence and Xena. I was stunned when I first saw it, but I wanted to write it the comment it deserved, which is a great way to spend six years rewatching a vid without leaving any comment at all.

I love the water motif, the landscape with Gabrielle's life as a river. The serene flowers and fields until Xena comes splashing through, fascinating to Gabrielle.

"The local girls wouldn't have a prayer", Gabrielle taking her first punch, and retreating behind the wall.

"I spent a reckless night inside the wonder" -- Gabrielle splashing through the water, experiencing Xena's life, "your everlasting charm" -- can't watch this and not be a little in love with Xena, and Gabrielle imitating her, though nervous.

The repeated intercutting of Gabrielle's lost direction in the woods, and shaking Xena off.

"In love with my mobility", traveling the world with Xena but drifting behind.

The drum beat and "one occasion when you were drinking" tugging at Xena's arm and Xena shaking her off hits hard.

The branching path, the flowers, the map. And Eli and Najara as Gabrielle tries to decide what is right.

Color returning as her will to protect Xena drives her to discard pacifism.

Just... such a great vid.