Vid: "Identical Snowflakes" [Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers films]

[icepixie]

Title: Identical Snowflakes
Artist: Hem
Length: 2:46
Summary: We were cut from the same paper / that was folded long ago / so let all the other snowflakes turn to snow.

Streaming embed and download link under the cut.

Identical Snowflakes from Icepixie Vids on Vimeo.

Download in .mp4 format at Mediafire (44 MB).

As always, comments are loved!

Comments

[wintercreek]

This is just lovely, as your vids always are. You do such nice work timing their dance moves to the music. <3

[icepixie]

Thank you! I'll be honest, the timing is actually one of the easier parts; the choreography and expression of these dances is such that something interesting is always happening, no matter what you use. It's the thematic connections that take me the longest. (Of course, they're also the most interesting part to work with... :))

[d_generate_girl]

(VoodooChild from VidPub here, hi! Sorry for the late feedback, I missed your post and happened to come across musesfool's rec.)

Oh, this is beautiful. It's so effortless, like Fred and Ginger themselves, and deceptively simple. But it just flows perfectly, the melody and their dance moves and the swirl of Ginger's skirt. I particularly love the transition from a playful tone to a more serious/romantic tone, how their body language changes along with the lyrics.

[icepixie]

Hi there, and thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and that the transition from playful to more serious/romantic worked for you. I started the vid before I fully realized how serious the ending of the song actually is (the music disguises it very well), so when I was making it I was a little ACK ACK ACK over that transition. :)

[dotfic]

Here on a rec from musesfool. Fred and Ginger! <3 This is beautiful.

[icepixie]

Thank you! :D

[mrkinch]

Beautiful! You've made me very happy.

(Here on Musesfool's rec.)

[icepixie]

You've made me very happy.

Awesome. Thank you! :)

[trouble]

This was very sweet! I haven't watched any movies with Fred & Ginger in them, an oversight I really must rectify.

[icepixie]

Thank you!

I definitely recommend watching some (or all!) of the movies. The scripts can be very silly, but the dancing is gorgeous, and even when they aren't dancing, Fred and Ginger are both very charming in their somewhat dorky, awkward ways.

[semielliptical]

Oh, beautiful vid! Watching this made my evening, truly. You've matched the song and their dancing so well, in that both have a feeling of lightness but also deep emotion.

[icepixie]

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :)

[reasdream]

Musefool linked to this, and it's wonderful! I love the song. Thank you.

[icepixie]

Thank you! I'm glad you like it. :)

[revolutionaryjo]

Oh! This is so sweet. Absolutely left me smiling. :)

[icepixie]

Aw, yay! I'm glad you like it. :)

[talitha78]

Oh, that was so prettily done!! <3

[icepixie]

Thank you!

[kyriacarlisle]

Instant. Complete. Joy.

This is beautiful. I know that you said above that the timing was the easiest part, but I'm still really impressed by how well you've fit the gestures to the song, coming as they do from dances with so many different tempos and moods.

And such fun uses of the footage, too, both with and against the original source - just to take two examples, I love the use of the corps de ballet vs. Peter P. Peters for the "every snowflake's different" lines, but then also the Continental sequence, since that's all *about* escaping into the crowd.

In short: huge quantities of ♥ I love this lots and lots, thank you!

[icepixie]

Thank you so much for this wonderful comment! I'm really glad that you like it.

And such fun uses of the footage, too, both with and against the original source - just to take two examples, I love the use of the corps de ballet vs. Peter P. Peters for the "every snowflake's different" lines, but then also the Continental sequence, since that's all *about* escaping into the crowd.

Hee, I'm pleased to see this get noticed! Peter the special snowflake vs. the ballet seemed like such a natural connection for that line, and I love how in "The Continental," Mimi and Guy are trying to escape into the crowd, but they can't help creating this space for themselves basically through the sheer power of their awesome.

(BTW, since I take it you're a big Fred and Ginger fan--OMG YAY!--you might be interested in the other vids I have for them. /shameless self-pimping :D)

[wendelah1]

I loved this. It did make me a little weepy by the ending.

[icepixie]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

[oxoniensis]

That is absolutely delightful!

[icepixie]

Thank you!

[satu]

Aw, this was simply magical! ♥

[icepixie]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

[china_shop]

Oh, gorgeous! <3

ETA: The rhythm of the clip at 0:45 fills me with delight, in particular.

[icepixie]

Thank you!

0:45 was a particular favorite of mine as well. :)

[sid]

Beautiful!

[icepixie]

Thanks!

[legoline.livejournal.com]

This is a thing of beauty. Joy! It kind of fits the season, too. Lovely :)

[icepixie]

Thank you! :) The song was actually billed as a holiday song by the band, although I suppose the only real reference is the "rooftops strung with light." But it definitely has a holiday feel to me.

[odessie.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! Gorgeous song choice, lovely vid. <3

[icepixie]

Thanks! :)

[idharao.livejournal.com]

LOVE IT. Well done, well done! Can I put it on Fuck Yeah Fred and Ginger on Tumblr? That's my site :)

[icepixie]

Thanks!

Can I put it on Fuck Yeah Fred and Ginger on Tumblr?

Sure, go for it. :)

[winter-jasmine.livejournal.com]

Awesome :)

Did you export through MPEG Streamclip for this one? I'm in awe of the quality of your vid, considering the source :)

Jaz

[icepixie]

Thanks. :)

Did you export through MPEG Streamclip for this one?

I did! Thanks for the advice. It looks much better than iMovie's export did.

I'm in awe of the quality of your vid, considering the source :)

Hehe, yeah, 75-year-old source can be a little grainy and jittery, although the prints used for the "ultimate collector's edition" discs that I have are quite good, considering.

[sixbeforelunch (from livejournal.com)]

Oh, how lovely!

[icepixie]

Thanks!

[cupidsbow.livejournal.com]

This is awesome. I love red and Ginger so much, and this vid actually captures what it is I love about them. Thank you.

[icepixie]

Thank you! I'm so pleased that the vid captures the quality you loe about Fred and Ginger. :)

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness. It's so filled with affection, every second! And makes me very happy.

[icepixie]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. :)

[thedothatgirl.livejournal.com]

Lovely vid. You did them justice and such a pretty song.

[icepixie]

Thanks! :)

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, this was gorgeous and it gave me chills. I also was a little teary-eyed at the end and let out a spontaneous "awww." Beautiful!

[icepixie]

Thank you! The ending of the song made me pretty teary the first few times I heard it, so I'm very pleased that the vid got the same kind of reaction from you at the end. :)

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! Magic!

[icepixie]

Thanks! :)