New vid: In Te Domine

[ash48]

This is my ao3vidders auction vid. It's for my winning bidder yourlibrarian


Banner by secretlytodream *smish*

Title: In Te Domine
Vidder: ash48
Music: Gloria, U2
Characters Castiel and ensemble
Category: Character study, meta
Length: 4 min
Size: 44mb

Stream: You Tube
Download: Sendspace (.dixv) OR 4Shared (.avi)

This also fills a vid_the_grid prompt secondary characters \o/



Thanks
First off, HUGE thanks to yourlibrarian not only for her bid, but for her detailed brief and valuable input while I was working on this. I truly hope this is close to what you envisioned for this song hun. Many thanks again. <3

To my wonderful beta _sharvie_ who came back on-line just when I needed her most. *smishes* as always honey. And to greyowl88 for some much needed hand holding. <33

Notes

The idea:

I admit to freaking out just a bit when yourlibrarian sent me the song and her ideas for it. Mostly because I've never really given Castiel a lot of thought and didn't really have the first idea where to begin. She said she wanted Castiel to be given a "clearer arc", than what we saw on the show, especially in his search for God. We agreed that even though he never found God as such, his journey helped him discover more about who he was. I decided to basically start at the beginning and work through his journey over the 2 seasons. My main focus is his connection to Heaven, the other Angels and to Sam and Dean. I wanted to draw out his sacrifices (his and Jimmy's), his betrayals, his loyalties, his doubts and his convictions.

Something we both discovered in the making of this was how much of what he experienced in season 4 made him what he was in season 5 and that is more aggressive, self assured, and determined. (BAMF as we discovered). I've tried to draw that difference out in the vid. I also discovered, to my surprise actually, that the Castiel that we started with - arriving with power and conviction, is the Castiel we ended with. So, full circle.

Lyric Interpretation: (found by _sharvie_ on the U2 site)

What does "In Te Domine" mean in the song "Gloria"?

It is a Latin phrase meaning "In You, Lord". In = In, Te = You, Domine = Lord. Also of note is that "Gloria", the title of the song, is the Latin word for "Glory". [AC]

In Latin, the beginning of Psalm 31 is "In te Domine speravi..." "In you, O Lord; I take refuge." As for the other Latin bits in "Gloria," "exultate" and "miserere" -- these are the beginnings of Psalms 33 and 51, respectively: "Exultate iusti in Domino..." "Exult, you just, in the Lord." And "Miserere mei Deus..." is "Have mercy on me, O God..." Source

In many ways this guided me in some of my choices. I wanted to play with the idea of the angelic experience, for both Jimmy and Castiel, as one that is not particularly merciful. It's fraught with pain, indecision and heartache. It also requires sacrifices.

It's been an interesting and challenging vid to make. Also a first for me (working with someone else's song choice and idea) but I loved doing it.




All comments are appreciated and cherished and if you want to meta Cas to me GO FOR IT! I dare you! I'm soooo up on Castiel now!

Comments

[secretlytodream.livejournal.com]

I already told you how much I loved this vid, no matter what ♥

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much honey! I really appreciate it! <333

[amnisias.livejournal.com]

I just had my brain blown out - by a vid! So excuse my incoherence...
This is so dense and multi-layered, I'll have to re-watch it like a few hundred times because it'll all click, but first impression: it's gorgeous. It's great to see somebody vidding Castiel/Jimmy as the complex, multidimensional character he is in the show rather than just use him as a foil or object of desire in a slash vid. I love the visuals and colours, and the well thought out way you use cut-aways to infuse the close ups with meaning and context. Great job! Now I need to go and watch it again....

Also, belated Happy B-Day, the whole time-zone thing tripped me up, so I didn't get it in on time.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Wow. Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me. Something I wanted to do more than anything is present a multidimensional character. And "dense and multi-layered" is a wonderful compliment. Thank you! <3

And thanks so much for the birthday wishes too! :D
xx

[greyowl88.livejournal.com]

First of all: *hugs yourlibrarian* for giving you this song.

And a deep bow to you for the miracle you worked with it! *bows* (After Castiel had been nothing to you but a glitch in Sam and Dean’s relationship…*g*)

I love the intro with Castiel walking in with the music. It so makes clear: Here comes an angel! *adores*
And all the wonderful eye communication. *melts *
And the action! Always spot on with the song. *is glued to the screen*
And the lyric interpretation….

Perfection! Perfection! Perfection! ♥

I had planned to point out single parts I love most but it all flows so wonderful and each scene connects so perfectly with the next. The subtle but powerful editing just lifts this vid into heavenly spaces. \o/

But there are some things I do want to mention:
° When the music starts picking up and then that action scene comes, I can feel myself getting carried away and at 3:38 I’m just holding on for dear life… (lol).

° And I so love the ending with that image (Castiel unfolding his wings) flashing up until it stays while he is walking away from Dean. Such an apt way to show his reinstatement as a full angel. *sighs deeply*

°The „only in you I’m complete“ with Anna filling up with her grace again and Cas watching and then the memory of Jimmy sets in….*dies*

This really is Castiel’s story from the inside. From all the wonderful and impressive vids you have created this is my personal favorite!! ^_^ *nods vigorously*
(And I’m not saying any of this because you have been so nice about my last vid!!)

*watches over and over*
♥

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Oh wow honey! This feedback is amazing and truly appreciated. Thank you so much. <33

I'm so thrilled you enjoyed this one. You know I've been angsting over it. Your earlier feedback helped me feel more positive about it. <33

Thanks again *reads comment over and over*

*heffa smish*

[debbiel66.livejournal.com]

It was absolutely wonderful. Loved all the flashes of wings at the end, reminding us just who Castiel really is. It's a favorite song of mine, and you made it that much more favorite... thank you so much!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

*hugs* thank you hun. In fact it was during the back and forth process with yourlibrarian that the wings at the end came about. She mentioned it and I loved the idea so gave it a go. :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment. I appreciate it. :)

[yourlibrarian]

I heart your author notes, and, of course, the vid :)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thanks hun! (*g* I angst over the notes as well!)

xx

[davincis-girl.livejournal.com]

Excellent job!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D

[mara-snh.livejournal.com]

This is terrific work -- not surprising, but always a wonderful treat. Any ten seconds of this vid would make a good audition tape for Misha!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. :D And yes - Misha has been doing a fine job of Castiel - not an easy task considering the constraints he has on him as an angel.

Thanks so much for watching. :D

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

Lovely vid. The song was great! In my non-expert opinion, it seems like the long bridge would be challenging with all the long notes superimposed over such a fast beat (which beats to pick?).

I liked your clip choice during the first two choruses ... very fitting. And the flash of angel statues/figurines before Jimmy was given his Grace was very clever. Bookending the vid with winged Cas was also really effective and satisfying from a viewer's perspective.

Also, I just friended you as I don't want to miss any more vids like this in the future. :)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hey hun! Thank you so much.

it seems like the long bridge would be challenging with all the long notes superimposed over such a fast beat (which beats to pick?).

Oh yes indeed. In fact when I first heard the song I thought "well that bit's out". I even edited the song right down until I realised I needed it all to really flesh out Cas's journey. The tempo change caused all sorts of issues and as you say, picking out the beats to use.

Thank you for your very thoughtful notes. I really appreciate it. :D

(and friending back!)
xx

[ancastar.livejournal.com]

Wonderfully done! I'm not the biggest Cas fan in the world. But I thought this beautifully captured his power and his vulnerabilities. Nice character retrospective, hon.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yay, you watched it. Thanks hon. I know you're not into Cas (and well, me neither really..) so thanks for taking the time to check it out. I suppose my biggest hope is that I did him justice.

*huggles*

[dotfic.livejournal.com]

Ash, this is beautiful. It's great to have something exploring Castiel's arc this way. You seem to have outlined his redemption arc, the way he grew and changed over two seasons and I think you captured the doubts and the wavering and the conviction and the discovery of BAMFness.

The way you used the photograph really got to me, it was a turn, and the start of the momentum of the last section of the vid. He lost his angel family, accepted his human one, and then he's off like a firecracker, and at the end goes home again. I think yourlibrarian may be right that his arc didn't have enough clarity on the show. You've sharpened and teased it out here.

It makes me feel so much better about where things landed in the finale because I felt like they rushed his resolution, and undid his emotional development in some ways, but looking at your vid, I can also see it as a triumphant arc and how he's grown and changed in addition to it landing full circle. (As a Dean/Castiel shipper it's fascinating to me that you ended it on Castiel walking away from Dean. I really liked that, actually, it's like he's standing on his own and the character needs that).

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Wow Dot, this is great! <3

You seem to have outlined his redemption arc,

Yes. Because Claudia requested that it focus more on his search for God it led me in this direction. Castiel seems to be always in search of something and it felt to me that by then end he had found some sort of answer to his search - his doubts and convictions in particular.

The way you used the photograph really got to me, it was a turn,

Yay! I am so thrilled this was picked up on. I really liked the idea that he had found a "new" family. And it gave him some sort of strength and belonging. I nestled it in between the "angel family" to hopefully show the juxtaposition of the 2 families.

I can also see it as a triumphant arc and how he's grown and changed in addition to it landing full circle.

Yes. Yes. I really wish I had had more of an opportunity to explore this slow descent into his drug and alcohol dependency (I think the Cas of the future started in season 5 - and I think Dean was showing him the way, with both his introduction to alcohol in Free to Be and then drugs in a later episode) but there was just too much to explore there in this vid. So I think his triumphant at the end is doubly poignant because he didn't end up taking that route after all.

But yes - I certainly felt like he was feeling more "whole" and it was a triumphant way to end. I think that may have been lost by the sheer intensity of what the boys were going through. (I certainly was thinking about Cas by the end of 5.22!)

it's fascinating to me that you ended it on Castiel walking away from Dean. I really liked that, actually, it's like he's standing on his own and the character needs that).

Again yay! I was conscience while making this not to have any ship (and I gotta say I can see how easy it would be to - man, the way they look at each other!!) so his walking away from Dean felt like it was part of his new strength and I wanted to highlight that with that very last shot of him standing there at the end without his wings showing.

Sorry I blabbed. It's extremely exciting and satisfying to hear about what a viewer takes away from watching a vid. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know.

*hugs*

[serrico.livejournal.com]

Oh, *Castiel*. I especially like the sections introducing the Novak family/Jimmy's possession, Castiel's betrayal of Anna, and his return to purpose at the end.

Very good vid!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I'm glad the Jimmy possession section worked for you because I wasn't quite sure how well that bit would come across. I wanted to compare Jimmy's devotion to Cas's similar devotion.

Thanks again.
xx

[ariadnes-string.livejournal.com]

that's gorgeous!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. :D

[rhymephile.livejournal.com]

Oh WOW. Just, wow. I know you were hesitant about taking on Castiel's arc and character, but this was simply fantastic!

He is such a BAMF in this video, and I love the editing in time with the music. And then, at the end when the music swells and Bono starts belting out "Gloria" over and over, you had all the defining moments of his character edited right in time to the music! *LOVE*

You should absolutely post this over at spn_castiel. You have to join to post, but it's not moderated. This vid would get a lot more appreciation at that comm!

Also...

[rhymephile.livejournal.com]

I also wanted to let you know I downloaded the avi because I have a feeling I'm going to be watching this over and over. :-)

[strangefantasy.livejournal.com]

awe *_* really wonderful work!! the sog is perfect for the scenes you have chosen! have downloaded the video.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hi there, thanks so very much. I'm glad you thought so! :D

[ender24]

wonderful castiel vid!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! :D

[murron.livejournal.com]

This is gorgeous!! Such an amazing character portrait; the vid captures Castiel to the dot. Great choice of scenes and the composition you made of them is nothing short of stunning: I love the complex, multi-angled view you give of Castiel.

Terrific work; thank you so much for sharing!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hi, thank you so much. I'm so glad you thought it captured Castiel. :D

Thanks for stopping by to let me know.
xx

[half-vulcan.livejournal.com]

That was a great video. So many great scenes of Castiel and his awesomeness! The music was perfect, I downloaded it to save in my collection of awesome!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you so very much! :D

[denyce.livejournal.com]

That was seriously awesome!! DL to rewatch, thank you for sharing your talent :)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for watching and commenting! :D I'm glad you liked it. :)

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

This is great all around, but my favorite part is how you did the relationships between Cas and Anna and Uriel. There are few fics that deal with this, and no vids at all that do. It's canon that Cas and Anna 'have history' between them, and my personal canon is that Cas and Uriel were good friends until the apocalypse started. It was very satisfying to see this played out in this medium, and that even through their changing alliances and differing agendas, they're still siblings and the relationships between them are complex and fraught but oh so vital and inevitable.

I also like the parallel of Jimmy gleefully looking at his hand because of the angelic protection, and Cas looking curiously at his hand because of its human limitation.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hi there,

Thank you very much. I'm so glad you liked the Anna and Uriel sections. I felt that they were a very important and motivating force in shaping Cas. Making him query, challenging his beliefs etc.

Thanks again for your thoughtful comment. :D

[gorgeousnerd]

Great vid! I think you captured Castiel and Jimmy's arcs very well up to this point in the show, particularly in terms of loss and regaining of power. And it was very enjoyable to watch.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hi, thanks so very much. I'm especially glad that you found it enjoyable to watch because it was something I worried about - just how entertaining it was. So, thank you! :D

[turquoisetumult.livejournal.com]

Very nice vid, Sarah! This was just a fresh and funky tune to vid Castiel too. I think the editing was so crisp and wonderful and lovely. And I think you managed to really capture Castiel's journey, despite the lyrics being quite vague.

Ironically, I also just finished a Castiel vid. There must be a bug going around or something... ;)

(Also, can I ask where you got unwatermarked S5 clips from. The quality is amazing. Thanks.)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hi hun!

Thanks so much. It's interesting because I don't think I would have thought of this song for myself. And yes, the lyrics are very vague - I had to really think about how I could make some of them work for Castiel.

I also just finished a Castiel vid.

Hee! I saw that you had posted one. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. (And I'm a bit nervous too - I'm sure I'll see stuff that will make me think "I wish I had used that!!". Love the song choice too. I look forward to watching. There definitely must be a bug around because I've noticed a few Cas vids around lately. :) )

I'll PM you re the clean footage. ;)

Thanks so much for watching and commenting. <33

[sol-se.livejournal.com]

That was awesome. Well done!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! :D

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Oh you've really out done yourself. Great stuff!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Wow really? Thanks hun. :D I appreciate it.

(I can't believe I only have 3 prompts to go... how did that happen?! *g*)

[aescu.livejournal.com]

Very powerful images fow a very powerful song. I think you have captured Castiel's path well and what it means (at least in SPN) to be an angel :)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you thought so. :D

[dzeta-07.livejournal.com]

I LOVE U2, and THIS SONG and CASTIEL! ♥... I think your video is precious!!. Really.

Would you mind if I post it at my LJ? I would like to share this beautiful video with my little f-list... Of course, I will give credit you.

ps. Sorry if I´ve mistaken english structure or any word ^^U

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yay, thanks so much! :D

And please feel free to post it to your LJ. Thank you! :D

ps: The English is fine! :D :D