Fanvidding with Coldplay

I love this band's music and I have noticed that quite a few of us fans of Richard Armitage seem to feel the same way. No wonder there seem to be so many fanvids set to Coldplay songs which also feature Mr. Armitage (in various roles)!


So here we have it. Sit back and enjoy the music and feast your eyes on some great videos!

I'd like to start off with my favourite Coldplay song, Yellow which is also the first tune I ever heard by this band. I always loved the music but the lyrics had me stumped for quite awhile. I couldn't figure out if it was complete gobbledygook supposed to sound somehow meaningful, or it was actually quite brilliantly deep! I finally decided that since I loved the music so much I was going to have to believe the latter, just to make myself happy!

I was very pleased to find how well Liisakee made this song fit with the BBC's Robin Hood miniseries. (I knew the lyrics were brilliant!!) Love her use of colour to emphasize the theme. Oh...and watch out for Season 3 SPOILERS!!

yellow3 from Liisa on Vimeo.

Liisakee must really like Coldplay because she also has another song, Spies which of course fits very well with Lucas North and the gang in Season 8 of Spooks / MI5.
UPDATE:  Oct. 13, 2011 Unfortunately her video has been removed from Youtube for some reason.  But I have just found another video with the same song done by PrinceZukoFanGirl.

And now, here is a fanvid about my favourite miniseries North and South using Coldplay's The Scientist. I know that quite a few vidders have used this song as well, but Videosbyloo's version is definitely my favourite!





I am very happy to include a video by graphic artist and fanvidder extraordinaire HeathDances. This song has special meaning for her as it was made during a very difficult time in her life.  Here is her version of Fix You, based on Season 7 of Spooks / MI5.  It is very suitable for Lucas North, who was just released from a Russian Prison Camp. All his fans would certainly love to "fix" him! You can really notice HeathDances's editing skills near the end of the video when the music speeds up and the clips are perfectly in time with the music.







And now for a little break in the RA fanfest, here are a couple of different videos to Coldplay songs.

First we have a lovely video from KatSw3 which celebrates so many wonderful movies using the film Pleasantville as a frame in which to set the lyrics for the song Life in Technicolor.
Unfortunately she has not enabled embedding so I cannot display her work on my blog! So here is a link to follow. Don't miss it, it's worth a bit of inconvenience to see! You might even catch a glimpse of a couple a quick scenes from North and South!

Click here to go to Youtube.

Trixterrr has done a tribute to one of my favourite detective shows starring Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Remember I posted about him before? This one is to the song Green Eyes. This video really shows their complex relationship very well. I was always hoping they would get together -- the romantic tension was incredible!

The last two videos are from Robin Hood BBC again. They both contain spoilers, especially the last one -- so beware!
The following video is by QueenBee2881. It is a wonderful tribute to Robin Hood and all who follow him to the tune of Viva La Vida.







Last but not least, this video by Giz the Gunslinger really ties up the Robin Hood series. It is very touching -- and like I said -- BEWARE of SPOILERS! The title might give you a clue why it is so sad: It's called Those Who are Dead -- otherwise known as 42.

I have so enjoyed watching all the fanvids which I never even knew existed until I began my obsession with that certain actor! I have discovered so much new music (new to me at least), which has been such a joy. I have also discovered new movies and television shows which I have since seen or at least attempted to watch. 

Thank you to all those talented vidders out there. Keep up the good work!

Spring is sprung...

Spring is sprung.
The grass is riz.
I wonder where the birdies is?
The bird is on the wing.
Now isn’t that absurd?
I always thought the wing was on the bird!

-- Anonymous

I remember fondly my Dad quoting this verse and telling me it was by Odgen Nash. Well, I have been unable to prove this assertion (at least by internet research)! But this one is one of his:

Spring has Sprung!

Spring has newly sprung
the hills are full of grass
and along comes a billy-goat
sliding on his overcoat
down the summer pass

~ by Ogden Nash ~

Here is a video bursting with the signs of Spring set to Vivaldi's Spring suite from "The Four Seasons".

This Beatles tune always puts me in the mood for Spring:

And once again here is a painting by Claude Monet, entitled Break-up of Ice, Grey Weather (1880)

Canadian artists were also influenced by French Impressionism. Tom Thomson was a forerunner of the Group of Seven but his style of painting had great influence on them.

Spring, Algonquin Park

Here is another painting by Tom Thomson entitled Spring Ice (1917)

This was finished shortly before he died, mysteriously drowned while on a painting expedition.

Springtime brings thoughts of romance and here are some favourite movie clips with this theme:

I had to find a new clip for The Lonely Goatherd  from The Sound of Music (1965), as 20th Century Fox had a copyright issue with the last clip. Here's hoping no one has an issue about this one! Julie Andrews sings the song on The Muppet Show (1977)



Besides lonely goatherds there have been some lonely shepherds as well:

Alan Bates played Gabriel Oak in Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd (1967) with Julie Christie, Terence Stamp and Peter Finch. His character, like his name was strong and natural as an Oak tree and as kind and heroic as the angel Gabriel himself. One wonders why it takes the love of his life, Bathsheba Everdene so long to figure out that he is the man for her!

Here is a clip from the movie where Bathsheba is singing
at the Shearing supper for her tenants.




This story was redone for television in 1998 starring Nathaniel Parker (from the Inspector Lynley series) as Gabriel Oak and Paloma Baeza as Bathsheba.
Here is a wonderful fanvid by Elva75 of the 1998 version of the story:



As an interesting side note, both of these actors have worked with my favourite actor (have you figured out yet whom that might be?) Richard Armitage appeared with Nathaniel Parker in an episode of The Inspector Lynley mysteries. As well, Paloma Baeza appeared in 3 episodes of Spooks / MI-5 Season 7 as Lucas North's ex-wife Elizaveta.

RA with Nathaniel Parker

RA with Paloma Baeza

Even better, Richard Armitage had quite a Gabriel Oak type role as John Standring in Sparkhouse, which is a modern retelling of the classic Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Here's a link to my blogger buddy Mulubinba's terrific review of Sparkhouse.

Richard Armitage as John Standring helps tend the sheep on a farm owned by the father of the girl he yearns for, named Carol (played by Sarah Smart) who is madly in love with Andrew (Joe McFadden). Since Andrew's parents believe Carol is beneath him, they foil the couple's romantic dreams and Andrew abandons Carol at the altar. Years pass, and he marries someone else and even becomes a father. One day he moves back home and when he sees Carol again, his passion for her is reignited. Nevermind that she has finally got her life back together and has persuaded the ever loyal and loving John to sell his house, put all the money into her farm and then she will promise to be a good wife to him. Long story short, it's very sad, but not quite as tragic as the original story because really, which guy would you rather end up with?

On the left we have Andrew whose parents hate you and although he professes undying love, he has abandoned you at the altar, married another woman and had a baby with her, all without any explanation for his behaviour.

On the right we have John, who has always been there when you needed him, is willing to make himself over for you, heals your wounds, doesn't mind raising your child by another man, is always kind, gentle and caring, and oh yes, although he doesn't start fights, can do a fabulous job defending your honour.

It's not really a fair choice...for a sane person! Immature boy-man vs. man of any woman's dreams!

Here is one of my favourite fanvids by Neelma, telling the story from Carol's viewpoint. It's set to Fallen by Sarah McLachlan.