While I thought that my academic writing burnout was mild in comparison to last December, I’ve been proven wrong as I have been unable to put add a single word on my in progress article in a week. I guess that after having written over 116,000 words since last July, not including abstracts, guest lecture, blog posts or eBook editing work, my brain really needs a break. I still hope that I can complete my current paper by the deadline on May 1, but I understand that it might not happen. I don’t have to submit this paper for consideration but I would like to. Yet, I’m learning to understand that sometimes I need to accommodate my brain and body when there is just no muse. I’d also rather not submit something than writing something below my standards.
Recently, as I was looking at my YouTube channel, I observed which videos were the most viewed. I found it amusing that the ones doing best aren’t necessarily my favorite ones. I don’t post a video that I don’t consider good enough to be shared on what I consider a vidding portfolio. I decide to share the top five here.
#5. We Looked at The Skies – The X-Files: Fight The Future, Music by The Bee Gees.
#4. Time Will Not Erase – Prometheus, Music by Evanescence.
#3. The Bonds We Save – The Dark Knight Trilogy, Music by One Republic.
#2. Heroes – Star Wars, Music by Cher.
#1. Set Fire To The Rain – Game of Thrones, Music by Adele.
I’m very happy that there are both an X-Files and a Star Wars videos in this top five, as these are two core fandom for me and both franchises have shaped my research and my creativity to significant extents. The Prometheus video being present in this most viewed list also warms my heart, as this is the video I had made after my beloved cat’s passing in 2013. The two others don’t surprise me because of how big the fandom are. As much as I like Game of Thrones and felt the need to vid this favorite Adele song for Daenerys, I am not planning on vidding Game of Thrones again. As for The Bonds We Save, I know I will vid the trilogy again, but not before a while.
Natacha Guyot 
To me it seems like the most viewed vids on my channel are with popular songs or a specific couple/fandom. 😉
I hope you can rest and feel rejuvenated. Even if you can’t submit, I’m sure you’ll have other opportunities!
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Given my taste for more “obscure” fandom and music, some I’m not surprised they don’t have so many hits. I am happy to say that not far behind these five videos, the two already shared One Path videos aren’t far, along with some other X-Files video! 😉
Thank you, sweetie! I am trying to remind myself that I can always submit it elsewhere. I also had ideas for a new possible book (of course) and I might email you about that at some point. *hugs*
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You never can tell what’s gonna be popular 😀
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Very true!
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So have you had a chance to see any of the new season of GoT yet, then? Is it available there yet? Not sure how that works.
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I’ve seen the first episode of the fourth season but didn’t get around to watch any TV episode since last Sunday, including the second episode of Game of Thrones season 4.
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Ahh…This new episode is so good!
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I can’t wait to see it! I’m starting to panic with all the episodes piling up and it starts for another round this Sunday! I’m happy to have so many shows to follow though!
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Natacha: The editor in me still worries that vidding is in violation of copyright laws, but the creative thinker in me loved, loved , loved! your Star Wars video. I chose to watch the video on the movie series I’ve been a fan of for years, so I could understand what you did as a vidder. And I’ve been a fan of Cher forever. You chose to pair the Cher song with clips from the Star Wars films that develop the theme of heroes, showing Luke Skywalker’s ancestors? and the Jedis who came before with enough spaceage fighting to maintain the interest of a general audience. Is that right? Did I get it? Or did I miss the main point? Did you have other intentions as well? Do I need to think about a vidding in a different way? This is really fascinating to me, as someone who did not grow up with a computer. I am still learning about social media, hoping to use it to promote my writing.
BTW, the April 28 issue of the New Yorker has an in-depth interview with Paul Debevec, the computer scientist who invented the technology to take scans of actors and create doubles/avatars. I thought you might be interested.
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Thank you for your input, Jennie. And as I explained before with the links I provided, I consider that vidding just like any other fan creation should be considered fair use as for the vidder and watchers it isn’t anything commercial and for the copyright owners/media industries, this is free advertising. Star Wars has been a huge inspiring force for me since I was a child, as it was one of the reasons why I first dabbed into writing and then chose media studies (originally professional degree in production even before moving to research). The idea behind the video you watched was to show the heroes in Star Wars, Jedi, non Jedi, main characters, side characters. So the way you perceived it was right, as I also believe that the wya I approach the video and conceive it might be different from what the watchers find in it. Thank you for mentioning this interview. I will try to find it!
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