Reviews Fan Vid Review They Keep Killing Suzie by Dr Owen Harper

Hello. I'm Doctor Owen Harper and---put that down, it's volatile. I don't know what it'll do to human skin but you should see what it did to the Weevil's. Jack thinks we might be able to weaponize it---you know, lessen the affect so that it becomes a warning shot instead of lethal.

So, you saw what happened with Suzie, I take it.  Yeah, that was as much fun as you can have around here.  Bringing back the dead.  Never a good idea. 

It's time to do fanvideo reviews again. 

But, let me explain the process first.  In case you're just now joining us.

Fanmade videos are a form of art like paintings, sketches, and fanfiction.  They may be only tributes to a character, a movie, or an episode, but they can also tell a story within the mix of lyrics, dialogue, and imagery.  Sometimes, those stories are time capsules which create a sort of portrait, but there are other fanvids which tell unique stories of their own. 

Each month, starting with September, we have published five videos found on Youtube (and other places) which either encapsulate the month's featured episode, is a tribute to the team or a character or a relationship, or stand as a sort of video fanfiction.  During the month, we post twelve fanvids to the Project: Torchwood Facebook page and you, as readers, can vote on the ones you think should make the final cut.  Vote on every one of them if you like, no one minds, but please do vote.  If you have comments about the fanvid, have at it---your words are valued.  Well, valued as much as anyone values words around here.

Video Winners

5.

Torchwood - Suzie Tribute V1

by BriLIz0rdz

song: Lamb by Gorecki

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-o_iCY6shs

This song is used for everything in Torchwood, isn't it?  Suzie is no different in that respect, because of her love for the job.  The video is blurry, but the imagery sequence is well done.  If I'd personally had to pick a favorite (not based on votes), I think this would've been the top video.  As a tribute to Suzie Costello, the love song lyrics works well.

4.

Jack and Ianto - One More Night

by belletaylor303

song: Cascada

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7b6Fdb3vig

Oh, of course.  Another Janto fanvideo.  It's an interesting take on the relationship between our fearless leader and the teaboy.  The song, however, is fantastic.  The graphics are very well chosen and the sequencing works well with the lyrics.  Nice, very nice.  Another winner.

3.

Torchwood - Owen and Diane - Almost Lover

by TorchwoodFan1993

song: A Fine Frenzy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdLaETKtNXA

I feel strange looking at this, knowing that it belongs to another episode entirely.  But, it works as a study on the relationship---no matter how brief---between myself and Diane.  The song is one of my favorites and it is appropriate, but as nice as the sequencing is---and it is nice!---the video is not as crisp as it could be.  I blame the software, not the artist. 

2.

[Torchwood] The Life and Death of Suzie Costello

by PsychoHellKat

song: Listen Up Suzie by The Living End

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE6H7Kyu6qo

The video is wonderfully crisp and clear, but I don't think this song particularly works for Suzie Costello.  But, the votes have it, and it comes in at number two.  It does, however, show the whole story of Suzie in a way that can be used as a primer for her personality and character, and for that reason, I can say that it does deserve a place in among the winning videos.

1.

Torchwood Music Video - How Blind is Love? Ianto/Lisa, Jack

by scifichicx

song: It's All About Us by tATu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwpxqNaxf3M

This video belongs to another episode, one that we covered a few months ago, but it is a very good one.  The imagery is blurry, but the segue from clip to clip is well done and the song is a good choice.  As an emotional study of the relationship between Jack and Ianto and Lisa, it's an excellent portrayal of how love can drive us in situations both good and bad.  It wouldn't have been my choice of a number one, but the fans have voted and this is the top video for the month.  Congratulations, Scifichicx!

And that's it for this month.

You know, if we could make this toxin into an aerosol, UNIT might be interested.  In the meantime, wear gloves if you're going to pet the Mae-cat.  I don't know why you'd want to, but that's your business. 

Close the door on your way out, please.  I've got these spores to examine and if there's a draft, it could get into the ventilation system and we'll all be infected.  Believe me, you don't want that.

***

Reviews FanVid Review by Christopher Fain

Hello.  Doctor Owen Harper, maybe at your service.  Come on in.    

I hope October has been a good month for you.  It's always an interesting time at the Hub.  Sometimes, we get cranks and fakes and have a good laugh about being spooked by rubber masks.  Currently, there's someone running around Cardiff pretending to be a Weevil.  We know it's a fake because of the zip in the back.

Gotcha.

So, it's time to do the fanvideo reviews again.  This seems to be my monthly task, above and beyond the call of duty. 

Don't say I didn't warn you.

In the month of October, we covered the Brecon Beacons mission.  What a weird one.  The only good that came out of it was that I got to shag Gwen by the time it was over.  In looking for good videos to share, I came up with some real stinkers.  They didn't even make the list, much less the finalists.

But, let me explain the process first.  In case you're just now joining us.

Fanmade videos are a form of art like paintings, sketches, and fanfiction.  They may be only tributes to a character, a movie, or an episode, but they can also tell a story within the mix of lyrics, dialogue, and imagery.  Sometimes, those stories are time capsules which create a sort of portrait, but there are other fanvids which tell unique stories of their own. 

Each month, starting with September, we have published five videos found on Youtube which either encapsulate the month's featured episode, is a tribute to the team or a character or a relationship, or stand as a sort of video fanfiction.  During the month, we post twelve fanvids to the Project: Torchwood Facebook page (and sometimes to my tumblr dashboard, thoughtfully tagged #project torchwood) and you, as readers, can vote on the ones you think should make the final cut.  Vote on every one of them if you like, no one minds, but please do vote.  If you have comments about the fanvid, have at it---your words are valued.  Well, valued as much as anyone values words around here.

And with that in mind, let's begin.

The top five videos are chosen by a process of vote elimination.  The more votes, the higher each video is rated.  At the end, the team tallies things up and bob's your uncle. 

Video Winners

5.

Torchwood: Countrycide

by StCircus

music: Dying in Your Arms by Trivium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dshecuoA94g

This video is brilliantly done, despite the fuzziness of its format.  The clips have been put together very well and smoothly to tell the story of "Countrycide".  It's well balanced between the two sides of the team as they are thrust into the middle of a true-life horror story.

4.

Torchwood - Better Angels

by catnap332

song: Lesley Gore

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCHnx8tylNI

With the blur of software issues, you could decide to ignore this video as being mediocre.  Don't make that mistake.  The song is perfectly suited to tell the story of Jack and his place within Torchwood.  Over time, he has formed relationships with the humans of Earth in this secret agency and each one has had an impact on Captain Harkness' own sense of humanity.  The video is a real winner in terms of content and storyline.

3.

Some Nights Torchwood

by bensonliv

song: Fun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObiZ6d4m0GQ

A "Children of Earth" based storyline gives this song a whole new sense of meaning for the watcher.  Sony Vegas 9 software has some interesting contrasting tools for the sharpness it gives the images while saving the movement that carries the video forward at the pace of the music itself.  The pathos of the story itself is invoked in new ways, showing the struggle of the Torchwood team; the lyrics are painfully appropriate in places and even though the song and video end on a sharp, unfinished note, the meaning of the story itself is clear.

2.

Torchwood: Countrycide: Janto

by PrInCeSsFBi45

music: It Only Hurts by Default

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9K2mZnkLa8

According to the video's creator, this video has a plot.  In their own words, we find: "After learning about Ianto's Cyberwoman girlfriend kept hidden in the basement, things between the tea boy and Jack have been rather prickly.  However, when Ianto disappears during an investigation out in the "Countrycide", Jack won't stop until he finds him.  Kind of a full fledge circle of action and forgiveness at the end."  I agree with that.  I like the formatting of using the title credits to start the 'episode'.  The imagery is crisp and clear and beautifully combined to tell the entire story while managing to focus on the relationship between Jack and Ianto.  The song is a very good one for this angle of the show.

1.

torchwood uncensored

by binty22home

music: Freeek! (Remastered 2006) by George Michaels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKvHOGiZiWU&feature=youtu.be

Nine out of ten tea boys will tell you that Captain Jack Harkness is the sexiest man on Earth and, perhaps, in the broader universe.  The votes are still out on that part.  The song here is funky and appropriate for the topic of Jack's many conquests, because let's face it---just because it has a few moments of other people kissing and being sensual with each other, the video is really all about Jack.  You can tell because this thing includes his adventures with the infamous time traveler known as The Doctor. It's a sharp piece of art that adds to the larger body of Torchwood fan-art available for enjoyment on the internet.  It really does deserve the first place in this month's competition.

And that's it for this month's competition.  I'll see you again very soon, I suspect.  You haven't learned anything about unprotected sex yet, I see.  Are you trying to compete with Jack?  Good on you, mate.

Reviews FanVids Collection Small Worlds by Christopher E. Fain

Welcome back; pull up a chair.  I won't be but just a minute.  I've got this autopsy to wrap up.  I promised I'd have the report ready by tomorrow morning and I don't see why it has to be a scheduled issue. It's not as if anyone but Jack needs to see the report, right?

As I've said before, fanmade videos are a form of art like paintings, sketches, and fanfiction.  They may be only tributes to a character, a movie, or an episode, but they can also tell a story within the mix of lyrics, dialogue, and imagery.  Sometimes, those stories are time capsules which create a sort of portrait, but there are other fanvids which tell unique stories of their own. 

Each month we publish five videos found on Youtube which either encapsulate the month's featured episode, is a tribute to the team or a character or a relationship, or stand as a sort of video fanfiction.  During the month, we will post twelve fanvids to the Project: Torchwood Facebook page and you, as readers, can vote on the ones you think should make the final cut.  Vote on every one of them if you like, no one minds, but please do vote.  If you have comments about the fanvid, have at it---your words are valued.  Well, valued as much as anyone values words around here.

And with that in mind, let's begin.

The top five videos are chosen by a process of vote elimination.  The more votes, the higher each video is rated.  At the end, the team tallies things up and bob's your uncle.  That part gets confusing, the tallying up.  You wouldn't think it does, but there you go.

So, for the month of October, the winning fanvids are:

5.

Cells (Owen Harper)

by OfNightside

song: The Servant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUXhhZdeQcg

This character portrait of Owen Harper (me!) is poignant, isn't it?  The lyrics are well matched.  The use of black and white in the video is appropriate to the starkness of this story, which shows you the development of Doctor Harper's character.

4.

Torchwood Jack/Ianto My Skin

by bassairmoon

song: Natalie Merchant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhh3tvZ_9oc

The song is a beautiful one, changing key at a passionate moment.  Its use with this video, to show the relationship between Jack and Ianto, is heart-moving; the dialogue from Phil Ford's "The Dead Line", strategically placed, is sketchy for quality but drives the point home.

3.

Torchwood: A View to a Kill

by Lady Soliloque

song: Duran Duran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcENpr9O1ps

The video quality could be better, but given that the song is marvelously matched to the team and its forays into the dangerous and gritty parts of Cardiff and surrounding areas, it's no wonder this video made the top five.  It gained a lot of followers almost immediately upon being posted.  I wonder how much of that's because of the song itself?

2.

Torchwood: The End

by SophieKemme

song: Florence + the Machine (No Light, No Light)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IizTYDaNj0

By far, one of the most popular fanvids we've had.  This video tells the story of that last day in series two, where the world explodes with Jack's past coming back to bite us all.  The song is a driving, fiery piece which works well with the story line itself, bringing back the knowledge of what is being lost.

1.

Ianto Jones - James Bond for a Day

by Allumie

song: Scouting for Girls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HgX34ku3kA

This is a happy, fun song and a surprisingly upbeat video, considering that not all of Ianto's moments are wonderful.

It's rather obvious that the tea boy has a thing for James Bond and despite my personal preferences, it's hardly a shock that this would come in at the top slot for the month's competition.  Well done!

And that brings us to the end of another month's fanvideos.  I hope you enjoy them as much I don't.  At least one of us ought to be getting our jollies.  I'll see you again soon, I'm sure.  You just can't seem to learn which is the right way to hold a stun gun, can you?

Reviews Cyberwoman FanVids by Christopher Fain

Fanvid Reviews

We'll make this short and sweet, shall we?

I'm Doctor Owen Harper.  I'm the team's medical officer and resident wit.

I'm here to talk to you about how to stay safe if you're out after midnight in Cardiff.

Advice: Don't be out after midnight in Cardiff.

I've been asked to tell you a little about fanvids and their value as art.  This is punishment for downloading RedTube videos onto the Hub servers.  Jack might think it's funny for a while but the moment Gwen sticks her nose in, I'm suddenly a pariah.

So, here we go.

Fanmade videos are a form of art like paintings, sketches, and fanfiction.  They may be only tributes to a character, a movie, or an episode, but they can also tell a story within the mix of lyrics, dialogue, and imagery.  Sometimes, those stories are time capsules which create a sort of portrait, but there are other fanvids which tell unique stories of their own. 

Each month, starting with September, we will publish five videos found on Youtube which either encapsulate the month's featured episode, is a tribute to the team or a character or a relationship, or stand as a sort of video fanfiction.  During the month, we will post twelve to fifteen fanvids to the Project: Torchwood Facebook page and you, as readers, can vote on the ones you think should make the final cut.  Vote on every one of them if you like, no one minds, but please do vote.  If you have comments about the fanvid, have at it---your words are valued.  Well, valued as much as anyone values words around here.

And with that in mind, let's begin.

The top five videos are chosen by a process of vote elimination.  The more votes, the higher each video is rated.  At the end, the team tallies things up and bob's your uncle. 

Video Winners for September

5.

Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood) - I Can't Decide

username: jleigh329

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC1s2ncKRrI

This infamous Scissor Sisters song is a Doctor Who fan-favorite.  It featured in the Doctor Who Series 3 episode "Last of the Time Lords".  On a whim, I decided to see if anyone had ever used it for a Torchwood fanvid and was pleasantly surprised to find this.  The clips have been masterfully placed within the context of the lyrics, making even the darker side of Torchwood events into something you can grin at.  It is Jack-centric, but don't let that be a reason to ignore its very existence; it is full of the team, because they form the bulk of Jack's life on Earth.  It's a cute romp through this beloved group's many adventures.

4. 

Powerless - Cyberwoman

username: Banned bythe Beeb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiBSSPe1nPQ

The song 'Powerless' is by Linkin Park and the lyrics are used to tell the story we see on-screen in the episode "Cyberwoman"; it has a doubled meaning here.  In a way, the viewer sees the story from Jack's and Lisa's perspectives, but both sides involve Ianto.  The dialogue used from the episode is perfectly placed in non-lyrical points of the song and chosen for its maximum impact; unlike many fanvideos we've seen, this does not detract from the music here.  It is one of the best "Cyberwoman" tribute videos we have found, to date.

3.

Bloody Cyber Mix

username: SariaGray

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWuFo_T39WQ

This is a remix of the song 'Pet' by A Perfect Circle and its rhythms are perfect for the Cyberwoman.  The clips were timed to follow the beat, so that it seems as if Cyber-Lisa is moving at the same pace as the music in many places.  The lyrics are ferocious, forbidding in their intensity.  There is no doubt, upon viewing this video, that the song's meaning goes back and forth between Ianto and Cyber-Lisa and leaves the viewer a little breathless at the thought of Ianto's darker side. The color changes to black and white towards the end and gives the video a stark look.  It's easy to imagine the rhythm containing a metallic clank; it becomes an auditory suggestion that makes us wonder if we really heard those boots or not. 

2.

Torchwood - Jack/Ianto - Tears of an Angel

username: geekchick1013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WN_zdJTIl8

'Tears of an Angel' by Ryan Dan is a beautiful song and its lyrical meaning is very appropriate to Jack and Ianto.  The video is not as visually crisp to watch as others we viewed, but its meaning is far more poignant than many Janto fanvids.  Jack and Ianto live, as co-workers and lovers, constantly aware that their relationship is a temporary situation; it might be a chunk of Ianto's life which changes how he sees the world and love, but for Jack, it's a moment in time that will be soon washed away by Ianto's mortality, no matter how or when the younger man dies, and yet he learns how to appreciate the ephemeral for how it touches his soul.

 1.

Torchwood - Running Up That Hill

username: PrinceZukoFanGirl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLXn6GA7AZY

'Running Up That Hill', a cover tune by Placebo, is a song which seems to be used by every fandom at some point or another.  For its lyrics, it is highly appropriate that this one turns up in a Torchwood fanvid; could there be anything more touching than how Jack is wounded by his immortality?  He can never trade places with those who die in his presence, often for his sake.  He would give his life for his friends and yet that is not really an option.  His undying state might appear to cheapen his efforts to protect and serve as hero, but in fact, it's just the opposite.  His pain comes from how his friends and team follow him into battle and fall under his command, all for the purpose of saving a world that sometimes doesn't deserve the sacrifice.

And there you have it, boys and girls and weevils and funny-looking fish people.  Go check out these fanvideos and keep in mind that each one is just as artistically put together as any fanfiction or script, created for emotional impact.  I'll see you again next month when you come in to have that rash looked at.  Don't say I didn't warn you about being out at midnight in places like Splott.