Supernatural Must-View Video Recommendations!
The human mind loves a story. We’re just perfectly built to be captivated by a dramatic narrative. And if words that flow together effortlessly make a great story, well – you know what they say about a picture. But, if a picture’s value is a whopping thousand words, then a moving picture is certainly worth even more.
Long ago The Winchester Family Business posted video recommendations, and I aim to bring that feature back. The fandom has a vast amount of talented “vidders” with an ability to illuminate the Supernatural narrative in a deep, powerful way. Some of these videos are edited so well, they capture the emotional resonance of a moment better than the show has at times.
You can always go on YouTube and search Supernatural to see some of these videos, but it can be pretty overwhelming. It’s nice, then, to have specific recommendations from someone who has already done the searching for you.
Of course, trying to narrow down videos to go in this piece is akin to choosing just a few cupcakes from a gourmet bakery. So, in order to make the task a bit easier, each video selected (and therefore the music, clips and editing techniques within each video) had to meet the requirement of telling a great story. Some videos I watched had very good clips, but the song choice was too distracting or didn’t suit the story. Others had a great song but the clips just didn’t come together in a meaningful way. Sometimes everything moved so fast, it was just too much and the story got lost. With the following videos, however, fitting songs and clips were used, then edited together seamlessly to create a moving story.
These five videos focus on the Winchester brotherhood (with two deviating slightly to provide insight into the psyches of Sam and Dean). In the future, I would like to showcase more with other themes (such as Team Free Will, Angels, etc…). For now, these videos tell the story – each in a different way – of the brothers’ sometimes complicated, often volatile, yet always present bond with one another.
I invite you now to find a half hour for yourself where you can be undisturbed. Grab a good cup of coffee or nice glass of wine, a comfortable spot, and let’s face it – a box of tissues – and settle back and enjoy these video recommendations, accompanied by a few thoughts along the way.
The first selection is from Alina0405video. The clips and chosen song (“Running up That Hill” by Track and Field) blend to provide a fascinating portrayal of the complex nature of the brothers’ relationship – that push and pull between them – which causes them to want to sacrifice themselves for each other. This video provides particular insight into Dean’s unwavering priority to keep Sam safe, culminating in his fateful decision that drove the events of Season 9.
“Dean & Sam, if only I Could Make a Deal with God”
We move momentarily to each individual Winchester with two beautifully haunting videos. The first, from 00shelley77, poignantly showcases Dean’s self-loathing nature (you may need tissues for this one). It also shows, in a striking way, the intense pain both brothers have endured in losing one another. Special note must be made of the video’s powerful ending, as the song’s (“Say Something” by A Great Big World) mournful last note unites with the season finale’s grim closing scene – with heartbreaking effect.
“Dean Winchester Say Something”
The second video by ash4897, expertly captures Sam Winchester’s pain – his regret over his own choices, his sorrow over the losses of the women in his life, his engulfing loneliness at times, but most especially, his deep shame when he perceives he let Dean down. The soulful song – “Scars” by Elegeion – hits the tone of this emotionally rich video right on the mark.
“Sam Winchester – Scars”
Moving back to the brothers as a unit, this excellent video by MissStabler is all about The Winchester Brothers kicking ass. The brilliantly fitting song (“World on Fire” by Les Friction) and perfectly chosen clips are edited together so intensely and skillfully, it makes the heart pound. A bit of a warning, however, this video does have quick flashing effects, so if that kind of thing bothers you, it might be best to view it on a small screen. Otherwise, it provides an exciting ride, revealing much of the evil the brothers have been up against and showcases how, when they come together and fight the good fight, they are truly a force of nature.
“SPN – World on Fire”
http://youtu.be/hQBJwATuTsg
The last video by ThePankee, movingly shines a light on the many facets of the Winchester brotherhood. In fact, you might want to have the tissues ready for this one, too. This video is especially noteworthy for the creative use of color, shading and voiceover. Sometimes (for me) if there is too much voiceover in a video it can be distracting, but the audio clips this vidder chose to highlight were pivotal moments for the brothers, and provide great insight into the complex nature of their relationship. The song “Turn to Stone” by Ingrid Michaelson – with its themes of forgiveness and abiding love – provides an amazingly fitting backdrop upon which to tell the story of the Winchester Brothers. This video is simultaneously poignant and uplifting, taking a nostalgic (yet realistic) look at our boys on the road through the years, and serves as a near-perfect reminder of why we became so invested in Sam and Dean’s enduring brotherly love.
“Sam and Dean Turn to Stone (for Alina)”
That concludes this installment of Supernatural must-view video recommendations. I hope you enjoyed watching and reading, and I hope you’ll come back and join me for more.
****
Editor’s Note: We are redesigning and updating our Video Page! We’ve added Metamorphic Rock’s recommendations to our library and will continue to add the best videos as soon as we hear about them!
Awesome! Thank you! The compilations do emphasize that the human relationship, bond of the brothers is the bond of this incredible 10 season story. There is no Supernatural without Sam and Dean together. There is no Dean without Sam and no Sam without Dean. Well put- it is about the brother’s bond: “brothers’ sometimes complicated, often volatile, yet always present (love driven) bond with one another.”
Yes, Sam and Dean’s bond is always present, no matter what they go through together. Thanks for reading and watching!
These were the main reasons the Hellatus wasn’t so bad for me. I met some new friends and we exchanged a lot of videos we found and mostly those that needed tissues. They also remind about what the story is about. How talented and loving the fans are that they can create such beautiful things. We even had a competition to find some happy videos that are a minority (wonder why 😉 ) and we did find some even if they were rarity. That is one that you can add to the list “The happy ones” 😀
Anyway, you wrote everything and the reasons why I searched and listened these videos. You also had few of my favorites in the list but also 2 new ones! Loved the Sam one that I hadn’t seen. Hope you continue with these articles.
– Lilah
The fandom’s talent never ceases to amaze me! And you’re right, it is harder to find happy Supernatural videos. I am going to try and do a funny/happy installment, so hopefully I will discover some buried treasure among all the (wonderful) video angst!
This was fantastic! Thank you so much for compiling these…and hopefully you do more. No pressure. 😉
I love your descriptions of the vids and the music and what they say. You write very expressively and that adds to the overall post. Thank you!
I do plan on doing more of these. I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Thanks so much for reading and watching, elle 2.:)
Thank you for this I enjoyed them all….even if it did clean out my tear ducts. 🙂
Fan-tastic (pun intended)!! Thanks for this. Exactly what I needed at the end of a long week.