Listening

[nohonor89]

To see a World in a grain of sand,

And a Heaven in a wild flower...

[Ironsouled]

If Only. Those must be the saddest words the world.

It rings a terrible truth, for all that you do, or even do NOT do will give you a chance to say if only. I only hope that others will learn this lesson at a smaller cost than I did.

[PerthPete1]

Such a simple idea, superbly produced.

How disappointing that I have only now discovered your channel, I would have so enjoyed listening to the original soundtrack.

[ferdousalamtaz]

i tried, but still miss 'your ghost'.

[blueastcoast]

One of the first videos I ever saw from you, still awesome =)

[ASAngelo]

I am thinking nothing at all and everything... ;)

[viking250972]

Very nice! Love it!!

[popebenadict16]

allways reminds of my of my daughter.

[tromba8]

oh nice baltasar gracián, a great master:

[nordicsky]

The best part of being a poet is to look and listen; observation is everything.

I enjoyed this poem without words.

Regards, Peter

[TheRavenOfPoe]

I saw a video poem without words recently and thought how I would love to do one - without realising that perhaps I already had ;) Many thanks Peter!

[tjkoz22]

Excellent, Jennifer:)

Such a nice piece of music to use as a backdrop for your introspective imagery.

Well done!

Tom

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you very much Tom! =)

[quello158]

I watched it without the sound. I think that this way the act of listening was better conveyed to a viewer, who becomes engaged into watching your attention and without becoming a listener himself. The outcome was, as if you've captured the very essence of being, with it's immediacy and temporality. Somehow words and sounds seem to be unnecessary. Very visual and very impressive. BIG THANKS.

[aboyfromcapecod]

quello, aren't you going to send me a message?

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you very much quello158! The experience of simply observing and not hearing is very powerful, and a fun way to try watching this video too =)

[prosepp]

i like the ones you do in black and white !

And i like this song !

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks Eduard! I enjoy working with black and white ^^

[prosepp]

sometimes life is quite interesting.

I was so surprised to get an answer to my comment, that i left it in the list. And right now, as i emptied out my comment list, it was the last one in there, so i came back to this video and watched it again.

On second view i now took it into my favourites, hope many other people will watch it. Its a lil masterpiece.

[wdciii]

Very surreal, I like this. -Dennis

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you Dennis!

[muighinis]

Love your videos and your fresh way of presenting topics. Written inserts were too short to read on this one. You are a bit of a philosopher (and a mystic?) C.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Yes, the quotes were definitely up too short on this one, I'd like to do a new version in the future with the quotes made readable ;) Mm I do enjoy philosophy, hehe ^^

[RogerHal]

Hay --- I read his story. I never picked up on pooh being a deep a thinker.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

I always found Winnie the Pooh to be a wonderfully philosophical bear, hehe ;)

[louvregroove]

Is Michael Stipe the male vocalist on this song?

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Yes that's right =) I think his voice works really well with Kristin Hersh's for this song

[rubebouch]

you have many interesting and wonderful videos I had to subscribe. Keep up the good work.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you so much for the subscription, rubebouch! =)

[benzone50]

beautiful!

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you Ben! =)

[brianwadman]

cool video. what is the artist and song name. thanks

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks Brian! The song is "Your Ghost" by Kristin Hersh (with Michael Stipe from R.E.M. doing backup vocals).

[lostnomoor]

You are so very talented. Thank you for sharing your talents with us !

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Aw thank you CJ! =)

[oepsie]

i agreed i find this a sort of art i love it:) ty

[edway22]

I never thought I would watch three and a half minutes of someone just... 'being' and stir me so as to convolute my entire being. There is something in you that goes beyond words. I never posted comments on videos before (though many deserved, for good or for bad, just call me lazy) but I had to do something, anything, be it this and nothing more. The rest is silence.

[magickalchilde]

agreed.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you magickalchilde! =)

[DragonMasterMarf]

Yes, there is something about it... I turned off the lights and watched the video full screen.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you, DragonMasterMarf! I think in darkness this video would be enhanced =)

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you edway22! I am both honoured and humbled by your kind words ;)

[anamcara21]

yes. this is a great song. It found you because it recognized its own greatnesss in you, n'est ce pas?

[TheRavenOfPoe]

It is a beautiful song =)

[stephenashley93]

you have this look about you in this video...it's as though you know the answer to all of lifes mysteries, and your just waiting for someone to ask.

I remember when this song came out. that's michael stipe singing along with her isn't it?

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Ah, then that is a look I wish I could recreate ;)

And yes that's right! It took me a while to realise why the man's voice was so familiar but then after a few listens I worked out it was the lead singer of REM. I like this song a lot =)

[frumpyframpton]

You work quite well with understatement. It is most present here in the lack of dialogue and Noir-esque mis en scene, but your speaking videos convey a calm passion which is void of sensationalism and engaging. It's poetry, visual and aural. My only request is for more of you and less of others.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you for this wonderful comment, it has improved my day greatly =)

[popebenadict16]

i think frumpyframpton is trying to get in ya pants babe if i didnt know any better .xx

[djmastervolume]

Nice! Good work! Very cool!

The last video that I made, is so like this one of yours, in it's own way...I Posted it as a video response to yours...Please check it out...and maybe let it post. Oh and Thanks for posting!

Peace,

DJ Mastervolume-

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks DJ! I'll go check it out now =)

[Lepidoptera13]

I love this song.How did you make the darkness?It's really cool.You have inspired me to draw a picture of your face in it.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks Lepidoptera! =) I experimented with a lot of various lighting and different lamps etc. And then I put the video through a Black and White filter using iMovie.

[nagman1679]

I like your video editing style.

COOL!!

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks! I really enjoy the editing process but I often rush it too much, hehe ;)

[DavidRandallCurtis]

Great video and song. I was lucky enough to talk to Ms. Hersh a couple times - she has to be the nicest, coolest woman in the world. Her son has a YouTube channel now. Speaking of music - check out KarinFredrika... you won't be sorry.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you David! And also thank you for directing me to KarinFredrika - her music is incredible, I'll enjoy catching up on more of her videos now =)

[bewareof23]

gott, hilf mir..

[bewareof23]

..keine zeit:P

[tuesdayweek]

This is a terrible music video. It's just a girl fidgeting in front of the camera, and a few quotes scrolling across. Very boring. Did you shoot it? Next time, think about the song you want to complement with your images. You don't have to match each word with its image slavishly, but give some indication that you've put some thought into it.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Part 1: I appreciate the time you took to watch and comment on my video, especially as it does not seem to have been an enjoyable experience for you, hehe ;)

I agree with you that as a music video this would be kind of tedious. However, it is one of my favourite videos...

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Part 2: ...because it captured exactly what I was trying to capture. It is not a music video, rather it is about taking a pause in life and not feeling the need to always be "doing something". It is also about listening, simply listening, to music. In that sense this video was made as an experimental film, not a music video ;)

[popebenadict16]

um i think tuesdayweek should have got up on monday i love this

[chris3ff]

"If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world." - Mercedes Lackey

This quote really struck me. I'm moved by its implications. Favourited the video to look back upon in quiet times. Thanks a lot.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you Chris! Each of these quotes really moved me when I discovered them ;)

[zebidee55]

Still working on TROP back catalogue...

Wow Jennifer, what a work of art. This totally blew me away! No wonder you chose an avatar from this video.

OK, so I'm thinking about taking down the quote sledge on my channel now because of how well this worked.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you Michael! =) And I'm quite a quotation addict, hehe...there is something about the perfect expression of an idea, emotion or experience from someone I have never met and yet can completely relate to that draws me in.

[zebidee55]

Yeah, me too, especially in the past. I used to love finding the exact words that were summing up what I was trying to say, way better than I could.

Quotes show that the human condition is universal.

[kuhlbreeze]

Beautiful video... Keep it up!

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you Nate! =)

[ThreeofThree]

Tis pretty. Love it. And the quotes are awesome. Do you read any of Mercedes Lackey's books?

[ThreeofThree]

heh heh I meant "Have you read any of Mercedes Lackey's books?" =(

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks Ash! No I hadn't heard of Mercedes Lackey before, but I'm reading up about her on Wikipedia now, hehe. Do you recommend reading her books? I'll keep an eye out for them ;)

[ThreeofThree]

I TOTALLY recommend her books. I love them. A couple of my favorites are "The Gates of Sleep" and "To Take a Thief". (The last one is quite a read...All the dialogue has certain letters left out. It takes you a while to get used to it. But if you read it aloud, you should get it. ^_^)

[ThreeofThree]

heh I meant "Take a Thief". Gah. It's too early in the morning to think. ^_^

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks for the recommendation! =) I've been looking around for some new books to read ^^

[felixdelmar]

This video is so wonderful.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you felixdelmar ;)

[TheMaverickMJ]

This is the kind of video people should be watching in masses and discussing. Very well done.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks so much Mike! That means a lot to me =)

[ralfonzo83]

a beautiful video can be so simple. i like your face so much.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you Ralf, that made me smile =)

[YourPsychoanalyst]

Very nice settings...

the fact that you are playing with the cam and watch yourself in different positions without saying anything gives the viewer the feeling of secretly observing you in a very private, intimate situation...which is thrilling and unpleasing at the same time...

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Very true ;) And in a way that is how most of the videos on YouTube are, all the vlogs and blogs - intimate windows into the lives of strangers.

[ThreeofThree]

Totally agree.

[popebenadict16]

wow ya nearly poked my eye out. x

[TheRavenOfPoe]

aww don't tell me I missed? hehe... Thanks for watching! ;)

[bicycleconnoisseur]

wow

i like it a lot!

i love this kind of video, it's sort of simple but makes you think

and mezmerising

5*

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks bicycleconnoisseur! =)

[KrisShred]

Very interesting experimental art video. The b/w contrast is great. Yeah, the quotes were displayed much too shortly. Love that song ;)

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thanks for watching Kris! =) I'll definately try and work out how to fix the quote problem for future vids. Yes, I love this song too, she has a beautiful voice and the lyrics are perfect. The backing vocals by the leadsinger of REM match in really well. ;)

[xOREGx]

Beautiful, extremely aesthetical, very intriguing. Though I didn't quite get the point what this was all about, but I really love to watch you in this b/w editing.

[xOREGx]

Just one small thing: Take care about those text captions.

Keep in mind: You know what you want to tell us, we don't know yet. So give us approx. double the time you need yourself to read them. And make sure the font will still be readable after YT scales the clips down to 320x240 pixels.

[TheRavenOfPoe]

I agree, I would have liked to make a few of the quote larger and also leave them on the screen for longer. I couldn't work out how to extend the pause length beyond 4 seconds in the movie editor program I was using, but I think with a little more reading of the manual I should be able to work it out, hehe. ;) Maybe once I work it out I'll post an updated version of this vid ^^

[TheRavenOfPoe]

Thank you xOREGx! =)

hehe, and yes, the point of the video is not very clear although that is partly intentional. The biggest clue is in the first quote before the music starts ;)