VividCon [1] is an annual convention for fan vidders where many of each year's important works premiere. Unfortunately this summer I wasn't able to attend (here are last year's reviews [2]), but I spent a month watching the 4-DVD set (over 100 vids) and reccing daily (with one big hiatus) on twitter.

These selections say a lot about me as a vid-watcher. For starters, none of them feature the wildly popular shows Supernatural or Merlin (and boys are kept to an absolute minimum overall). But more importantly, almost all of them deviate from the standard conventions of a vid in some significant way. There's certainly much to be said for an excellent execution of the established format, but to me, it's pushing the limits that really highlights what's unique about the form, as well as the possibilities of vidding as an art.

With no further ado my VVC09 top 20 (19 vids and 1 meta post):

• terrified by impending flood of #vvc vid premieres. first #rec - Hard Sun, on firefly fandom w/ live-action footage WOW http://tr.im/wvHf [3] Aug 17th [4] [Hard Sun by laurashapiro + bradcpu]




• today's #vvc #rec - Dollhouse vid by @kiki_miserychic to a mashup of the Bale rant: oh the layers of crack/meta/metacrack! http://tr.im/wA3a [5] Aug 18th [6] [Bale Out by kiki_miserychic]




• a #vvc #rec for John Hughes lovers: jarrow's dancevid of 80s high school movies (selected for in-depth vid review) http://tr.im/wE3Z [7] Aug 19th [8] [Give It Up by jarrow]




• #rec the other #vvc in-depth vid review selection: hollywoodgrrl's Doctor Who vid incorporates text + archival war footage http://tr.im/wIIL [9] Aug 20th [10] [Marble House by hollywoodgrrl]




• today's #vvc #rec is this important post-mortem by bop_radar: "on inclusion and exclusion in vidding fandom" http://tr.im/wN6n [11] Aug 21st [12]




• a more traditional #vvc #rec - obsessive24's "Bachelorette" is Buffy vs. patriarchy http://tr.im/wRcx [13] Aug 22nd [14] [Bachelorette by obsessive24]




• 2fer friday: sweetestdrain's "Land" is an epic 10 min. tribute to the Terminator franchise http://tr.im/wRdg [15] #vvc #rec Aug 22nd [16] [Land by sweetestdrain]




• EMOBOT <# - sisabet's Cameron character study (Cameron/John) to Dar Williams w/ splitscreens is today's #vvc #rec http://tr.im/wU3c [17] Aug 23rd [18] [Comfortably Numb by sisabet]




• deejay's Tropic Thunder vid was controversial at #vvc on the race front, but I think it's interesting. an anti-vid? #rec http://tr.im/wUrn [19] Aug 23rd [20] [Fight the Power by deejay]




• the Wicked Witch (Elphaba) is the Radio Star in this genius Wizard of Oz vid by dualbunny http://tr.im/wX2A [21] - #vvc #rec SQUEE Aug 24th [22] [Video Killed the Radio Star by dualbunny]




• ROBOTS R <# #vvc #rec - awesome multifandom action vid by charmax http://tr.im/x2aR [23] Aug 25th [24] [Seven Nation Army by charmax




• OK I hate all things pop, boys, + reality. but I still #rec this #vvc vid about @adamlambert by @intimations + merryish http://tr.im/x5CB [25] Aug 25th [26] [beautiful dirty rich by astolat + merryish]




• no, not done with the #vvc #rec project! today I have the epic Star Trek vid that you've been awaiting (K/S thru the ages) http://tr.im/yZxm [27] Sep 18th [28] [The Long Spear by jmtorres + niqaeli et al]




• almost forgot today's #vvc #rec - an innovative and hilarious Buffy vid by Milly http://tr.im/z6JZ [29] Sep 19th [30] [Lucky Me by millylicious]




• BSG nite in #vvc #rec land! this haunting FAILNALE vid relies on dissonance for its message: http://tr.im/zfWq [31] Sep 21st [32] [When You Wish by keewick]




• & a feel-good #vvc #rec - this virtuosic Kara/Kat by jarrow is classic shipper vidding at its best: http://tr.im/zfXA [33] Sep 21st [34] [Learn to Crawl by jarrow]




• "Can Delight" is an AMV-style multifandom vid by jescaflowne about cheerleaders kicking ass! #vvc #rec http://tr.im/zmeh [35] Sep 22nd [36] [Can Delight by jescaflowne]




• finally finished the DVDs, so this is my last #vvc #rec - yes, it's a Barack/Michelle Obama fanvid! spoiler alert: HE WON http://tr.im/zsse [37] Sep 22nd [38] [Say Hey (I Love You) by sdwolfpup]




• to make it an even 20 #vvc #rec let me add Star Trek by Llamas (animated) http://tr.im/zyUy [39] + Metaphor by ces + flummery http://tr.im/zyTS [40] Sep 23rd [41] [Star Trek In 60 Seconds (Re-enacted by Llamas) by halcyon_shift] & [Metaphor by cesperanza + flummery]