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Post by carriefan0209 on Aug 5, 2008 10:15:57 GMT -5
Wow- what a letdown ! >:( I've only seen the video once and already want to give me 2 cent$: 'Just a Dream' is the first single from 'Carnival Ride' that I absolutely LOVE (it is this record's 'Wasted' to me). Perhaps, the video's screenshots that we had the privelege of viewing several weeks back have created such a buildup that anything less than spectular would have been a letdown; however, I must say that I was rather optimistic that this video would deliver more of a uber-powerful mini-movie, akin to Greenday's 'Wake Me Up When September Comes'. I am bothered by the scene of happy/blushing-bride Carrie walking down the (outdoor) aisle during the first chorus, the lyrics of which are the first description of the loss of her solider/husband (even that was most likely her dream I suppose). I absolutely agree with somebody that the scene where Carrie opens the letter to learn of her husband's death should have had more camera time as that very scene had such potential to be quite powerful. I hated how the melodically and vocally dramatic final several "Just a Dream" belts were interrupted by the short dialogue in the car and did not show more of Carrie's grief. In summary, this video failed to deliver the the visual or emotional message that this brillantly powerful song deserves. Again- well done to Carrie and not so well done to Mr. White, IMO..... P.S.: Some posters have asked some of us not to be so "nit-picky", but for this song, that is not possible from me because I find this song to be so powerful, that even to this day, the ending give me goosebumps. I completely agree. They really did not, at all, try to go for that big emotional "wow". Im really really really sick of Roman. Carrie was amazing...I hated how they showed the first verse though. As someone else said, I wanted to see the flowers fall from her hands. However...I really admire how Carrie walked down the aisle for her funeral. I konw it sounds stupid, but she REALLY lookd like she was heartbroken..her steps were unbalanced and off beat. Just...perfection there On an upbeat, side note: This video is REALLY good despite its flaws. Of course, all the people on this board were really really really excited about it beacuse we saw the screenshots and everything. And being the zealous, crazed fans we are, the actual video was in parts a letdown because it was different than how we imagined. HOWEVER to the average Joe who is just flipping through the channels or online and sees this video, Im SURE he will be very impressed by it. The song is incredibly moving, and parts of the video are superb. Thus I really think that to the people that dont really follow all the production and stuff of the video, they will really appreciate this. Its just...we are a bit spoiled and expected too much from the caps lol
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jptexas
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Post by jptexas on Aug 5, 2008 10:51:04 GMT -5
It's wierd how so many people have their own interpretation of the video. I love the way this video makes you think.
1.Is she just daydreaming in the car? 2.Is she actually in her husbands funeral but hoping it's just a dream? 3.Is the whole sequence just Carrie dreaming before her big day and having this nightmare? 4.Is it something else entirely?
I'm voting for number 3. That's why Roman filmed it like it's in slow motion. Even at the end sequence with her holding the flag, it's all just kind of surreal. The intensity of the video is directly proportional to the way you interpret it. jmo
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Post by carriefan0209 on Aug 5, 2008 10:52:41 GMT -5
JP you put out some really good thoughts!!! Alot of the first verse would then make sense if you thought about it as #3!
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carrieidol1
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Post by carrieidol1 on Aug 5, 2008 11:07:25 GMT -5
JP, I'm with number 2. To me it seems as if Carrie is in denial as she walks towards the casket, but as she closes in reality hits her, and she realizes its not a dream. I think the scenes in the car, and him leaving are flashbacks that she has while walking towards the casket; feeding to her denial because she still want a life together forever (like he promised.) She wants this all to just be a dream, but in reality he dies at war. I also think the wedding is a flashback as well, not a dream because she has a wedding ring on in one shot, and she recieves the folded flag and the letter which usually go to the wife and/or mother.
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Post by carriefan0209 on Aug 5, 2008 11:12:26 GMT -5
I think aside from her walking to the altar crying, my favorite part is her just standing still, holding the flag looking hopelessly lost, confused, and sad.
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jptexas
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Post by jptexas on Aug 5, 2008 11:21:02 GMT -5
JP, I'm with number 2. To me it seems as if Carrie is in denial as she walks towards the casket, but as she closes in reality hits her, and she realizes its not a dream. I think the scenes in the car, and him leaving are flashbacks that she has while walking towards the casket; feeding to her denial because she still want a life together forever (like he promised.) She wants this all to just be a dream, but in reality he dies at war. I also think the wedding is a flashback as well, not a dream because she has a wedding ring on in one shot, and she recieves the folded flag and the letter which usually go to the wife and/or mother. Yes, you and others have made that point, hence the directly proportional comment. I prefer to think of the whole experience to be Carrie just having a bad nightmare. You can have a about dream everything you expressed, ring, flag, etc. But, to each his own. Thanks. Just to add, Here are some comments so far: blog.cmt.com/2008-08-05/carrie-underwoods-powerful-just-a-dream/#comment-29342
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drock89
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Post by drock89 on Aug 5, 2008 11:29:08 GMT -5
I love the video, but don't like how the video presentation didn't match the timeline of the lyrics. I also think it could have been much more emotional... and I would caution against being to heavy in critism on Roman. I'm sure Carrie and her A&R team had a huge hand in the development of the video.
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Post by carriefan0209 on Aug 5, 2008 11:30:18 GMT -5
I love the video, but don't like how the video presentation didn't match the timeline of the lyrics. I also think it could have been much more emotional... and I would caution against being to heavy in critism on Roman. I'm sure Carrie and her A&R team had a huge hand in the development of the video. I had the same issue, but then I thought aobut what carriejordin1 said and that the first scene in the video is a flashback and it all made sense
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jeff
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Post by jeff on Aug 5, 2008 12:37:40 GMT -5
I love the video, but don't like how the video presentation didn't match the timeline of the lyrics. I also think it could have been much more emotional... and I would caution against being to heavy in critism on Roman. I'm sure Carrie and her A&R team had a huge hand in the development of the video. im actually glad it wasnt any more emotional...
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Post by somebody60 on Aug 5, 2008 12:41:18 GMT -5
Well, I'm going to discuss something other than the video and be very positive. I am ecstatic about the Elvis/Carrie Christmas duet! He is one of the most (if not the most) successful artists there have ever been. He's the "King"! I have noticed that a lot of Carrie's older fans seem to be huge Elvis fans as well, so I am very happy for them.
I never was a big fan of Elvis, but I appreciate his talent and realize how big he is (and his songs will probably forever be classics). As others have said, it is incredible that Carrie has such a classic song as "I'll Be Home For Christmas."
I can't wait to hear it!!
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Post by carriefan0209 on Aug 5, 2008 12:57:08 GMT -5
When does the album go on sale? Hopefully it will be on Itunes...
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realityBITES
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Post by realityBITES on Aug 5, 2008 13:24:01 GMT -5
I may have missed this, but Kristy Lee Cook (from Idol) will have a song on her album co-written by Carrie. It's called "Not Tonight".
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lyrichord
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Post by lyrichord on Aug 5, 2008 14:21:21 GMT -5
Dudley, what's your opinion of the video?
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drock89
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Post by drock89 on Aug 5, 2008 14:31:20 GMT -5
I love the video, but don't like how the video presentation didn't match the timeline of the lyrics. I also think it could have been much more emotional... and I would caution against being to heavy in critism on Roman. I'm sure Carrie and her A&R team had a huge hand in the development of the video. im actually glad it wasnt any more emotional... Emotional doesn't have to mean crying. Carrie does a great job at displaying that emotion. But I think the themes in the song -- for instance, I would have put a great emphasis on making the American flag stand out against the pale colors of that scene. That would draw a non-crying emotion -- just stuff like that..
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Post by 43dudleyvillas on Aug 5, 2008 15:07:17 GMT -5
what's your opinion of the video? I've got mixed feelings about the video, though they've gotten more positive over multiple viewings. I think Carrie does a great job, but the video doesn't flow as well as I would have liked (and this is a problem I've had with all of Roman White's videos but one - DFtRM. Reconsidering, I should probably add BHC as a video that flowed pretty well). The dialogue scenes in the video are fine but I don't feel like the transitions into them are that smooth -- the song volume collapses too suddenly (the transitions out of them are fine). And maybe a bit more dialogue to flesh the relationship out a bit more would've been nice. I can think of a few places where I wish Roman White hadn't cut (like the one when Carrie was about to kiss her husband goodbye but Roman cut to him driving away). Little details like the seeming absence of a priest at the wedding (is there some explanation for this that I'm missing?) and the fact that Carrie already has her veil up as she is walking up the aisle also bug me. And Roman White has these signature color palettes/lighting schemes that, frankly, bore me. In this case, the video looks a bit too stylized for my taste. I guess that fits with the 60s-era presentation (actually, looks a bit more 50s to me, but the Eddy Arnold song is from the mid-60s). But I think a more naturalistic presentation would have made the video more impactful. That said, there are some great touches in there -- starting the video off with Eddy Arnold's "Make the World Go Away" is perfect in several ways. I love the intimacy of the shots of Carrie as a bride in the room, before she walks down the aisle. The concept of juxtaposing Carrie-as-bride with Carrie-as-grieving-widow is true to the song. Carrie does a good job not overselling the dialogue and her expressions and physical performance are spot-on (there are a couple of places where her footing is literally less sure, and it conveys her devastation really well). A lot of this video is reliant on her performance, and I'm impressed with how well Carrie did. I also really like the sudden cuts that show Carrie's husband striding forward during the "and the guns rang one last shot" lyric -- very effective, because he is so purposeful and strong in his stride, he really underscores the juxtaposition between how Carrie's character pictures him and the reality of his passing. My opinion of the video has definitely improved after several viewings (which I don't mean as a parable -- I'm -definitely- not saying it will grow on everyone). It's interesting that Carrie happily mouths the lyrics to the front part of the first verse, when it isn't clear that the song is going to take a tragic turn...then, she stops singing and doesn't pick up the lyrics again until the last "this is just a dream" of the first chorus (which is when the realization of the tragedy begins to set in). That's kind of neat. It is a little awkward, though, seeing Carrie-as-bride mouthing the sad lyrics to the second verse. I get that her "dream" is beginning to break down (and her expression shows that), but I feel like the happy scene around her should have started to break down around her, too. I think that would have had more of an emotional impact. I don't think it's likely anytime soon, but I'm still of the mind that Carrie should try a different video director. There are several out there with a stronger catalog of videos, whose flow and visual imagination I prefer and who've shown more versatility than Roman White. Maybe Carrie likes Roman White because he makes her comfortable (I will at least give him credit for drawing that performance out of her) and because she has a lot of input into the video itself (I agree with ShaniaGotchaGood on that point). But I think Carrie has outgrown him and I'd like to see someone who will challenge her with something different. In other news...that's a nice surprise, hearing that one of Carrie's co-writes made Kristy Lee Cook's album. Will be interesting to hear the tune. That isn't one of the co-writes I had seen registered on any of the publishing databases. I'm looking forward to hearing Carrie sing "I'll Be Home for Christmas" 'with' Elvis Presley. It's a lovely song, and certainly, those are two lovely voices involved.
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jeff
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Post by jeff on Aug 5, 2008 15:29:51 GMT -5
im actually glad it wasnt any more emotional... Emotional doesn't have to mean crying. Carrie does a great job at displaying that emotion. But I think the themes in the song -- for instance, I would have put a great emphasis on making the American flag stand out against the pale colors of that scene. That would draw a non-crying emotion -- just stuff like that.. thats where we differ... i wouldnt have made the flag stand out any more than it did. i was in fact, 'worried' they would have placed too much emphasis on that, and this to me was enough. im probably in the minority here that im happy the video focuses on the wife's grief rather than her being a military wife... I don't think it's likely anytime soon, but I'm still of the mind that Carrie should try a different video director. There are several out there with a stronger catalog of videos, whose flow and visual imagination I prefer and who've shown more versatility than Roman White. Maybe Carrie likes Roman White because he makes her comfortable (I will at least give him credit for drawing that performance out of her) and because she has a lot of input into the video itself (I agree with ShaniaGotchaGood on that point). But I think Carrie has outgrown him and I'd like to see someone who will challenge her with something different. my take on the whole changing director issue. i dont think she should change just for the sake of changing. she should try to see what other directors could possibly come up with, whether roman does good videos or bad videos for her. just to see what kind of ideas others have, instead of just going straight to him all the time. of course i am assuming she does that. so from the viewpoint of just wanting the best videos, i think she should always explore other options, irregardless of whether roman is good or bad. as you said, someone else could push her to grow in other ways... and the same argument goes with her songs (who she looks for songs and production... etc) however, if she is happy working with him, and is happy with her 'babies', and if she doesnt want to change directors, so be it. in the end, its her career, not mine, and she can do whatever she likes. i think sometimes what we fans want for her is different from what she wants out of this
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jptexas
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Post by jptexas on Aug 5, 2008 16:08:35 GMT -5
Bingo, less flag, more emphasis on the greaving widow. The truth is, this video can be understood by anyone that's lost a loved one. To make it more "patriotic" would have made the video less about loss and focused it too much on the times we live in.
The more I view the video, the more I tend to like it's nuances. I'm liking what I see. The dress changing colors, the pedals flowing up, the anguish on Carrie's face, the slow motion effect of the filming, the final scene fading away, are all great. It must be very difficult to convey a story like this in the time allowed. Most movies take the first 30-45 minutes to get you invested in the characters so that the final scenes are more dramatic. Music videos will always struggle to convey their message with a limited timeframe. If you film them with a literal timeframe, you tend to make a commerical. If you don't, you get criticized for not following the script. It's like trying to make Titanic dramatic in half an hour. Everyone has their own opinions and it's all good.
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jatale
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Post by jatale on Aug 5, 2008 16:11:37 GMT -5
I think everybody is completely over analyzing the video. To me it is very simple and effective, it goes like this:
Carrie's character is walking toward her husband's coffin at the funeral. She is remembering her courtship, her marriage, her love for him, his leaving her to go off to war, the news of his death, all these memories are in flashback. Then they fade and are replaced by the reality of the funeral - her dress goes from white to black and the final part of the video is firmly planted in the present with her grieving over his coffin. Everything works in this video, the emotion is powerful, her acting is very good, and the video is well done in my opinion.
(Notes: her veil is up so that you can see her face. The use of the floating leaves is unnecessary, I'll give you that, but they do echo the happiness she feels when they are beautifully colored as on a fall day to the sadness she feels when they turn to black.)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2008 16:15:51 GMT -5
I hate the video. Carrie should take a few acting lessons, but I still love the song. Underwood FTW.
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jeff
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Post by jeff on Aug 5, 2008 16:36:05 GMT -5
Bingo, less flag, more emphasis on the greaving widow. The truth is, this video can be understood by anyone that's lost a loved one. To make it more "patriotic" would have made the video less about loss and focused it too much on the times we live in. The more I view the video, the more I tend to like it's nuances. I'm liking what I see. The dress changing colors, the pedals flowing up, the anguish on Carrie's face, the slow motion effect of the filming, the final scene fading away, are all great. It must be very difficult to convey a story like this in the time allowed. Most movies take the first 30-45 minutes to get you invested in the characters so that the final scenes are more dramatic. Music videos will always struggle to convey their message with a limited timeframe. If you film them with a literal timeframe, you tend to make a commerical. If you don't, you get criticized for not following the script. It's like trying to make Titanic dramatic in half an hour. Everyone has their own opinions and it's all good. lol. im thinking i hacked into your account and posted under your name. i totally agree with you. the more i watch the video, the more i love it. and im stunned by those who wanted a more literal video, one that follows the lyrics more closely, that makes a poor video imo. im now ready to say this is her best video to date.
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Post by nsfb17 on Aug 5, 2008 17:09:21 GMT -5
I just watched it again, and my opinion on Carrie's acting has changed. While I still think she did a good job, it certainly isn't the award-winning performance that some of you are making it out to be. Upon second viewing, the crying/emotional bits actually looked a tad forced and unrealistic to me. Also, she shouldn't run off to do movies just because she turned in a decent performance in a music video. They're two completely different things. There are many musicians who appear to be great actors based on their video work, yet when they go on to make a movie, they can barely act their way out of a paper bag.
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vinman
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Post by vinman on Aug 5, 2008 17:20:51 GMT -5
I think everyone here has a bit of "director" in themselves. The anticipation of the vid for the longest time gave everyone a chance to imagine what they would have wanted out of the vid.
Thus, it's gonna have pros and cons with everyone. I like the overall concept but like Dudley mentioned, I SO wish Carrie tried another director. I see other artist's vids and always wonder what if.........
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samvzla
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Post by samvzla on Aug 5, 2008 17:55:51 GMT -5
what's your opinion of the video? I've got mixed feelings about the video, though they've gotten more positive over multiple viewings. I think Carrie does a great job, but the video doesn't flow as well as I would have liked (and this is a problem I've had with all of Roman White's videos but one - DFtRM. Reconsidering, I should probably add BHC as a video that flowed pretty well). The dialogue scenes in the video are fine but I don't feel like the transitions into them are that smooth -- the song volume collapses too suddenly (the transitions out of them are fine). And maybe a bit more dialogue to flesh the relationship out a bit more would've been nice. I can think of a few places where I wish Roman White hadn't cut (like the one when Carrie was about to kiss her husband goodbye but Roman cut to him driving away). Little details like the seeming absence of a priest at the wedding (is there some explanation for this that I'm missing?) and the fact that Carrie already has her veil up as she is walking up the aisle also bug me. . I thought the same thing about the transition and the volume change, but then I put my computer volume a little bit higher (not too much in fact) and the transition doesnt seem that wrong and drastic. Try it and you will see.
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Post by cdlifer on Aug 5, 2008 18:01:29 GMT -5
I think everybody is completely over analyzing the video. To me it is very simple and effective, it goes like this: Carrie's character is walking toward her husband's coffin at the funeral. She is remembering her courtship, her marriage, her love for him, his leaving her to go off to war, the news of his death, all these memories are in flashback. Then they fade and are replaced by the reality of the funeral - her dress goes from white to black and the final part of the video is firmly planted in the present with her grieving over his coffin. Everything works in this video, the emotion is powerful, her acting is very good, and the video is well done in my opinion. I agree with this. ;) I just saw this video today and it was so sad, but good. JAD is one of my favorite songs from the album. :) :)
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vinman
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Post by vinman on Aug 5, 2008 19:24:14 GMT -5
I'm a day late but Carrie blogged yesterday and thanks the fans for the TC Red Carpet Fashion Icon award win. ETA: Sort of Carrie related, or impacted.
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Post by carriefan0209 on Aug 5, 2008 21:19:44 GMT -5
I think everybody is completely over analyzing the video. To me it is very simple and effective, it goes like this: Carrie's character is walking toward her husband's coffin at the funeral. She is remembering her courtship, her marriage, her love for him, his leaving her to go off to war, the news of his death, all these memories are in flashback. Then they fade and are replaced by the reality of the funeral - her dress goes from white to black and the final part of the video is firmly planted in the present with her grieving over his coffin. Everything works in this video, the emotion is powerful, her acting is very good, and the video is well done in my opinion. (Notes: her veil is up so that you can see her face. The use of the floating leaves is unnecessary, I'll give you that, but they do echo the happiness she feels when they are beautifully colored as on a fall day to the sadness she feels when they turn to black.) I 100% completely agree with you. Like...1000%. And Jeff too - this is now my favorite video to date of hers. Like Dudley, it initially wasnt but it grew on me soooo much.
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circadian
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Post by circadian on Aug 5, 2008 21:26:54 GMT -5
I think the video is a good one. Yeah, it's not the masterpiece it could have been with another director... - lets say Joseph Kahn - but it's a good one. It totally fits the song, carrie looks flawless, and the story really hits home. I think the transition of the dress looks a little bit cheap (specially when the video is morphing and the camera show carrie's face...) but the idea is good. I would have also liked more action during the first verse... instead of just Carrie looking happy and being still, probably she walking around her room getting ready for her big day... I like how the dialogues are spread through the video... so for me it's OK, but could have been better.
I agree with 'jatale' here... I think she is actually in her husband funeral, but she's in denial, remembering the amazing things she lived with him... then, she finally realizes that he's gone forever, and she finds herself in the funeral.
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Post by Love Plastic Love on Aug 5, 2008 21:48:32 GMT -5
I think the thing that makes me dislike this video is that it could have been so much better. Like, even if the graphics had been done better...
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_adriano.
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Post by _adriano. on Aug 5, 2008 22:30:29 GMT -5
my problem with it is that Roman always uses the same color/lighting schemes in his videos. it worked VERY well with AAG, but it wasn't appropriate to JAD, IMO. It made the video look less real, then it was supposed to be.
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carrieidol1
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Post by carrieidol1 on Aug 5, 2008 22:35:46 GMT -5
I hate the video. Carrie should take a few acting lessons, but I still love the song. Underwood FTW. To me, Carrie's acting is what saved the video. It seems that anyone who isn't really considered a "Carriefan" loves the video, but alot of Carriefans are going crazy nit-picking all the tiny flaws that arn't even obvious to the average joe-shmo...My point is, even though its a simple video (and could have been much more) people still love it because they didn't have anything already invisioned in their heads, because well....they weren't thinking of the video before hand. I'm not saying that there are not people out there that dis-like it or even hate it, I'm saying that to any average person this is a really good video, but to someone who was analyzing it before it even came out, its just short of what they were likely expecting. I think this is Carrie's best work, and I think although there are some tiny flaws, Roman did a really great job.
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