Festivids 2016 entry: "Level Up" (Spy)

[grammarwoman]

Title: Level Up
Source: Spy (2015)
Music: "Level Up", Sway ft. Kelsey
Vid Download Link: 65 MB at Sendspace

AO3 link.

Summary: Susan Cooper: Analyst. Secret agent. BADASS.

A Festivid for awkwardlyary

Notes: I was feeling cocky about how easy my assignment came together, and how much time I had left to make some treats. Then I saw several posts asking for pinch hits and thought it would be nice to help out. On awkwardlyary's list was "Spy", which I hadn't seen but had heard many enthusiastic reviews about, and given it was a lot of the same people involved as "Ghostbusters", I had to try it out.

I loved the movie, from the humor, to Cooper's evolution and build to total badass, to the fact that the star was a woman of size and yet there were no fat jokes. Such a basic thing, yet such a revelation to witness! I googled for songs about leveling up to see what felt right; the first hit wound up being the one I used.

I had fun pulling together the opening credits. I got to learn all sorts of new tricks, from tinting to splitting and freezing. I may yet graduate to using 5% of all the options available in Sony Vegas Pro. :) Everything came together pretty smoothly, aside from having to mess with the speed of several clips. Filmmakers just love their slo-mo moments of awesome, but they don't translate very well to fast-paced vids.

I'm pretty pleased with how it all turned out, considering it was basically a week from claiming the pinch hit to finishing up the vid.

Many thanks to the wonderful comments on the original Dreamwidth and LJ posts.



Password is levelup

Watch on Vimeo

Level Up (signed) from Grammar Woman on Vimeo.

Level Up Lyrics:
We level up
We level up
Smash
[Refrain]
Yeah we level up
I'm gonna climb up the levels, go harder
Lights flash every time we go fast
I'll never lose the game, I'm gonna last
So let's start
Yeah we level up

All over the radio and back up in the raves again
We got the crowd on a wave like it's a stadium
Call me the weatherman, it's about to be a great weekend
I'm on the cloud, let's make it rain again

Yeah, we level up

Nice but naughty, shirts and dresses looking saucy
Living in our minuses 'cause life begins at 40
Level up, call me Bond, James Bond
How I maintain? I tell them winner stays on

My brain racing like I'm trying to win the gold for Britain (yes! )
On a one track mind, let's go the distance
We're only stopping when we pose for pictures
And now we move so wavy, we get motion sickness

[Refrain]
Yeah, we level up
I'm gonna climb up the levels, go harder (here we go again)
Lights flash every time we go fast (here we go again)
I'll never lose the game, I'm gonna last
So let's start
Yeah we level up

Feeling like I just won the lotto
Pop a bottle and I make 'em say aahh like I'm your dentist
Keys to the suite, you can call me Alan Sugar
Yeah we're firing tonight, and I might need an apprentice

Reunion, old school and uni friends
It's your excuse to act like hooligans
Bend and break the rules again
Parties just getting started at 2 am
Waking up at noon next to « Who are you again? »

Looking in the mirror and I feel like I'm famous
I got that glimmer in my eye like I ain't afraid of dangers
Today could be the day that everything changes
I'm trying to move up to the hills where idols become neighbors
One moment, your whole world rearranges
You're feeling like you graduated Oxford or Cambridge
Forever roll the dice and have it looking like Vegas
You win some you lose some, but only winners take risks

I start getting calls, I've been waiting on for ages
Phone starts popping and I'm gossiping with strangers
I'm out getting wasted
All of these flashing lights popping up in places
Always forgetting names, especially with ladies
Uh huh, what's your name again?
My house, lights out
Wake up in the Tee saying « Touch me I'm famous »
(Yeah we level up)

Hey stranger, where you been?
Long time no see
(Time to level up)
I'm in the game, play to win
Another round on me

[Refrain]
Yeah we level up
I'm gonna climb up the levels, go harder
Lights flash every time we go fast
I'll never lose the game, I'm gonna last
So let's start
Yeah we level up

Comments

[runawaynun]

I love this vid! It's such a great look at Susan's journey through the movie and incorporates ALL THE WOMEN.

[grammarwoman]

Thank you! Showcasing awesome ladies is important to me, so I'm glad this worked for you.

"You win some you lose some, but only winners take risks"

[jb_slasher]

OH MY WORLD I am not even exaggerating when I say this is one of my favourite vids from this year's FV exchange. I loved the movie and this vid encapsulates the humour and action so well. As someone who has seen the movie I especially appreciate some of the in-jokes like knowing the pilot's name on "what's your name again?" AAAHH I especially loved the "let's make it rain again," "Level up, call me Bond, James Bond, How I maintain? I tell them winner stays on," "I'm gonna last" at 1:09-1:10, "I might need an apprentice," "Parties just getting started at 2 am, Waking up at noon next to «Who are you again?»" "I got that glimmer in my eye like I ain't afraid of dangers," "Oxford or Cambridge" (CAMBRIDGE ALL THE WAY BABY AHAHA), "I'm out getting wasted," "My house, lights out," "I'm in the game, play to win, another round on me" at 2:30-2:35, YEAH WE LEVEL UP.

On that note, Sendspace link is unavailable. Any chance of a re-upload?

THIS VID SO GOOD. <3<3<3<3<3 (appropriate icon is appropriate!)

Re: "You win some you lose some, but only winners take risks"

[grammarwoman]

I am blown away by your wonderful comment. :D :D :D

I amused myself with all the lyric matches, so I'm very happy to hear that you picked up my favorites. The "What's your name again?" was just too perfect; it was one of the things that sold me on the music. That, the James Bond, the Vegas...with those lyrics guiding me, the vid was really fun to assemble.

Thank you so much for this enthusiastic response! I've put a new link up at the top, so let me know if there's an issue with that.

Re: "You win some you lose some, but only winners take risks"

[jb_slasher]

The link works, thank you so much for replacing it! <3<3<3