purplefringe | Big Damn Heroes 101 (A Community Vid)

How Far We've Come
edited by

purplefringe
fandom: Community
characters: The Study Group
music: How Far We've Come by Matchbox 20
summary: Introduction to Thrilling Heroics.
content notes: Some rapid cuts at the beginning and the end.
notes:

One of the (many) things I love about Community is the way it plays with tropes in such a clever way - the show engages with common film and tv tropes in a way that is at once very serious, and very tongue in cheek. The characters get stuck right into these tropes, and play them out with Feeling, but also with the occasional metaphorical wink to the camera. Yet Community is not a mocking show. It's a show full of warmth and love. From bottle episodes to body switching, Community runs the full gamut of popular tropes, and has serious fun with each. Besides which, the show parodies other genres (horror, Western, sci-fi...), tv shows and films (Glee, Law & Order, Star Wars, The Hunger Games...), deals with fannish activities (cons, D&D, cosplay) and sometimes even breaks the 4th wall. Abed is of course the focal point for all this - but his genre-savvy nature and love for doing 'bits' has spread to the other members of the group, in a way that probably nobody could have predicted when the pilot first aired. Troy uses body-switching to work out his relationship issues, Jeff relies on a whole parallel universe of dopplegangers to come to terms with leaving Greendale, Annie becomes completely invested in her role as the Lone Hero in the second paintball war...I could go on.

Anyway, it occurred to me that someone should pay tribute to this aspect of the show, and make a vid in this vein. What's the equivalent of a 'trope', in vidding terms? Perhaps a song that is so obviously epic that it has been vidded to death in Every Fandom Ever. A song packed full of Drama and Emotion and did I mention Epicness, but a song generic enough to be made to fit almost any major fandom. Voila How Far We've Come.

So, this is a Very Serious Vid. It's a Very Serious Vid about a Ragtag Group of Misfits who come together to form a Team of Big Damn Heroes. This is their origin story.

Thanks to

such_heights, for telling me how to make this vid better, and, in fact, pushing me to make it in the first place….and thanks to all the lovely people who said nice things about it at Vidukon, where (a slightly rougher version of) this vid premiered this morning!

download: 56MB @ mediafire

password: schwarma

stream:

How Far We've Come from Phoebe on Vimeo.

Lyrics

(Hello, hello, hello)

I'm waking up at the start of the end of the world,
But its feeling just like every other morning before,
Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone,
The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour
And I started staring at the passengers who're waving goodbye
Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?

But I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well, I guess we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come

I think it turned ten o'clock but I don't really know
Then I can't remember caring for an hour or so
Started crying and I couldn't stop myself
I started running but there's no where to run to
I sat down on the street and took a look at myself
Said where you going man you know the world is headed for hell
Say your goodbyes if you've got someone you can say goodbye to

I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come

It's gone gone, baby its all gone
There is no one on the corner and there's no one at home
It was cool cool, it was just all cool
Now it's over for me, and it's over for you
Well its gone gone, baby its all gone
There is no one on the corner and there's no one at home
Well it was cool cool, it was just all cool
Now it's over for me, and it's over for you

I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come

Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come...