This is the very first video, of any kind, that I made. I have mixed feelings about it now, thinking of what I could have done to improve it... Nonetheless, it is on youtube... Hope you guys like it:
"The Greatest Thing"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNufNroXdfgThis was made a few years ago, when I had more of a clear idea what I was doing. This is a special tribute to the Tzarevich Aleksei Nicholaievich... I feel I should explain the video a bit though so as to avoid possible confusion, since it does have an odd concept.
The videos (there are three versions) feature figure skaters who have suffered serious adversity in their lives and most of them happen to be Russian (Johnny Weir is the lone exception). The skaters skate a sort of imaginary performance in prayer to the Royal Child-Martyr, to the song "Star of Bethlehem" from the film "Home Alone." It contains some very beautiful lyrics, fitting for the particular skaters as well as Aleksei. So I thought it was fitting to combine the two. I'll outline briefly the problems the various skaters have had to overcome:
As I've pointed out here, Evgeni Plushenko has endured great injuries and poverty, as he worked his way toward his dream of Olympic Gold, realized with a torn meniscus he had suffered for 3 years prior... I also felt his eyes resembled Romanov eyes, so that is why I feature him first...
Johnny Weir was, at the time, the true inspiration for making the video. Just prior to its creation, he suffered a devastating ankle injury just after beginning his performance at the 2005 Skate Canada competition. I discovered long after I made the video that he too is interested in the Romanovs. He later went on to win his third consecutive Natioal title.
Ilia Kulik suffered a lingering back injury that left many questioning if he would make it to the 1998 Olympics. He went on to earn the Gold Medal there, but promptly retired from eligible skating because of that injury, but has had amazing success as a professional.
The world knows the tragedy of Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov, so I won't go into that. But I will say that the first video I show of them is their final performance, 8 days before his death.
Alexei Urmanov was the defending Olympic Champion from 1994 when he suffered the gravest injury for a figure skater, a groin injury. He had to withdraw from the entire 1997-98 Olympic season, and many believed he would never skate again. He later went on to return to eligible skating for another year, earning solid placements. He later won the 1999 World Professional Championships.
Irina Slutskaya suffers from vasculitis (I believe she still does, I don't think that kind of thing goes away), an inflammation of the blood vessels. Like Urmanov, it was believed that she would never skate again. She went on to an undefeated season in 2004-2005, culminating in the crowning achievement of her second World Championship Gold, claimed in her hometown of Moscow. Her story was another inspiration for this video.
I think the only one that people would not know here is Alexander Abt. He suffered more injuries in my opinion than any of the others in his long years on the ice. When he was 19 years old, he skated at a show in Mexico, and fell on a jump. He crashed into the boards, breaking his leg. His left skate sliced through his right quadricep, all the way to the bone. Blood was all over the ice, and he spent 9 months in a Mexican hospital before spending another 3-6 months in a Russian hospital. Every doctor he saw told him that he would never walk again, let alone skate. The accident happened in 1996. The videos I feature are from the year 2002. He earned high placements, but rarely was higher than third. It also seemed that every time I saw him, which was often, he was either injured, or recovering from an injury. After a groin injury amidst the 2004 Nationals, which he entered as the defending champion, he withdrew after the short program, saying in a statement, "I just can't fight anymore." I think he reminds me most of Aleksei.
So that's why I feature those particular skaters. In the video, they all seem to be asking God, and Aleksei, to "guide" them through their struggles. I hope you all enjoy the various versions. I HOPE to make a fourth version, taking the constructive criticism from some fellow montage makers in mind.
Guiding Star: Version One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WFu634cUogVersion Two: This contains additional transitions and effects as well as a different version of the song with full adult choir and orchestra. I prefer this version of the song to the previous one. Notice the video itself is basically the same... I think it carries more of an emotional weight though thanks to the power of the version of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9atQb4p5FuII would link to three, but it actually doesn't differ too much except with the difference in speed in some videos, and I think in another photo of Aleksei. I thought I had added some other skaters in that version, but I added them in another version that I lost before I could put it on youtube. So I hope you guys enjoy and are able to understand the idea... Feel free to comment. Constructive criticism is appreciated, because I do hope to make a final version in honor of Aleksei's upcoming birthday.
Hope I didn't ramble too much but I felt the video needed some explanation... Anyway, enjoy!
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+++++++ May the Lord God, Jesus Christ, continue to grant eternal peace and may your spirit continue to inspire and comfort the living who constantly discover and rediscover your touching, tragic legacy.
