wheelswithinreels

[wheelswithinreels]

so I guess in this universe:

• Harry finally got contacts • phones are a thing now • Hogwarts is a short drive from San Francisco • Hermione took up kayaking

yeah, yeah. bite me. x

[wheelswithinreels]

’Potter Heresy!’ List of References:

The Abridged Guide to Intelligent Characters: Thoughtful Responses and Intelligent Mistakes – Eliezer Yudkowsky, 2014

J. K. Rowling: A Year in the Life – James Runcie, 2007

Dr. Oz and Nutritional Supplements: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – HBO, 2014

Creating the Show Open: Game of Thrones: Season One – HBO, 2011

The Imp of the Perverse – Benjamin Cook, 2015

6 Ways the Harry Potter Movies Are Different From the Books – Dorkly, 2016

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – George Lucas, 2005

Ron and Hermione’s Kiss – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

Maximum Movie Mode: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – Warner Home Video, 2011

A Conversation with J. K. Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

Emma Watson Interviewed for NOAH, Berlin – Parviz Khosrawi, 2014

Emma Watson interviews J. K. Rowling – Wonderland, 2014

Looney Tunes – Warner Bros, 1930-1969

Rupert Grint, Harry Potter cast discuss character’s dark future… and if they’d join Star Wars – Aaron Sagers for Huffington Post, 2016

Harry Potter cast and producers remember their favourite lines – Digital Spy, 2011

A Challenge for the Actor – Uta Hagen, 1991

Are the young stars of Harry Potter anything like their characters? BBC Newsround, 2000

B-Roll Selects – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – Warner Bros, 2011

Emma Watson talks about kissing Rupert Grint – Paul Byrne for Movies Ireland, 2009

Daniel Radcliffe on Kissing Emma Watson: “I Quite Liked It” – Gina DeNunno for TV Guide, 2010,

Behind the Magic: Half-Blood Prince – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

Behind the Magic: Deathly Hallows, Part 1 – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

Behind the Magic: Deathly Hallows, Part 2 – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

Preparing for the Yule Ball: Goblet of Fire – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

Creating the World of Harry Potter – Part 5: Evolution – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

Impressive music collection – photo by Tracy Thomas on Unsplash, 2016

Various designs inspired by the choice points in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, 2018

Thor: Ragnarok – Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, Christopher L. Yost & Taika Waititi, 2017

Taika Waititi Speaks On Thor: Ragnarok – BUILD Series, 2017

Funny Behind The Scenes Moments with Taika Waititi – Marvel Entertainment, 2017

Creating the World of Harry Potter – Part 7: Story – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

Thor: Official Trailer – Marvel Entertainment, 2010

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: Official Comic-Con Trailer – Warner Bros. Pictures, 2018

David Brent: Life on the Road: Official Trailer – Entertainment One UK, 2016

Iron Man – Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway & Jon Favreau, 2008

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio & Gore Verbinski, 2003

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio & Gore Verbinski, 2007

‘Just friends?’, ‘per k bis’ and ‘Attesa’ – pencil drawings by Stefania on Flickr

Nicomachean Ethics – Aristotle, translated by W.D. Ross, 1925

Deleted Scenes from Goblet of Fire – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Rian Johnson, 2017

Loki as Captain America: Deleted Scene from Thor: The Dark World – Marvel Entertainment, 2014

Various works in the Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy sub-category on the Archive of Our Own, 2018

Twilight: Official Trailer – Summit Entertainment, 2008

Draco in Leather Pants – TV Tropes

The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview J. K. Rowling: Part Three – Melissa Anelli and Emerson Spartz, 2005

Girl, Interrupted – James Mangold, Lisa Loomer, Anna Hamilton Phelan & James Mangold

Twilight – Melissa Rosenberg & Catherine Hardwicke, 2008

Arizona Bay – Bill Hicks, 1997

FRIENDS: Season 2 Intro “B” – NBC, 1995

Harry Potter | Opening Credits (F.R.I.E.N.D.S Style) – SunnyVids, 2018

Alfred Hitchcock On Mastering Cinematic Tension – American Film Institute, 2008

11 Dimensions – Mandelbrot Fractal Zoom – Maths Town, 2017

Into the Woods – John Yorke, 2014

The 50 Greatest Harry Potter Moments (Definitive Version) – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

Deleted Scenes from Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

The Twilight Saga: New Moon – Melissa Rosenberg & Chris Weitz, 2009

Deleted Scenes from Half-Blood Prince – Harry Potter: Wizards’ Collection, Bonus Features, 2012

A Very Potter Musical – Team StarKid, 2009

A Very Potter Sequel – Team StarKid, 2010

Harry: A History – Melissa Anelli, 2008

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J. K. Rowling, 2000

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J. K. Rowling, 2005

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J. K. Rowling, 2007

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (audiobook) – J.K. Rowling, read by Stephen Fry, 2000

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (audiobook) – J.K. Rowling, read by Stephen Fry, 2007

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – Steve Kloves & Chris Columbus, 2001

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Steve Kloves & Chris Columbus, 2002

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Steve Kloves & Alfonso Cuarón, 2004

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Steve Kloves & Mike Newell, 2005

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Michael Goldenberg & David Yates, 2007

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Steve Kloves & David Yates, 2009

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – Steve Kloves & David Yates, 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – Steve Kloves & David Yates, 2011

bilousby – VJ loop by beeple (Mike Winkelmann), 2013

Various graphic designs inspired by the work of MinaLima on the Harry Potter film series, 2001-2011

MUSIC:

12 – The 1975, The 1975, 2013

Bluebird of Happiness – Mojave 3, Spoon and Rafter, 2003

Cho and Harry – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Video Game, 2007

Dark Wandering – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Video Game, 2007

Day – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Endings – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Exploration to Combat: Transition One – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: The Video Game, 2010

Fred and George: Alternate – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Friendship Theme – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Get to Potions, Alternate – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Get to Quidditch – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Good Girls Go To Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere) – Pandora’s Box, Original Sin, 1989

HNSCC – The 1975, Music for Cars, 2013

Hogwarts by Night – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

I’ll Be There For You – The Rembrandts, LP, 1995

Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin III, 1970

Immigrant Song – Manny Charlton (Nazareth), Guitar Heroes – Led Zeppelin, Instrumental Renditions, 2008

Immigrant Song (Instrumental) – The Professionals, Rock Backing Tracks for Professionals, 2017

John Yorke: “Into The Woods” – Talks at Google, 2014

Loss at Hogwarts – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Neville’s Waltz – Patrick Doyle, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2005

O Children – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus, 2004

Orange Sky – Alexi Murdoch, 2011

Quidditch Tryouts – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Race Ginny – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Return to Hogwarts – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Sadness at Hogwarts – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

The Boathouse at Night – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

The Room of Requirement – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Video Game, 2007

To Catch an Owl – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Video Game, 2007

Wandering – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Wandering, Part 4: Serenity – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: The Video Game, 2011

Wandering: Day 4 – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

Wandering: Day 5 – James Hannigan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Video Game, 2009

*

All works used remain the property of their respective owners; their use in a video essay of this kind constitutes a transformative remix of copyrighted material for the purposes of criticism and review, as described in section 30(1) of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. In addition, the transformative use of these works in a work of criticism and commentary constitutes fair use of copyrighted material, as described in section 17 U.S.C. § 107 of US copyright law.

[wheelswithinreels]

‘Underneath these stairs, I hear the sneers and feel the glares of my cousin, my uncle and my aunt…’

How Team StarKid changed the magical-parody-internet-musical-genre forever... a video essay. Part one of six!

*

...This one's got a special place in my heart - it's the first, proper, decent-length video essay I ever actually finished!

Which doesn't sound like that big a deal, but it's easy to have the idea, scribble it down in Notepad and then leave it to languish sadly in a long-forgotten folder, collecting digital dust. I wasn't sure I'd follow it all the way through until the video was sitting on YouTube, staring happily back at me.

I love writing these; the freedom to make a video that's as awesome as I want to be, about anything I want it to be, is just... magical. Major props to Everything's a Remix/Will Schoder/the usual suspects for inspiring me to do this. You all know who they are. ;)

*

Anyway, I instantly fell in love with Team StarKid when the first musical came out; yep, I'm that old, I remember 2009. (Just.) Actually, I remember sitting through the whole three-hour extravaganza, smile spreading slowly as it got better and better and kept on being excellent - and then I ran downstairs to get my sister, and watched it all over again. Now that's the sign of a great show.

In a lot of ways, I think A Very Potter Musical was a perfect storm - the right combination of writers, actors and audience, at exactly the right time on exactly the right platform. More than almost any other viral sensation, it epitomises how the internet changed fucking everything - there is no way a show like this could have been a success on any other platform at any other time in history. (Copyright law, among other things, would have seen to that.) Maybe that's why we took it so fiercely to our hearts - this show is ours, and no one else's. AVPM spread via sheer delighted word-of-mouth alone. Cream, apparently, still rises.

Once I got going on the script for this essay, there was just so much to say. (This is a familiar problem now, but one I'm happy to have.) AVPM might be a tongue-in-cheek parody college musical, but there's a hell of a lot of depth under the surface. Again, this is a massive reason why it hit so fast and so big - unlike Potter Puppet Pals, say, this isn't just a parody. It's also a damned good story, a character piece, a clever literary criticism, a love letter to the source material, and so much more.

I still dearly wish Warner Bros. would pick this up for Broadway - going by the viewing figures (and the success of stuff like Mormon), they'd have an instant smash-hit on their hands. And I think Ms. Rowling would definitely see the funny side. (You have to wonder if Darren Criss showed AVPM to Daniel Radcliffe, when he took over for him in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Oh, Lordy, I hope so.)

But for now... sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. We're going back to Hogwarts!

x

[wheelswithinreels]

‘The uncanny valley, at the end of the day, is the gap between seeing and believing.’ Bruce Carter, at the Animal Logic animation studio in Sydney.

We all hate politicians. But why? Isn't that weird? Throughout history, we haven't always hated our leaders. So why do our politicians, these days, seem so alien, so strange, so... uncanny?

...Maybe an obscure Japanese roboticist's theory holds the answer. A video essay. Part one of two!

*

Ah, politics. (Cue ~80% of my readers switching off in disgust.) Actually, since right now I don't have any readers, that's fine, you can't divide by zero. Unless you're Ted Chiang, in which case they'll probably seize your book with glee, hose you with money and make a movie about it.

...Anyway. Politics.

This one I wrestled with for a bit; not least because I'm not all that comfortable with writing a piece of genuinely venomous criticism. You'll notice as we go that I tend to review things I love, and that when I do criticise, it's with the intention of making something awesome even better. I just enjoy what I'm doing more that way.

And it's not just because I'm a spineless jellyfish (although I am, wibble) - it's because on the whole, there ain't no accounting for taste and one man's trash is another man's treasure, etcetera. (Incidentally, that last one - awful way to tell your kid he's adopted.) But, yes, to each his own, say I, and all the more for me - if I don't like something and you do, that's totally cool, you do your thing and I'll do mine. It's all just opinions in the end.

And to be honest, I reckon there's very little to be gained by hurling bags of shit at things/people/art you don't like, on the whole; yes, it might be funny, yes, it might feel cathartic, but if the target of your shit volley ever actually reads it, it's more likely to upset them quite badly than anything else. Which, well, probably outbalances those flickers of amusement and the momentary release you get from ripping seven shades of shit out of them.

I dunno. I don't mean to get on my high horse, and I look rubbish up there anyway, but... I'm with Michael Keaton in Birdman, on the whole, when he rails against hatchet jobs. 'You write a couple of paragraphs and you know what? None of this cost you fuckin' anything!' Art's hard. Compassion's easy. (Most of the time.) As someone's old Welsh grandmother is no doubt still muttering, 'if you can't say anything nice, SHUT THE FUCK UP, ARSEHOLE.'

...You'll see this come up a couple of times in upcoming videos, I reckon. Hey, it's an interesting subject. And I certainly haven't always practiced what I preach... I probably laughed harder and longer at das-sporking's savage Twilight recap than anything else in 2009. Still. (The infamous Charlie Brooker wrote an excellent and thought-provoking piece about exactly this in 2010, if you're interested...)

*

So, why break my own rule? Well, it comes down to this, I reckon.

Bad art doesn't hurt anybody. (Define 'bad', anyway.) From a formal literary perspective, my 13-year-old fanfiction might well have been an enormous steaming heap - but at the time, it helped me hone my craft immeasurably, put me in touch with a small but close-knit group of sweet, supportive readers who reviewed each other and built up each other's confidence, and helped me grow up.

Put it this way: if you'd left me a bad review at age 13, I can guarantee I wasn't mature enough to handle it. (Hey, people saying my shit stinks still hurts.) All you'd have accomplished would be to upset a kid, and probably drive them off the internet for a few months. It's hard to see how that's a net positive.

But while bad art, generally speaking, doesn't hurt anyone, bad politics does. More specifically, bad politicians do. In all sorts of ways - from dementia taxes, to food banks, to the more insidious problem of receding trust in our democracy - from Nick Clegg's continued insistence that he shouldn't have to apologise for betraying every student who voted for him (ahem), to Theresa May's cowardice concerning debates, to her apparent inability to answer any question, at all, like a human being.

And when we see shit like this going down, we should start getting annoyed. We should stand at the back and heckle. We should make our arguments heard. Otherwise more bad things will happen to more good people.

So the reason I've made an exception for Theresa May - and every other politician who's traded in their authenticity for a slicked-back PR guru - is that, well, she's a politician. More than that - she is, for now at least, the leader of my country. And yet she pulls stunts like these, in broad daylight...

Plymouth is feeling the effects of military cuts. Will she guarantee to protect the city from further pain? "I'm very clear that Plymouth has a proud record of connection with the armed forces."

How will your Brexit plan make Plymouth better off? "I think there is a better future ahead for Plymouth and for the whole of the UK."

Will you promise to sort out our transport links? "I'm very clear that connectivity is hugely important for Plymouth and the South West generally."

- Sam Blackledge, The Plymouth Herald

I go on about this kind of shit at quite some length in the video, so I won't repeat myself too much, but... seriously? Is this how stupid you think we are? Whichever parasitical sycophant convinced Theresa May that the electorate will swallow this kind of gubbins needs Domestos-ing, stat. The Great British public rather dislike being patronised. As they recently proved.

...So, even though I felt uncomfortable titling the video 'Why You Hate Theresa May,' and I still feel uncomfortable having a video on my channel with a title like that, I think it's justified. Hey, put it this way: if I was a politician who was honestly trying to do some good for my country, and a video popped up titled 'Why People Fucking Hate You', I'd be upset, sure - but I'd want to watch it. Just to see whether they actually had a point. Just in case I'd fucked something up badly. I'd want to see.

The video isn't really about hate. I don't want people to hate their prime minister, and if she ever changes, you bet I'll make a video expressing my delight and appreciation. I just wish she'd understand why, right now, they're justified in doing so.

*

Anyway, this video was 90% finished a month or so ago, in fact; then I sort of moved countries, and forgot about it, until the UK election campaign brought it squarely back into focus. (That's why poor old Ed Miliband comes in for the brunt of the bollocking in this first part; Theresa May hadn't really got going with 'strong-and-stable' yet.) But I was seized with a sudden urge to dig it out and finish it because, well, it seemed so relevant to why she'd lost.

...Also, I'm still a baby channel and, well, I'm as keen to capitalise on current events as the next guy. So, sheer good luck and timing that I had a video almost done.

*

And now for something completely different: I just wanted to address the fact that most/all of you probably saw this video pop up first as an ad. Yep, a paid one. Via Google AdWords. I'm officially a heartless, soulless business.

Or not, since I'm also broke as shit, and my AdWords campaign is presently set to run for TWO WHOLE DAYS at a cost of roundabout £15. Yeah. I do slightly sadden myself sometimes.

I did have some severe doubts about advertising on YouTube... for one thing, everyone hates adverts. How dare I waste people's time? Well, here's how I justified it to myself:

Like I said, baby channel. Tiny. Insignificant. When 300 hours are uploaded to YouTube every minute, frankly, I'm screwed if I can't get the word out somehow. At least at the start.

You can skip my ads, 'cos I'm way too poor for the mandatory 30-second ones, har har. (Also, I'd never make an ad unskippable. Fuck that shit.)

I can count the number of ads I've actually enjoyed and/or watched to the end on one hand, but... there have been a few of them. Some showing me videos I might never otherwise have seen. If my crappy little ad campaign nets me one person who genuinely enjoys my stuff, and watches it, and thinks it improved their day, well... it'll be money well spent.

<sanctimonious-soapboxery>When you think about it, it's actually my money that's helping out those poor creators who do rely on monetisation, so good for them, I say. Poor sods.</sanctimonious-soapboxery>

Having said all that... I'd rather you watched the AVPM video, frankly. It's way more representative of what this channel's going to be about. But hey, this is something I felt strongly enough about to pour hours of research (read: watching politicians lie on YouTube) into. If that's not enough to make you pity me, well... may God have mercy on your twisted little walnut of a soul.

And on that note...

x

[wheelswithinreels]

‘…weekly blasts of movies, animation, philosophy, politics and snerk.’

Okay, seriously? Wheels within Reels is a mad, gleeful experiment, an impudent upstart rookie channel dedicated to short, weekly video essays on whatever the hell I feel like, in the grand tradition of the Nerdwriter, Every Frame a Painting, kaptainkristian etc. Essentially, I saw what those guys were doing and went, ‘gosh DANG it that looks like fun, holy shit I bet I could do that,’ to which my frontal lobe replied, rather snippily, ‘go on, then.’ So I did. If you’re reading these words, YAY. That means you’ve experienced something I’ve created, which is weirdly exciting for me. And if you stick around, who knows, one day you might even be interested in flicking some coins at me to see more of it. ...Which makes me your slot machine or your extremely budget hooker, metaphorically speaking. Either’s fine.