goodnight, sammy

(hi-res) (print)

fuck my life  | credit to annastayce

I think baby wins this round for the sexiest. Just look how gorgeous she looks!

I’ve been noticing something–almost subliminally for a while, but these clips just point it out. When the two of them move in the same direction, it’s like a dance, almost coordinated. Jensen moves first and Jared keys off him, such a small split-second later it almost looks instantaneous. Same foot, same angle of body, time of stride, same grasp on gun, arms up, check slide, focus forward. I’m sure it’s the product of hours and hours and hours of working together in front of the camera, ingrained to the point of instinct by now, but it’s still something lovely to see.

So I’ve been editing this stuff literally frame-by-frame for the last week or so and they’ve been amazingly in sync since season 1. They have to be doing it on purpose, because it’s *everything.* Jared will reach forward, Dean leans back. They open the car doors at the same time. They walk in sync. It’s absolutely coordinated and I think it’s a part of acting that everyone forgets about because we’re wrapped up in the emotions and the physical beauty.   

Scenes like this HAVE to be in sync, and I’ll tell you why. There’s a common photography term called the “rule of thirds” and you see it everywhere and it’s basically a rule for how to make any given shot as attractive as possible. 

Here’s the shot with the grid overlayed. 

Notice how baby’s hood lies almost directly on the lower 1/3 line and her roof is on the other one? And how Jared and Jensen have almost exactly 1/3 of the screen between them? This is not an accident. The crew spends hours doing the blocking and timing it takes to set up these shots. In this case, it’s not just a static image, the camera is panning left which means that Jared and Jensen HAVE to stay in sync or they’ll lose the composition of the shot. 

Subliminally, you just realize that everything looks nice. But when you’re explicitly looking for it you start to appreciate how talented these guys really are and how much work goes into getting a shot as simple as the two of them walking away from the car. 

Jared and Jensen |CW’s upfront after party ‘08

#See this?#See how he stands right in front of a bunch of terrified people#to protect them#and though he’s still so fucking YOUNG#he’s ready to give his life to protect those in his charge#The look on his face is so damn determined#he’s about to do the right think#he’s READY to give everything he has to give for a couple of complete strangers#just because his father and his beloved brother told him so#And now come to me and tell me about Sam being selfish again#COME AT ME AND TELL ME HE’S NOT AS PASSIONATE AS DEAN IS IN HUNTING AND SAVING LIFES#Come at me bro#I dare you I FUCKING DOUBLE DARE YOU! (x)

Summary: Assumptions and labels can be incredibly incorrect when you don’t truly know a person; that is a lesson a teacher learns when she crosses paths with Dean Winchester and his little brother Sammy.  One-shot. Weechesters/Teenchesters. Hurt/Asthmatic/Sam and Protective/Big Brother/Dean.

You know, Jared talks a lot about how he’s living proof that mental illness can strike anyone, even someone with a seemingly perfect life - and he’s not wrong, that’s an important message - but what I take from him is kind of the reverse.  

To me, Jared is living proof that mental illness does not take away your talent, or your goodness, or prevent you from being able to realize your dreams and have a wonderful life.  I wonder if he knows what an inspiration that is.

THIS

Another really important birthday today!

Oh yeah, luck. That has nothing to do with it. It’s about talent. Sheer unabashed talent. Later.

sam and maps for @victorhenriksen