Love letter to the wonderful Armitage screencappers of the world
Dear screencappers,
One of the things that’s been brought home to me in the last two months, as I’ve looked for material to illustrate the arguments I want to make on this blog, is how much work Mr. Armitage’s fans do to keep his performances visible. About a decade ago, I became preoccupied with a different actor, not someone with Armitage’s gifts, but even so, someone in a role with high international visibility (looking at wikipedia, that actor has roughly twice as many different language sites as Armitage does). There were several fan sites, but none of them showed near the energy, meticulousness, and reliability with which Armitage’s supporters have documented his career. They make it easy for new people to become fans.
Because of their work, I was able to get a quick impression of the development of his career and fill it in with more and more data as I had time. In this regard I have to mention Richard Armitage Online, which is as near to a comprehensive historical archive on Armitage as I’ve found. It’s organized and helpfully cross-indexed, one can find immediately the information one seeks, it offers the reader lots of value-added content from the author’s perspective, and it’s attractive and graceful to use. Moreover, it’s well maintained and always up-to-date. I consult a lot of different sites that are useful in various ways, and so this comment is not intended as a criticism of anyone else’s efforts, but I just love this site. What the internet in general reveals is that there is room for all kinds of cultivation of Armitage’s career with different emphases and interests. It’s just a matter of finding one’s niche. The vast array of information assembled by fans makes this a lot easier than it might otherwise be.
These comments apply in particular to the people who document the visual aspects of Armitage’s career. I know that no activity is wholly altruistic, and that the people who post clips and upload videos and make painstaking, almost frame by frame screencaps, are also doing it for their own pleasure. But I have thought again and again as I’ve been writing how pointless this blog would be if I couldn’t demonstrate the points I see played out on screen. Right now I don’t have the time or patience to learn the necessary technical skills. Maybe that will happen some day. But until then, those patient people with their fingers on the screen, looking for that perfect moment to capture Mr. Armitage’s expression, have done me an immeasurable service, whether they allow me to support my points, or just give me a bevy of photos I can flip to on a particular odious day. You people are wonderful.
Yours with deep gratitude,
The “me + richard armitage” blogger
Me + Richard Armitage 
Well put! I’m also thankful as a fan and now as a blogger!
The meticulousness has struck me from the beginning of my entrance into the fandom, and I wonder if other groups have this high standard.
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I second that. As a newbie, I have been struck by how particularly talented Richard’s admirers are. It’s not all about how “hot” he is, although that is of course duly paid homage to in an appropriate manner.
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What I have throughly enjoyed is the balance between the silly & fun stuff and then the sincere & thoughtful comments & blogs about Richard Armitage & other subjects.
I have discovered new books & movies & tv & artists that I don’t think I would have discovered if it was just about RA’s looks.
I don’t make videos or graphics and I am not a fanfiction writer but I so enjoy all the work they do. And who knows, I may just try this blog thing myself….
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I really appreciate the screencaps available at Richard Armitage Online and Richard Armitage Central Gallery. The webmistresses of these sites particularly have gone to an awful lot of work to share pictures of our mutual obsession. When I first started on my mission to acquire pictures of my crush, I’ll admit I didn’t really notice where they were from, but now I try and give each picture a name that will remind me where I got it.
I’ve mada a few screencaps myself but it is certainly easier to go to one of those sites and voila! Immediate gratification!
Bless those screencappers!
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Well, what can I add? My many grateful thanks to all those ladies and to the man himself from me too. Starting following his career I really had to enlarge my horizons and … many new things in my life, like regular blogging, came out from the same source. And I’ve read, and listened to and watched a great amount of wonderful works I’d never imagined I would. Again, interesting thread, congrats.
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[…] So what I write in this section assumes that Mr. Armitage is renting his black tie ensembles. RAFrenzy very kindly traces the narrative of Armitage’s BAFTA appearances here, including many visual examples, and in reflecting on his development, she makes an argument for the attractiveness of the ill-fitting suit as, at least initially, an index of the absence of glibness in his performance of self. I quote her: “Truth be told I miss the guy with the ill-fitting suit, long hair and shy grin, but he seems to still be there. I hope RA’s never so slicked up that guy is eclipsed, and I definitely hope he never becomes glib. My gut tells me that won’t happen, and I always go with my gut.” I am not only inclined to share her charity, I also swoon when I see him in black, but the nitpicker in me feels compelled to point out the real problems in these outfits. Most of these pictures were taken by fans who knocked themselves out to get them and have posted them on condition that they not be disseminated without permission, so I am linking to them here rather than reposting. I’m eternally grateful to the people who take all of these pictures, without which I’d n…. […]
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On the abandonment of ill-fitting suits: Or, Armitage resartus, part 3 « Me + Richard Armitage said this on June 13, 2010 at 5:38 am |
[…] of people who do good things to make the world a better place, it’s time for another thank-you and shout out to the people who aggregate the Richard Armitage news for us, especially Richard […]
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Random: Weekend before U.S. Thanksgiving edition (and obsession update, kind of) « Me + Richard Armitage said this on November 20, 2010 at 11:23 pm |
[…] — because I only ever see him through digital files of some kind. Less than two months in, I acknowledged my huge debt to screencappers, and when I started capping things I wanted to illustrate — an early commentator told me how, […]
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Premieres, schremieres — where’s my 48 fps Armitage? « Me + Richard Armitage said this on September 30, 2012 at 4:21 am |