creativeclutter | Vid: Shake It Out

Shake it Out by

mresundance
Song and Artist: "Shake it Out" by The Manchester Orchestra
Primary Source: The New World
Length: 04:42
Summary: "I felt the Lord begin / to peel off all my skin." An allegory.
Contains/Warnings: Vidder chooses not to disclose.
Crossposts: Tumblr
Betas:

ladymajavader,

echan, and

lola who all helped shape and strengthen this vid tremendously. Thank you!

For the 2012 Vividcon Challenge Theme, "Transformation".

Anonymous comments are enabled! I encourage people to comment honestly. I would love to discuss this vid.

Please use the mediafire links before the permanent link.

Permanent link (right-click save): 103 MB wmv

103 MB wmv @ mediafire
48 MB wmv @ mediafire

https://vimeo.com/44082326

Password: pocahontas

Also on Youtube: http://youtu.be/T5wvRupIorU

Lyrics

Shake it out, shake it out
God,
I need another, and another, and another, and another --
I can feel it now
I felt the Lord in my father's house.

And I could see, I could see
Standing we were seventeen -- make it clean --
I am the living ghost of what you need
I am everything eternally

God, just speak.

'Cuz I'm done being done with the funeral,
At least for now.
Are you tired of being alone, are you tired of being alone?

Shake it out, shake it out
God, I need another and another for the other wasn't wanted
And I heard it out
I felt the Lord in my father's house.

And I can see, I can see
Standing you were seventeen, make it clean
I am the living ghost of what you need
I am everything hypocrisy
Can't you see?

'Cuz I'm done being done with the funeral,
At least for now.
Are you tired of being alone, are you tired of being alone?

I felt the Lord begin
(I swear, I'll never go)
To peel off all my skin
(Don't stop, don't nothing, don't ever, no)
I felt the weight within
(I swore, I swore you'd go)
Reveal the bigger mess
(That you don't know)
That you'll never fix.

Notes

Quick nod to

obsessive24, who gave me her blessing to use a song she had already used, basically. Oh I know, songs are free game anymore, but I always like to be polite.

Also a further nod to

lolachrome, who has gone above and beyond the normal call of duty, first in her excellent beta advice, second, in reading over my notes and providing input and advice there as well. She rocks.

I have enclosed the notes in a PDF document file. It's rather long (~2,300 words), but it explains some of the ideas that went into this vid. It also explores some of the process of making the vid.

ETA. Removed the link to the PDF. If you are dying to read it for some reason, message me or comment here with a way I can contact you and I'll send you the link.

The shortparts version of the notes:

1. This is an allegory. It might work better if you think John Smith = Europeans, Matoaka (Pocahontas) = Native Americans.

2. Like an allegory, this narrative greatly simplifies very complex ideas. It is one of the unfortunate limits of both the choice to use allegory, and the structure of a vid itself. I have only five minutes to make a coherent point of some kind.

3. The target audience for this vid is white European Americans. Mainly because, I don't necessarily think Native Americans are the people who need to "hear" this message. They heard it, unfortunately, loud and clear, ages ago.

4. I am a white dude and this vid, despite my best efforts, remains a European perspective on colonization in the Americas.

5. Because the vid is a European perspective on colonization, and is targeted at European Americans, the primary goal is simply to provoke. I wanted the vid to provoke a reaction, and to provoke discussion about a topic which is too often glossed over, or actively ignored, in American culture.

So that's it. Comments and critiques of any kind are lovely.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So, I have recently done a Terrence Malick-athon and finally saw The New World which I really liked. I am also not the right person to really delve into the topic with, I'm sure you'll get some good and meaty responses to it here. I just wanted to say that as I saw this in the Challenge vidshow I guessed that it was yours based on the look of it which means you've developed a unique style and that is awesome! :)

Ok before I run away there is one thing I do want to add. The line you chose as your summery was the best moment in the vid. It was beautiful and harrowing (as was that part of the film) and for me personally it was actually more powerful than the external source. (I really loved Jewel's cousin, ok!)

I love love love this movie to pieces. I love the visual style and I love the structure and the use of voice-overs and how it works like an extended visual poem and not like a regular film. And Colin Farrell's hair. *ugh* :P

I think a lot of people guessed it was mine. I got some Tweets which were like I WONDER WHO MADE THIS VID and I was "LOL". But thank you! :D You should know that you really did help me a lot with developing parts of that style when you beta'ed for me a few years ago.

It sounds wrong to say I enjoyed that moment ("peel off all my skin") but it was one which screamed to get out and coherently into the timeline.

And everybody really loves Jewel's cousin, okay? She's adorbs and great in the film.

Oh man, I did used to beta for you! Ha! ~memories Well then I'm proud that you've grown into an awesome Jedi.

Gonna geek out about Jewel's cousin for a sec. That part when they tell her John Smith died and she had that INCREDIBLE reaction! Like that was so raw and legit awesome acting!

Oh yeah. Her face. HER FAAACE. WHAT WAS IT DOING AND HOW WAS IT MAKING ME FEEL ALL THE FEELS??? It was like she was torn between denial and disbelief and incredible pain that she couldn't even place. Her acting was exquisite in the film.

I am still baffled by Smith's whole reaction to her in the second half of the film though. Do you think he saw her "becoming European" and she lost her allure for him? Or was it a combination of that and the fact that the colony was clearly going to shit, and the New World was not the magical new place of fresh starts and sparkly unicorns he thought it was, so it was time to leave? Because leaving her was harsh, but then telling them to lie to her was like . . . why Smith? Why you asshole? He clearly cared about her.

:'((((((((((

Yeah, I think his reaction was actually an attempt to protect her? The colony was falling to shit and I don't think he ever wanted her to come back to Europe. Except that's what happened in the end anyway. He definitely loved her as the native woman and I feel like deep inside he wanted her to stay that way, or at least stay in the New World where she's from, even if she has to wear dresses. :/

Which is sort of treating her like a child (which she was), but she did make her own choices in the film.

Oh Smith you douchenozzle.

Lolol. Yeah he's a stupid stupido!

It's okay, she upgraded to Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Yes!!!

It just makes me think of this:

http://youtu.be/tfCB3eUpafY

Friggin' embed is not working.

Only the best HD Englishmen for Pocahontas, I guess.

Edited 2012-08-13 22:41 (UTC)

AHHHHH! LOLOLOLOL! K, so I guess I've had too much VVC on the brain because I was like OMG THIS NEEDS TO BE VIDDED TO! #doittt

Don't be an enabler hollywood.

Vid: Shake It Out

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