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.

Vid: Shake It Out

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