The Head and the Heart - Shake Filmed at Bear Creek Studios

What this video is

Released October 23, 2013, eight days after Let's Be Still debuted in the Billboard Top 10 on Sub Pop Records, the 'Shake' video arrived at the zenith of the Pacific Northwest indie folk revival. The Head and the Heart had built their following through Seattle's Conor Byrne pub open-mic circuit before signing to Sub Pop in 2010, and their sophomore album represented a full-band production debut. Filming at Bear…

Why it matters

The video is a benchmark document of the early-2010s indie folk performance video format: studio-confined, handheld, rapid-cut, and devoid of narrative artifice. Its approach codified a Sub Pop-adjacent aesthetic that prized raw ensemble performance over visual spectacle, distinguishing Pacific…

The director

E. Ryan McMackin is a Seattle-based Director of Photography and music video director. His personal site identifies him as a Director of Photography, and his IMDB credits include the indie feature Your Sister's Sister among his known cinematography works. He…