Video Premiere: Oryx + Crake – “The World Will Take Care of Me”
Oryx and Crake, a novel by Margaret Atwood, visits real-life analogues in an unforgettable journey. Husband and wife Ryan Peoples and Rebekah Goode-Peoples of Atlanta’s Oryx & Crake also embark on the sort of journeys that weld reality and imagination in a blistered, honest capacity.
“The World Will Take Care of Me,” by Oryx & Crake’s Ryan Peoples, Rebekah Goode-Peoples, Matt Jarred, Kieth Huff, Karyn Lu and Erich Netherton, was made by a group who teach at-risk youth the basics of film skills. The kids who worked on and acted in the video come from non-profits that deal with abused or neglected children, kids struggling with mental health issues and kids who have experienced homelessness.
“We had the opportunity to collaborate with re:imagine/ATL and The Green Room to make a video for ‘The World Will Take Care of Me,’ says Rebekah Goode-Peoples. “The non-profit music video camp brought together young people from Atlanta with extremely diverse backgrounds to create a video from concept to final edit. Our son, Sebastian, was lucky enough to attend the camp, and helped his team to come up with everything from the concept to the final edit.”
For a video to tackle such depths in both lyrical and humanitarian regards, Oryx & Crake take a stake in something much bigger than 21st century ambivalence. According to re:Imagine/ATL:
re:Imagine/ATL believes that that all people have inherent dignity and worth, and that this shared humanity is the basis for all effective art. However, current global socio-economic structures do not always reflect this. We also believe that powerful things happen when diverse groups of young people are united under the same vision to reimagine their world. We present the “round tables” for these diverse, distinct voices, opening the doors for conversation and collaboration. Through this process, engaging and transformative projects are born.
At The Green Room music video camps, young people are divided into small “crews,” and then matched with a band to create a music video with one of their songs. Over five days, each crew creates their own schedule, learns the technical skills of working with cameras, lights and editing the video itself; and has access to all sorts of artistic resources to create props, costumes, sets and stop motion design. Each crew produces their own video under the guidance of a talented staff of visual artists, filmmakers, and professional musicians. All final videos will be screened at the grand premiere on Aug. 8.
MASS is an inclusive educational facility and laboratory, supporting research and development across a broad range of fields. We foster creativity and multidisciplinary collaboration by providing open access to unique tools and resources. MASS is an acronym that implies the shared innovative spirit among those with Musical, Artistic, Scientific and Social pursuits. We wish to see new ideas thrive, and to kindle the fire of creative genius within each of us. Our goal is to help weave individuals into an ever-growing network of students, educators, and creators.
The video for “The World Will Take Care of Me” was made by The Green Room ATL in coordination with re:imagine/ATL and MASS collective. Many of the kids involved with the camp were from non-profits who serve kids abused/neglected and for those who help kids with mental health issues.
They came up with the concept that a homeless “Robin Hood” kid isn’t seen by others but is seen by the other homeless. And the world provides for him. Sort of. The concept is particularly crazy because it is the life that many of the kids in the video have actually lived.
Ryan and Rebekah’s son, Sebastian, participated in the camp and starred in the video. As a aspiring actor, Sebastian loved the professional experience of the camp and making creative decisions about concept, location and editing. He said, “I’m really into film and wanted to try something new. I thought it was really fun to work on my parent’s song because I knew more about it, and we had so many options for what we could do. Since I was their son, I knew we could do anything we wanted and they’d be ok with it. Our ideas could be bigger.”
Also in the video are Izzy, Ryan and Rebekah’s daughter; Jasmine, Rebekah’s niece; and Matt (cello), Ryan (guitar) and Rebekah (keys).
“It was incredible to have our own kid reimagine a song that is really personal to us and to collaborate with a magical group of young people who were so eager and ready to learn and create,” says Rebekahn Goode-Peoples.
Watch the video above for “The World Will Take Care of Me,” by Oryx & Crake. You’ll be glad you did.