It’s Day 13 of NaVloPoMo09. And yes, this story is true. I talked a bit about my past in my 10 Seconds post. As I said then, I haven’t vlogged a lot about it. A few reasons why…it’s intensely personal, I don’t know how people will receive it and honestly I am not sure what the point is in talking about it anymore. I thought about that last reason a lot when I was debating on making this post. “Why am I doing this?” “What do I hope to accomplish?” I also thought about how my parents are different people than they were then…talking about this stuff could hurt them and I don’t want that.
But I decided to do it because at the end of the day, my story is one of hope. You may know someone or you may be someone who is struggling with the bonds of your past and I can honestly say, that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can overcome, you can break those bonds….through faith, through friends, through the knowledge that you are more than the sum of your parts.
I chose to tell the story in the manner that I did, because, well….because I can…. and the pace and flow fits how I often remember my past. A jumbled mess of sound and images…
To all those who overcame and to those who will…..
Heath. Holyshit. My parents fought, but the scariest thing I ever saw was my dad with his hand around my mom’s throat, like he might choke her. One of my friends and I walked in on the scene, and he couldn’t or wouldn’t follow through in front of us. But I was scared. I’m not sure how I would have handled a gunshot.
Your presentation and editing of your story is wonderful. The ending made me feel like laughing along with young Heath. And I bet it was, and is, exactly what insanity sounds like.
Thank you so much for sharing this story. That you came out of that situation with the sense of humor you have is a testament to your spirit.
And of course your parents are different people now. But you own these moments you’re revealing. They’re part of you even though they don’t control you. And this is an important story, very important.
So thanks, from the heart.
i’ve said it before, i’ll say it again – you’re a great storyteller, and it’s an amazing thing when you just talk to us honestly and directly like this.
you say you wonder what the point of talking about it is – but I think you do a pretty good job of nailing what the point is in the second paragraph. you own this story, you tell it powerfully and the act of doing that makes us all stop and think about a lot of things – among them love, hope, family, survival. and i hope there’s something therapeutic in it for you, too.
the punctuation correction is like something from a great fictional short story. but it’s true. totally remarkable.
as for the way you chose to cut it – you know i’m a sucker for simplicity, and i think often trick editing & effects can get in the way of just telling a story directly – but i liked what you did here. the multiple frames really work to bring out your feelings and the splintered intensity of it, and add an extra layer to it.
wow this is really powerful. I’m not really sure what to say. I’m glad you stayed upstairs whilst it was happening. I laughed at the red pen corrections. I think if you ask if this is insanity then it’s not, but it was an insane situation. glad you’re a survivor! and loved the story-telling and the editing style you chose for this story – really worked well. the audio overlapping & slightly phased sounded perfect too
Nice work. The combination of story, tone and video effects works fabulously together.
One of your very best Heath.
Heath,
I’m just catching up on some of the Vlomo videos, and watched this. While the story is hard to hear, it definitely needs to be told. Your video and storytelling truly show that there’s always additional victims in stories like these. Thanks for sharing. Good work.
I love that the effects you used help in your telling of the story. I know this probably wasn’t that easy to tell, but I really appreciate it. Of course, now I’m interested in knowing what happened next…
Thanks for the kind words…the rest of the story is I overcame and still do so today….it’s a life choice and a little faith never hurts either….