If the GIF is the preeminent art form of the 21st century, then the High Quality GIFs subreddit is the virtual salon where the medium’s best and brightest meet to show off their work and compare notes. Recently, 17 members of this Reddit community collaborated on an ambitious project: a four-minute GIF tribute to Taylor Swift’s 2014 pop hit “Shake It Off.” The end result, after a combined 200 hours of work, is an alternate universe version of the original video in which virtually every second has been augmented with added visual jokes, most of which are based on pop culture references and memes. For instance, Swift is joined during the ballet sequence by the cast of Rick And Morty. The breakdancing portion of the video features extras imported from Futurama. Before the video ends, John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Dave Chappelle, Jim Carrey, Bill Murray, and others have all put in cameo appearances. Sounds like fun, right? Well, there’s a catch. It seems the Recording Industry Association Of America takes a dim view of Reddit jokesters using Swift’s song for their own purposes. Consequently, the only complete version of the video currently available online is this silent one:
Haters really are gonna hate, hate, hate. But never fear. This ViewSync page allows viewers to see the GIF video and the original Swift video at the same time, complete with audio. In retrospect, this is the best way to experience this project. By juxtaposing the original and the parody, it becomes easier to spot all the additions and changes that the GIF artists have added. The lighting fast appearances by Nigel Thornberry, Hulk, and Deadpool really stand out this way. And for GIF purists who want to experience these images as silent, looping videos, that option is available, too. A gallery of the individual GIFs was posted to Imgur for the enjoyment of all.
[via The Daily Dot]