“Trapped in a prism, in a prism of light
Alone in the darkness, darkness of white
We fell in love, alone on a stage
In the reflective age”
This isn’t the first time we’ve highlighted Canadian band Arcade Fire for our Artwork of the Week. Back then, we looked at Scenes from the Suburbs, a short film which paralleled the band’s 2010 album, The Suburbs, in lamenting the loss of childhood innocence.
Three years later, the band moved on from The Suburbs’ retro influences to release Reflektor. “It’s about the reflective age. This is like in 1846, and it sounds like he’s talking about modern times,” says Win Butler, Arcade Fire’s frontman.
In the video for the titular song, the band went even further with the concept of blending times by creating one of the first-ever interactive music videos. Teaming with director Vincent Morisset, the crew from Google’s Chrome Experiment, and dancer Axelle Munezero, they conceptualised a project which allowed viewers to create old-school visual effects by combining their computer screen, webcam, and phone/tablet/mouse.
As viewers manipulate their phone in front of the camera, details of the video appear and disappear, bringing a wholly innovative dynamic to the themes of revelation that lurk within the song. It’s simple, yet effective, making for a fun and unique experience.
All of the tools used to piece together the final product are open source, and can be found on the Just a Reflektor tech page, along with a demonstration of how each effect was created. Similar resources can also be found at HTML5 Rocks for those wanting to try their hand at a similar production.
The clip went on to win a range of awards, including two Cannes Lions, and an Emmy Award for Interactive Media.
To participate in the Just a Reflektor project, visit the official site via Google Chrome.