American band OK Go have built up a legacy of fascinating music videos. Often lo-fi in terms of equipment – virtually anyone can have a go at recreating them – but choreographically ambitious, their videos have been bringing joy to audiences for 20 years, from their classic 2006 treadmill promo for Here We Go Again to the paper sets used in 2017’s Obsession.
This formula applies to the video for their new single, A Stone Only Rolls Downhill, directed by frontman Damian Kulash and collaborator Chris Buongiorno. The video begins simply enough but extends to a complex sequence playing out harmoniously across a mosaic of 64 phone screens.
According to Buongiorno, the video involved 1,043 takes shot over eight days, a combined total of two hours and 23 minutes of footage across all of the screens, and 577 hours spent on preparation. “My brain is still recovering from all the math we did to make this thing happen,” he said.
Though digital devices are used throughout the video, it really feels like a celebration of analogue movement. The transitions and hand choreography give the video a charm reminiscent of old Apple iPod Touch adverts, which similarly celebrated fun and creativity.
