CHAIRLIFT: MET BEFORE

 

Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wembley, of the critically-aclaimed indie band Chairlift, are our friends and neighbors in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. In mid 2011, we were introduced to a new interactive video technology called Interlude, which allows viewers to choose their own path throughout a video. When director Jordan Fish wanted to partner with Chairlift to create a video for their new album, we knew it was the right time to test out a new storytelling tool – Jordan’s 2007 interactive music video for MGMT is a frequent reference.

 

CONCEPT

The resulting collaboration is the video for ‘Met Before,’ which takes place in a parallel universe where Caroline and Patrick are research scientists.

You are given ultimate control over where the plot lands. By choosing from simple directional choices at key moments, your story might involve possibilities for romance, intrigue, or performance along the way.

RESULTS

The video has been a critical and popular hit. The average retention rate for the video is 172%, and was covered widely by music, technology and creative press including Fast Company, Pitchfork, The Guardian, The Verge, MTV, PSFK, Stereogum and FADER. Fast Company said “Met Before” is “pretty much impossible to watch just once,” because the choices are yours – which as Pitchfork noted is “bad news if you’re a big Chairlift fan and you’re trying to get any work done this afternoon, I guess.” Met Before was featured on over 20 Best of the Year music video lists, including #1 music video of the year by Buzzfeed & TimeOut London.


Fun fact: the science lab scenes were filmed on location at Harvard University.  There are a dozen endings. Here’s the case study -

And Jordan’s flowchart -

 

Director: Jordan Fish  /  Band: Chairlift  /  Client: Sony Music