The members of OK Go have been trying to top themselves with increasingly elaborate music videos ever since their one-take treadmill video for “Here It Goes” became a viral hit in 2005. And considering their most recent video took them to the final frontier of space (or at least a zero-g environment), that seemed like an especially difficult task this time around. But having mastered space, Damian Kulash, Tim Nordwind, Dan Konopka, and Andy Ross decided to conquer time as well. Their new video for “The One Moment” features some colorful, chaotic explosions that unfold over the course of a few seconds in real time. Slowed down, however, the chaos syncs up perfectly with the band’s song.
Kulash, who also directed the video, talks about the inspiration and process on the band’s website, calling it “a celebration of (and a prayer for) those moments in life when we are most alive.” Kulash refers to “The One Moment” as the band’s “most heartfelt and sincere” song yet, and the video plays around with the idea that human beings can’t understand the temporary nature of their existence. As Kulash puts it, “We constructed a moment of total chaos and confusion, and then unraveled that moment, discovering the beauty, wonder, and structure within.”
In terms of what it actually looked like to film the video, the first chaotic action unfolds in 4.2 seconds, followed by 16 seconds of real-time lip-synching, and another three seconds of action that was later slowed down. The video connects seven different camera movements into one seamless take. It’s a little tricky to grasp how everything came together (the band used a massive spreadsheet to plan it all out), but this behind-the-scenes video helps break down the process.
The video was sponsored by Morton Salt’s #WalkHerWalk campaign, which provides funding and assistance to young innovators who are trying to solve issues like the global water crisis and the plight of young female refugees. Kulash notes on the band’s site, “We had no idea when we wrote the song that we’d be releasing its video in such critical moment for our nation and the world. It’s one of those moments when everything changes, whether we like it or not, so the song feels particularly relevant.”