"We still don’t know if God is ashamed"
This week's most interesting videos, made by and for organisations.
And then it was January – slumping, creeping, bewitching us with its whispered promises of change resplendent.
What did we miss? Christmas, New Year, and a giant Pop Tart mascot being sacrificed at an American football game to be eaten by the winning team. I think that covers it.
Onto this week’s videos…
OK Go talks us through the making-of their amazing videos (3m 30s)
There was a time when the only thing we watched on the internet was OK Go videos. Life was better then, wasn’t it?
Anyway over on Instagram, the band is treating us to lovely making-of insights into some of their most famous videos. Back in September they took us behind the scenes of the zero gravity classic Upside Down & Inside Out, and a few days ago they gave This Too Shall Pass the same treatment.
There’s a lot of chatter these days about repurposing content, and this is a masterclass, with funny and genuinely interesting insights peppered throughout. Please sirs, can we have some more? (Watch on Instagram)
The battle for the remote becomes truly epic in Vodafone spot (1min)
This is a slick spot to launch Vodafone’s TV PLAY service, which takes the family squabble over what to watch and blows it up (quite literally) into something altogether more epic.
It works because the production values really bring the different worlds to life, and the beautifully timed bubblegum pop-explosion is terrific fun. (Watch on YouTube)
Gangsters grapple with tech as The Sopranos head to TikTok (20s)
To tell the world that The Sopranos is now on TikTok, HBO cut together various scenes of the iconic show’s characters musing on modern technology.
Simple and effective, but it makes me wonder how long it took to find the clips. Did someone have to watch all six seasons and note down each time someone talked about the internet? (Watch on Instagram)
Polish women refuse to be silenced in powerful political film (1m 30s)
I can’t remember how on earth I came across this, but I’m sure glad I did. Made ahead of the Polish elections last October, it’s a call to action for Polish women to make their voices, and votes, count.
It’s soundtracked by real, depressingly chauvinistic quotes from Polish politicians, and comes to a head with a powerful visual shift, whereby a silencing finger becomes a fuck-you statement of intent. (Watch on YouTube)
An electrifying installation takes over an unfinished building (4 mins)
This jaw-dropping installation was created by Radugadesign for the Nur Festival in Kazan, Russia. The group installed 58 strobe lights in an unfinished building, and then programmed it to sequence in this rhythmic and visually-arresting way.
It’s a modern take on the ancient practice of purifying the energy of a new space – a sort of Black Mirror version of burning sage. (Watch on Vimeo or a shorter version on LinkedIn)
Hit the slopes with The Blondes in this ace new North Face doc (22mins)
North Face is one of those brands that just gets this stuff right, proved yet again by its new long-form documentary.
Following the female ski collective The Blondes, it has everything you want from this sort of thing – beautiful mountain scenery, joyful interactions and a magnificent soundtrack. (Watch on YouTube)
Coke’s new ad brings pure meeting the in-laws madness (1m 30s)
It’s easy to spot people who watch the TV show The Bear, because they constantly go on about the TV show The Bear. I’ve never seen it, so I imagine I’m missing much of the fun of this ad, which is made by the show’s creator Chris Storer and references a recent episode of the show called Fishes (apparently).
But even in my ignorance, I enjoyed this tale of a new boyfriend meeting the extended family for the first time, especially the ongoing joke about his height. It feels like a win if you can lean into pop culture in a way that delights fans, but brings everyone else along for the ride too. (Watch on YouTube)
New Year content spun on its head with a magnificent influencer parody (1min)
A lot of brands produced a lot of very earnest New Year content, but Percival Menswear went in, um, quite a different direction.
I don’t really know what’s going on here, so just submit to Chef Sloppy Pasta and his bizarre and very funny guide to hangover cures. I feel like the guy is teetering on breaking character throughout, which only adds to my enjoyment. (Watch on Instagram)
Uncut rizz as Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott get playful (11mins)
Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott have been all over social promoting their new film All of us Strangers but this Vanity Fair quiz-interview (quizterview?) is the canon.
The pair’s ludicrous chemistry comes to the fore in this format, so that it feels like eavesdropping on a really good date. Stop the lights! (Watch on YouTube)
Nike signals Rafa’s Aussie return in some style (10s)
Yeah, fair play Nike. To mark Rafa Nadal’s much-hyped return to the Australian Open, they created this Batman-style video of his marque projected on the Brisbane skyline.
It shows what you can do in just ten seconds – let’s all just ignore the fact that Rafa later pulled out of the tournament injured. (Watch on Instagram)
“Trees fall with spectacular crashes. But planting is silent and growth is invisible.”
Richard Powers in The Overstory