The Arcade Fire, HTML5 the evolution of Music Videos
You need a capable browser for sure (Internet Explor DIAF!) so grab Chrome or Firefox 3, and a good broadband connection will help (John Key's on that one, have no fear) but Arcade Fire's new online music video collab with Google and director Chris Milk is AMAZING and worth a few browser crashes along the way.
The Arcade Fire's new LP is about chilhood and growing up (and is mandatory listening) and "We Used To Wait" localises that for the viewer/ listener by having you type in your own hometown... a ton of pop up windows and Google sattelite maps/ Street View takes care of the rest.
This is a pretty compelling disply of what HTML5 may have in store... as TechCruch break down:
You start by typing in the address of the house you grew up in, then it loads a video of a guy in a hoodie running through the streets. Different windows pop open on your screen, some with graphics, some with videos. Google Maps and Street View images of your old neighborhood are incorporated into the video. All the video is in HTML5, different windows open up triggered by the music, and you even see a fly-over of your neighborhood based on Google Maps’ routing API.
The graphics are pretty impressive too. Shadows of birds are superimposed over the Google Maps birds-eye view of your neighborhood, and animated trees are plopped into the street using the Street View image and some boundary detection software. You can also write a note to your former self in a beautiful tree-root font or draw a picture, all using HTML5 font and drawing tools. These notes and drawing will be used in future Arcade Fire concerts.
And from Thomas Gayno, Google Creative Lab:
"These modern web technologies have helped us craft an experience that is personalised and unique for each viewer, as you virtually run through the streets where you grew up".
Beyond the geek factor, the song's awesome and it's great fun to type in a new hometown each time and see what pops up... isn't the internet cool sometimes!!!???
