We’re a pretty hard-nosed, cynical bunch here at Wirefresh, but Arcade Fire’s Google Maps interactive video mash-up got a few jaws dropping around the office.
Running the streets of your ‘hood
Featuring some seriously hardcore HTML5/Javascript programming, the browser-based extravaganza invites you to input the address of your childhood home, which then forms the basis of the presentation, which opens and closes in multiple browser windows.
Birds flap, trees burst up from the ground and the main character keeps on running in this fabulous video by Chris Milk (hotshot video maker for the likes of Kanye West and U2) and an unlikely collaborator in the shape of Google.
Street View
The video uses Google Map and Street View databases to overlay the action on to the viewer’s home streets in a wonderfully compelling way.
Sad to say, the video track – “We Used to Wait” by The Arcade Fire – comes over as rather forgettable in the face of all this technical wizardry, so you’re probably better off listening to it without the eye candy pyrotechnics.
It’s a wonderful, superbly clever video though, with the customised graphics doing their bit to reflect the evocative nature of your own childhood memories. We loved it.
Note: You need to use Chrome or Safari and it takes a heavy hit on your CPU, so if you’re running a feeble half-decade old machine, you might want to close a few programs first.
Try it here: [http://thewildernessdowntown.com]
