Francophonic sonic quartet Phoenix have premiered the video for “Trying To Be Cool,” the second single from the band’s critically acclaimed fifth album, Bankrupt!. The video was made in conjunction with The Creators Project (a partnership between Intel and Vice) and was filmed entirely live in full takes of the song. But trust us when we tell you – this is no ordinary live video…
In addition to a genius live performance of the track by the band, the video also sees two film crews tackling the impressive task of continuously swapping shots every twenty-five seconds. While one camera shoots, the other prepares the next shot; like a relay race, the cameras must pass the baton to each other to begin the next shot once twenty-five seconds are up, meaning if each camera is not set up, the video itself cuts to black. And if this isn’t pretty awesome in itself, the film crew and band are also, well, trying to be cool --- each shot tops the excitement (and, sometimes, the absurdity) of the one before it. The resulting video, chock full of sparklers, confetti canons, fake money, a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, motorcycles, fake moustaches, and much much more, is unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
