OK Go’s Latest Music Video Uses 567 Printers and a Ton of Paper

OK Go, a band known for its groundbreaking music videos, has just released a video for their new track “Obsession“. It features 567 printers and a whole lot of paper in what they claim to be the world’s first example of “paper mapping.”

Everything you see in the video is real and there’s no CGI behind the dazzling colors and patterns. Timed to perfection, the printers work to create mesmerizing, flowing colors, and even entire images as the band do their thing in front of the unique backdrop.

It took 2 and a half years of testing and 3 trips to Japan for the video to be made. OK Go collaborated with paper manufacturers Double A, which manufactures “extra smooth paper,” which helped ensure that there were no printers jams throughout the production.

All of the paper used in the video was recycled and the proceeds from the video are being donated to the charity Greenpeace.

Getting ready for Tuesday. #TwoMoreDays pic.twitter.com/sRxbg1tTzY

— OK Go (@okgo) November 20, 2017

This 4-minute behind-the-scenes video shows how the project came to life:

The sheer amount of color and picture information in this video actually caused the project to be delayed because YouTube’s compression algorithms made it look “distorted” in areas. To combat this, the band recommend viewing it at 1440p or 2160p resolution while YouTube works to solve the normal HD compression issues.

“We broke the matrix,” the band says.

(via OK Go via Laughing Squid)