Didn't think HTML 5 could redefine the web experience? Guess again
Watch out MTV, the music video has just got a new gold standard. Indie band Arcade Fire has released a vid for the song “We Used to Wait” off of their new album, The Suburbs, and it’s basically one big ball of HTML5/Google Maps/musical goodness.
The video was announced today on the Official Google Blog, which details exactly what elements went into its creation. Dubbed “The Wilderness Downtown” (an undertaking created by writer/director Chris Milk) the video is a new kind of musical experience, reminiscent of — but much more advanced than — hypertext storytelling of old.
I've been including HTML 5 in presentations about emerging technologies about which communicators should be aware. Video functionality is just one of the aspects of HTML 5 that will have a profound impact. Geolocation is another. Now, with this amazing experimental music video, we're getting a glimpse at what can happen to entertainment when HTML 5 capabilities are mashed together.
As the Mashable article notes, "the experience of watching this highly personalized video is not easily described." True; it must be experienced. The one note I can give you that I didn't see in the article or on the video page is to be sure to minimize your main browser when the video starts in a new window. And, to reiterate what you'll see when you go to the video page, you should use Google's Chrome browser for this. (If you don't already have it, here's the reason you need to go get it.)
One last thought: Wired's "The Web is Dead" article probably didn't consider creations like this that require the web as a platform. In fact, HTML 5 could breathe new life into the web, giving people continued viable reasons to get content there while, concurrently, the use of proprietary mobile tools continues to grow.
Watch the video. Let me know what you think.
Tip of the hat to Andre Wilson.
