Synopsis
A record starts spinning, triggering a chain reaction that races through an ornate old mansion. Dominoes, wooden sticks, cups, toast, feathers, water, toys, a paper airplane, and other everyday objects join the increasingly elaborate kinetic sequence. The camera follows the action through rooms, up and down stairs, and even beneath the surface of a bathtub. As the electronic track builds toward its climax, the entire contraption works toward one suitably absurd destination: preparing a tuna melt.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video turns the title track from A-Trak's "Tuna Melt" EP into an elaborate Rube Goldberg-style machine.
- Kinetic artist Kinetic King, also known as Tim Fort, handled the video's dominoes and kinetic mechanisms.
- The production was filmed at The Ohage House in St. Paul, Minnesota, a historic mansion whose multiple rooms and levels provide the setting for the chain reaction.
- The setup uses practical objects and physical mechanisms rather than presenting the concept as a purely digital effect. The accompanying behind-the-scenes material focuses on the careful construction and execution of the sequence.
- The production involved Pier Pictures and Pomp&Clout, with post-production completed by Pomp&Clout.
- The clip was released in April 2013, following the release of the "Tuna Melt" EP through Fool's Gold Records.
- "Tuna Melt" received a nomination for Best Cinematography at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
- The video's appeal came partly from its contrast between a hard-driving electronic track and the deliberately tactile, old-fashioned pleasure of watching objects topple and trigger one another.