Synopsis

Angus Andrew is stranded alone in a small raft, drifting somewhere off the Los Angeles coast. Nearby, the other Liars watch from a yacht, their chalk-white faces and grotesque scars giving the scene a ghostly, almost supernatural atmosphere. As rocks begin appearing and crashing toward the raft, Andrew struggles to keep himself afloat and throw the growing pile overboard. The escalating ordeal combines survival-movie tension with absurdist humor, ending on an intentionally ambiguous image that leaves his fate uncertain.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed about a mile offshore from Marina del Rey, California, rather than on a studio set. The band wanted the water to look convincingly real.

• Angus Andrew was originally not expected to play the stranded man. An actor had been considered for the role, but Andrew asked to take over despite the part's demanding physical requirements.

• Andrew's performance was especially punishing because the shoot took place in January, with him spending extended periods in the cold ocean. The visible discomfort on his face was not entirely acted.

• Around the time of the shoot, Andrew was experiencing back problems. He later recalled trying to prepare for the cold by covering himself in VapoRub before putting on a wetsuit.

• The band members who remained on the yacht were able to stay inside the boat between takes, while Andrew had to remain exposed in the water.

• The production was made on an extremely tight budget, with the treatment and crew assembled specifically around the practical ocean location.

• The filmmakers considered several endings. One version had the boulder hit the boat completely, followed by an underwater shot; another ended with the boulder approaching Andrew. The released ending was chosen because it preserved more ambiguity.

• The concept was discussed in connection with survival-at-sea films, including "Cast Away," although the video's surreal tone turns the premise into something much stranger and more darkly comic.

• The video won the Music Video category at the inaugural Vimeo Festival + Awards in New York on October 9, 2010. It beat finalists including Yeasayer's "Ambling Alp" and the Justice remix of Lenny Kravitz's "Let Love Rule."