Synopsis

At a crowded pool party, R.E.M.'s "Imitation of Life" turns ordinary celebrations into a surreal, endlessly shifting tableau. The camera glides across the scene, repeatedly zooming in on different guests, each revealing a small drama or lip-syncing a line from the song. A barbecue accident, a thrown drink, flirtations, dancing, and the band members' appearances compete for attention. The footage moves backward and forward in time, making the party feel like a frozen moment that keeps rearranging itself.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in Calabasas, California, on February 28, 2001.

• The apparent four-minute narrative was built from only about 20 seconds of recorded action.

• Twelve Super 8 cameras were used to capture the pool-party scene from different angles. The footage was then combined into a single visual field.

• The editing repeatedly moves forward and backward through the same brief event. Pan-and-scan zooms direct attention toward individual guests and details.

• The partygoers perform different sections of the song through lip-syncing, allowing the vocals to appear to pass from one person to another.

• The concept was influenced by Zbigniew Rybczynski's 1981 film "Tango," which also uses a confined space and repeated movements to create a densely layered visual composition.

• Although the wide shot suggests that viewers could eventually see the entire action, the complete 20-second sequence is not presented in one uninterrupted view.

• Memorable details include a man catching fire near a barbecue, a woman throwing a drink in someone's face, Mike Mills pouring wine into a glass tower, and Peter Buck playing a ukulele with a monkey on his lap.

• The video received nominations for Breakthrough Video and Best Direction at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards.

• In later years, its short-loop structure was compared to the looping videos popularized by Vine, even though the video predates that platform by more than a decade.

• Stylus Magazine placed it at number 66 in its 2006 list of the Top 100 Music Videos of All Time.

• Rolling Stone included it among R.E.M.'s 15 greatest music videos in 2011.