The entirety of John Legend’s latest music video for his new single “A Good Night” was shot using the Google Pixel 2, the Alphabet-owned firm revealed Friday. The marketing stunt whose final result and behind-the-scenes footage can be seen below involved an array of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL units, as well as stabilization rigs and other equipment meant to support the smartphones, though certain shots have also been done handheld, according to the production team. While the short documentary published by Legend’s YouTube channel doesn’t disclose the affair is a coordinated marketing effort intended to cross-promote his music and Google’s own product, a succinct transcript of an interview Google’s team did with the artist suggests as much, with the musician specifically stating he uses the Pixel 2 and a wide variety of the company’s apps such as Duo and Docs in his personal life.
Google’s latest effort to promote the imaging capabilities of the Pixel 2 lineup isn’t unprecedented, with LG already experimenting with similar marketing stunts in recent times. The Mountain View-based tech giant’s attempt still manages to stand out by virtue of the fact that it truly stress-tested its smartphone, having tasked it with recording footage in a low-light environment (for the first portion of the song) and deliver results that are good enough to be presented in the form of an official music video for a single of a high-profile artist.
Both Legend and his production team pointed to the Pixel 2 and contemporary smartphones in general as potentially revolutionary tools that make high-quality filmmaking more accessible to the masses, having said that the “A Good Night” set specifically relied on a setup that allows for focus selection during post-processing that wouldn’t have been achievable with professional-grade equipment under what they deem a reasonable budget. Much like the execution of the video, its screenplay is also meant to be highly reflective of today’s tech trends with references to dating apps and other modern phenomena, as can be seen below. Google is no stranger to enlisting the help of celebrities from all spheres of society to promote its offerings, with the results of such collaborations often not taking themselves too seriously.
https://youtu.be/Je6Y2qbNc-E