WALK THE MOON - Anna Sun

What this video is

Released from Walk the Moon's self-distributed debut album 'I Want! I Want!' (2010), 'Anna Sun' broke nationally after Esquire named it Song of the Summer in 2011, catalyzing a major-label deal with RCA Records and re-release in 2012. The video embodies the early-2010s ethos of resourceful, community-built indie media: shot over two days in an industrial Cincinnati neighborhood with a cast of local friends and…

Why it matters

A landmark artifact of early-2010s indie-pop crossover, 'Anna Sun' demonstrated that a zero-budget, community-produced music video built around a single cinematic long take could compete for cultural visibility against major-label productions. The video reinforced the era's embrace of 80s…

The director

Patrick Meier is a Cincinnati-based filmmaker and University of Cincinnati DAAP alumnus (Fine Arts, class of 2009). He directed and produced the 'Anna Sun' video under his production company Contrast Productions. The video became one of the most-noted indie…