I thought it’d be difficult for Cut Copy to top the last few videos they’ve released, and then one day you wake up and they’ve done it again. The new video for We Are Explorers features no actors at all. Instead, the story is conveyed from the perspective of two 3D printed characters. While it’s a hard act to follow Alexander Skarsgard, each of our protagonists are striking figures in their own regards. Ha.

Directed by Aramique Krauthamer and Masa Kawamura, the video stemmed from an early concept they had where they would print each frame of a characters motion to create a new medium within stop-motion animation. It took around 200 printed figurines to complete all the movements required for the videos action. The rest of the videos charm comes as a result of perspective, exploring the everyday in ways you may not have noticed before.

The most impressive thing about this video however is how the story continues. The 3D printing team has made all of the media assets from the video, including the 3D printing files, available for download so you can print out your own characters and share your own adventure.

Pretty cool to see developers pushing the technology and encouraging people to engage in it for creative purposes. I still feel like 3D printing is being vastly under valued within the creative industries as a whole, but with a bit more time I think it can be a valuable tool for DIY creators to fabricate elements to bring their stories to life, and not just figurines either.

We Are Explorers can be found on Cut Copy’s latest LP, Free Your Mind. The album is available now via Modular. Just for fun, here’s this very percussive and tribal rework of We Are Explorers from CYP2 alumni and DFA producer Larry Gus.

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