Will Butler’s video for “Anna” was one of the musical highlights of last week, matching up Emma Stone with driving beats and The Queen Mary. But just how did that video come together behind the scenes? The state of California, of all things, wants to shed some light on the process.
In a new clip called “California Dreamer: Ryan Heffington’s ‘Dream Of Dance,’” interested parties can go behind the scenes of the clip with Heffington, who not only choreographed Stone in “Anna,” but also Sia’s “Chandelier” video. If you’re just interested in the video, the clip leans a little heavily on Heffington’s backstory and childhood in Yuba City (California, baby!), but eventually gets into how the video came to be and why Stone and Heffington work so well together. Describing the clip as a “fever dream of a desperate housewife” who “really wants that money,” Stone expounds on both her manic performance and why Heffington’s choreography works so well within the context of both the song and the video. It’s an interesting look at an interesting video, and is well worth the four minutes it’ll take to watch.