Hit parade: Music video revives Magic Eye trick

Canada – Rock band Young Rival’s latest music video is a moving optical illusion.

The video, for new single Black is Good, is an autostereogram, one of the Magic Eye illusions that were popular in the 1990s. At first glance it may seem as if it is nothing more than static, but looking at the screen in a particular way reveals hidden images.

By following the instructions at the beginning of the video, viewers can ‘decouple’ or defocus their eyes, tricking the brain into seeing 3D images in the 2D picture. The concealed shapes include images of the band playing, a heart, a dolphin and a dinosaur.

The video has gone viral, receiving more than a million hits on YouTube and attracting press attention around the world.

With competition for attention at an all-time high, musicians are using technology to find novel ways to encourage people to watch their videos. For the best examples of this trend, read our report on Transmedia Music Videos.