We created the first music video in a Snapchat lens – putting fans in the starring role using augmented reality. This was the official music video for Major Lazer’s summer hit “Front of the Line,” and for 24 hours, it was the only place to hear the song. Using low-poly 3D graphics, we squeezed an entire music video’s worth of animation into the lens, taking users on a narrative journey unlike any Snapchat lens before.

Using low-poly 3D graphics, we squeezed an entire music video worth of animation into the 4MB file limit, creating a fun narrative around the user’s face. Their face was mapped and magically came apart to reveal a portal to the tropical world of Bacardi and Major Lazer. Animation put the user on the stage with the band, flew them down a psychedelic tunnel and turned their head into a mass of speakers, all in time to the beat. Every visual element was mapped to the user’s face, making every video unique to the user.

The lens had over 42 million plays, 29 years’ worth of playing time and 50 million earned media impressions. Most impressively, it had a 510% increase on average engagement time.