Israelis praised for Bob Dylan clip

New video for 1965 classic 'Like a Rolling Stone,' created by director Vania Heymann and musician Yoni Bloch, defined as 'interactive masterpiece' in international media

Sagi Cohen|Published: 11.21.13 , 14:48

A clip created by Israeli director Vania Heymann and musician Yoni Bloch for a Bob Dylan song has become a viral hit on social networks in the past two days, receiving wide coverage on international media – as well as many compliments.

The video, for one of Dylan's most famous songs, the 1965 classic "Like a Rolling Stone," is an innovative interactive clip allowing viewers to flip between different "television channels" using the arrow keys.

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On every channel they switch to, the song continues playing in the background while a variety of television personalities on the screen lip-sync the lyrics. They include tennis players on the sports channels, cooking show hosts, soap opera actors, and even Israel's Channel 2 news anchor Danny Kushmaro. American comedian Drew Carey makes an appearance too as a game show host.

One of the channels presents Dylan himself performing the song at a live concert from 1966. With 16 different channels, the idea is that no view will be similar to another.

The video is available on Bob Dylan's official website

The clip is the result of an all-Israeli cooperation: It uses a technology developed by the Interlude company founded by Yoni Bloch, which creates interactive clips where the viewer chooses between a number of plots, and was directed by Vania Heymann, an Israeli artist who is well known for his work on the Internet.

The clip went online in honor of a new special collection of Dylan songs, and quickly received enthusiastic reactions and was shared by many on Twitter and Facebook in Israel and worldwide.

'Worth the 48-year wait'

But the real fame arrived when reports about the video began making it to the culture sections of the world's leading websites, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, Wall Street Journal, CBS and many more.

"Watch an incredible new video for Bob Dylan's 'Like a Rolling Stone,' read the headline in TIME magazine's entertainment section. Prestigious American technology magazine Wired defined the clip as "an interactive masterpiece." The Verge website said the video was "worth the 48-year wait."

Yet there were some negative reviews as well. Neil McCormick wrote on the British Telegraph, "If the plan was to engage with a new generation, I think they might have to start with adding Auto-Tune and a rapper. While most pop stars may benefit from such visual bedazzlement, Dylan is at his most compelling intense and unadorned."

Yoni Bloch said in a statement, "As a musician myself, I can’t imagine a more thrilling project to be a part of than helping create the first video for 'Like a Rolling Stone,' which is widely regarded as one of the greatest songs of all time. The song has repeatedly been voted the No. 1 Greatest Song of All Time by Rolling Stone, and is generally regarded as revolutionary, influencing both artists and popular music around the world.

"Like the song, we hope Interlude will inspire creative professionals everywhere to develop new and unique ways to tell stories through video."

Bloch can be quite satisfied right now. The huge exposure and buzz created by the clip will undoubtedly bring him many more customers seeking similar clips in the near future.