Mark Pellington on 'ambitious' music film

LOS ANGELES: Acclaimed director Mark Pellington, who has worked with popular groups like Pearl Jam and U2, says the extended lengthy music video for rock band Imagine Dragons' latest song "Next to me" is an ambitious project.

Directed by Pellington, it's filmed here and in Las Vegas.

"The film is a complex and slightly surreal fable about forgiveness and redemption. It is a story of a man, and a projection of one fantasy colliding with the dark realities of fate. It asks, can a person who has made a terrible mistake ever be forgiven by their loved one or even by themselves," Pellington said in a statement. 

"It is an ambitious music film, taking the traditional music video and breaking it apart, pushing it into film territory. I wanted to create something new, a narrative piece that was thematically complex and musical and I knew it needed to be longer," he added.

The extended music video for "Next to me" (KIDinaKORNER/ Interscope Records) is available now. 

The band's vocalist Dan Reynolds said: "I wrote this song about the strains of the relationships in my own life and the beauty of enduring love. After late night conversations with Mark Pellington about life and his passion behind his vision for the film, we knew we wanted to take the journey with him."