When the world slammed to a halt in early 2020, most artists froze. Twenty One Pilots did the opposite—they improvised. And at the center of that improvisation was someone fans weren’t used to seeing behind the curtain: Jenna Joseph.
The home-shot music video for Level of Concern has long been praised for its warmth and chaos, a lo-fi snapshot of life under lockdown that felt radically intimate compared to the duo’s usually airtight mythology. Now, years later, Jenna has finally opened up about just how close the shoot came to falling apart—not because of tech issues, but because she couldn’t stop laughing.
Filmed entirely inside the Josephs’ home while caring for their newborn daughter, the video was a three-day DIY marathon. With professional crews sidelined by pandemic restrictions, Jenna suddenly found herself wearing every hat imaginable: co-star, lighting tech, set designer, and quality control—all while running on new-parent sleep deprivation.
“The hardest part wasn’t the work,” Jenna joked recently. “It was keeping a straight face.”
That challenge came courtesy of her husband, Tyler Joseph, whose on-camera energy is famously unhinged in the best way. According to Jenna, Tyler gave her exactly one piece of direction before the cameras rolled: “Just act natural.”
That was easier said than done.
“It’s hard to act natural when you’re building a fort out of mail, flashing Christmas lights, and your husband is bouncing off the walls like it’s a stadium show,” she said. More than once, Jenna admitted she nearly ruined usable takes by laughing at the wrong moment—especially when Tyler leaned fully into his chaotic instincts in their living room.
The logistics were just as unconventional. The video was directed remotely by longtime collaborator Reel Bear Media, with Tyler and bandmate Josh Dun filming their parts separately and “mailing” a USB drive back and forth as part of the narrative. The glowing stars, tangled lights, and handmade set pieces weren’t aesthetic choices so much as necessity—ways to transform a home into a stage.
Adding to the challenge was timing everything around their infant daughter’s naps and feedings. Takes were frequently interrupted, schedules were fluid, and perfection was off the table. What emerged instead was something far rarer: vulnerability.
That vulnerability is exactly why Level of Concern resonated so deeply. The video broke the fourth wall of Twenty One Pilots’ carefully constructed universe, showing fans a version of Tyler and Jenna that felt unpolished, human, and deeply connected. It wasn’t lore—it was life.
The legacy of that moment only grew. Later in 2020, the band released a fan-powered, never-ending version of the video that ran for 178 days, setting a world record and raising money for out-of-work live music crews. What began as a chaotic home project became one of the most meaningful chapters in the band’s history.
Looking back, Jenna’s laughter almost derailed the shoot—but in hindsight, it’s exactly what made it work. In a year defined by uncertainty, Level of Concern didn’t just document survival. It documented love, partnership, and the beauty of not having it all together.