“No matter how much I love a band,” Win Butler said, “I still find concert films a little boring.”

So when Mr. Butler, the frontman and co-founder of Arcade Fire, decided that his group was going to make a documentary about the recording and touring of its 2013 album, “Reflektor,” he wanted to find an unconventional approach. The record, which marries Caribbean rhythms to a new wave-dance music feel, represented a new direction for the Montreal rock band, whose previous release, “The Suburbs” (2010), had won the Grammy for album of the year.

The band turned to Kahlil Joseph, a first-time feature director best known for his striking, abstract videos for adventurous pop stars like the rapper Kendrick Lamar, the British avant-R&B singer FKA twigs, and the electronic artist Flying Lotus — clips that create mood and texture, rather than simply illustrate song lyrics or add dance sequences. Mr. Joseph’s work has also been part of a group show curated by Kara Walker at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, while his installation “Double Conscience” recently showed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

“I was curious that they saw me fitting into their current evolution,” Mr. Joseph said in an email. “I was really impressed when I saw them perform live and realized this was totally a new process with new boundaries, and I wanted to see where the journey was going to lead.”