You know how some days you wake up, stretch, eat some breakfast and expect your day to be exactly as you planned? Well that was how I began my Wednesday last week. I woke up, got ready, ate an apple and walked to the subway expecting to go to my internship, do some normal journalistic type stuff, buy some much needed supplies at the grocery and head home to enjoy a night off.
Little did I know that I was about to be in a music video.
Never thought I would say those words? Yeah, well, neither did I.
It all began when I arrived at my internship and came face to face with the hubbub of the video shoot that was planned for that day. People were running about grabbing supplies, making last minute phone calls and figuring everything out. I was not scheduled to attend the shoot so, 30 minutes later, when the hubbub (also known as those attending the shoot) left for the location, I settled down in my chair to get down to some intern-ly duties.
Then - (dramatic pause) - the phone rang.
I was needed immediately at the shoot because they were low on extras. I considered taking the subway, but as they had sounded like I was needed STAT, I hopped on a taxi (my first) and yellow-cabbed my way to the location ready for my close up, or at least a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I had missed hair and makeup and was shoved into the corner where I pretended to sip on wine (cranberry juice) and gab with my friends (a few people also exiled to the corner having not made it through hair and makeup either).
I looked on, or actually, tried to act natural as the camera crew filmed multiple takes from different angles and Coco Rocha, an up-and-coming and gorgeous model, starred.
Now, people always say that movies and TV are not as glamorous as they seem. To those people, I say pish posh. It is indeed glamorous. Where else do you have a full camera crew, sound crew, makeup crew, hair crew and clothing crew? If that is not glamorous, then I apparently don't know what glamour is and should turn in my glamour police badge immediately (I wish I actually had one of those).
Sure, it was a little more slow-going than I thought, and I did drink a little more cranberry juice than I would have liked, as I obliged each time he called actually drink
pretend to be having fun!
I have to say I was most awed by the clothes (Rocha was in a YSL leather jumpsuit for goodness' sake) but I will also admit for a split second I had a jolt of the I'm almost famous bug and considered giving my journalistic pursuits up for a life on the stage, in the limelight, the center of attention, the topic of conversation, the ... the - then I came to my senses. I was, after all, only an extra, and an accidental one at that.
I switched between intern and extra throughout the next couple hours, fetching water for the camera guys and then acting like a crazed girl trying to get in a club along with the 10 or so other extras.
I definitely did some things I have never done before, such as bribe a fake doorman with the Chicken Lo Mein I was holding (a prop for the part when they had us throwing food in anger) and accidently bump into Rocha, who was incredibly nice by the way (she's no Naomi Phone-Throwing Campbell).
I left the shoot elated, drained and a little bit confused by my whirlwind of a day. I guess if I learned one thing since coming to the city, it is to expect the unexpected. So here I am, signing out for this week as intern (not-so-) extraordinaire, Bo's Clothing Shack employee and now-experienced music video extra. Man, I love this city.
4
Opinion
Jane Adams
