MARS Hurricane Shoot/Best Night of My Life in NY
Making this film for Hurricane is like watching performance art + having really filthy sex...over and over and over... - Jared Leto, Twitter
Well I suppose enough time has passed to make this post less exciting to most people, but not for meee!! Because this post is gonna allow me to relive those two days FOREVER. XD
I was gonna either wait to type it up for after the vid came out or friends lock it, but I figure the band is releasing enough info that my little tidbit won't make much of a difference...
So the casting call went out for the song Hurricane by 30 Seconds to Mars (ft. Kanye West) for people in the NY area. Or, as it were, for people willing to travel to the NY area. So I applied: sent in my pic and contact info and all because I kinda had to, you know? I'm only here for a semester and I sure as hell didn't want to miss this. But it seemed shot when I didn't get a response saying I was chosen for the vid. Found out on Tuesday, October 5th that people had received emails saying that they had been picked.
So I pretty much went into ultra fan mode for the next two days (as if I wasn't already half-way there with anticipation). I used Google Earth, visited every forum, message board, and messaged every person I could think of to try to find out the information for this shoot. I ran into luck on the 30STM Message Board (which I don't recommend anyone going to. Ever.). I met a girl who eventually got good information - her first tidbit was actually a Keanu Reeves movie shoot. On the same board, someone posted that the band was allowing people to bring friends to the shoot now and for the second day. So I took the first girl's info and went to check it out...at 12am...at a place an hour away by train.
But I got there!
And promptly began to freak out.
Because I wasn't sure what to say to get in. The person posted they were letting friends in but I didn't know anyone already in the shoot. So I decided to wing it. I walked up to who I thought was a guard and asked him about it, telling him I'd heard the band was letting people in to watch the filming. (Because I only wanted to watch; never expected to actually be IN it since I didn't get an email.) He said this wasn't true but that if I had black (and clothes that fit the vid outfit specifications) he could let me in. Now of course I wouldn't be a proper fan if I hadn't brought clothes out of hope, so I pulled out what I had and showed him.
He turned to the guy next to him - who happened to be the video's producer!!! - and asked if it looked good to him. They both agreed and I was in! He gave me his own ID and later gave me a little tap of luck during the making of the video. Yes, I pretty much love this guy now. Wish I knew his name cuz I'd surely send him a thank you gift or something. Anyway, someone escorted me in the building (beautiful, beautiful old gothic-style building) and I changed my clothes and was brought to the where the other extras were.
I wasn't waiting for long, considering it was already after 1am, but the others had been waiting since 8pm! But around 1:30/2am, they came and brought us to the hall to shoot our scene. Now let me tell you, Jared had said the video would be about the "violence of sex and the sex of violence" and that was definitely no joke. Most of the extras were like me, in fishnets, straps, lace, etc. But others (and most paid actors) were in latex, gender-bending outfits, and a plethora of BDSM gear. For example, one paid actor was in a pink and black corset and pink latex skirt. Another girl was in all black latex and a gas mask used for breath play. There were definitely some characters. And in the midst of it all, were Shannon (dressed normally), Tomo (in costume gear), and Jared (shirtless and directing).
Eventually all three were down on the same level as us and Jared started telling us about the scene they were going to shoot. They were going to play Hurricane and we pretty much had to pretend we were at a rave and dance to it. Simple, yes, but more awkward than you'd expect. I got into it when they played the music, though, so hopefully everyone else did as well. We did that bit for about 4-5 takes, a couple of which had Tomo being filmed right in front of us, then we were finished. Got some nice eye candy of Jared shirtless and a picture with Tomo that night.
The second night was better. I gave my number to a girl I met the first night and she sent me the info for the second. This time we were filming in Central Park and were supposed to dress in all blacks, whites, and greys in this gutterpunk, serious protestor type thing. Bandanas, hoodies, boots, face masks, etc. Basically, we were the Mars Army. And that's pretty much what we did.
The wait wasn't as long this time but it was also made shorter by simply hanging out with other Echelon and getting to know each other. Then, we were brought into this section of the Park that was under an overpass. They lined us up in a square and gave out the black Mars flags (which I can't find a pic of) and some torches. [Yes, I did get a torch. And yes, I was quite happy. I like fire. :)] So we're all lined up underneath this overpass. We were told to walk very slowly up the steps in front of us and keep going until we passed the cameras at the top. Let me tell you, I think this shot is going to be pretty EPIC. Just imagine just seeing the shadow of a huge group of people walking up and then we finally appear, clad all in black and looking badass as fuck. Yes, that's it. Epic.
Of course, that's saying they use that shot because later we were introduced to Mr. Bartholomew Cubbins, Jared's director "alter ego" and a bit of a hyper version of himself. But we'll get to that in a bit.
After we filmed the part walking up the stairs, we then filmed pretty much the same scene but in different parts of the park with the march being shot from different angles. It should be noted here that you apparently can't block off sections of Central Park because when we were setting up for this part people were continually walking through, and one guy decided to do rollerblade tricks for us. ...Right. But anyway, we set up, got the flags and torches again and walked back and forth a couple times to allow for altering shots.
Then we went on a longer walk, similar shot, down this strip in the Park. That might have come out cool, too, thanks to the lighting. Altogether this might have taken at the most 1.5 hours. We were about to do one last shot, a walk down this long path to end up back where we first started shooting when Mr. Director showed up! The change was almost palpable. Suddenly the cameramen, directors, everyone were tense with work. You know, how people get when their boss is looking over their shoulder as they work. Conversely, all the extras (the Echelon) were trying to watch Jared without actually seeming like we were.
So Jared walks up and begins inspecting the footage they've gotten so far, and his first comment? "Get rid of the blondes." Yep, that's Bartholomew Cubbins. Apparently the light reflecting off blonde hair was messing up the shot that he wanted. So, boom, no more blondes in the shot. Then he came over to our group saying some things to us that were funny and sexy coming from him but would not work if typed here. Even without the blondes, he decided the group was still too big so he separated the groups into people with masks, people with hoodies, and people without either.
People without either were out. I was in the hoodie group and so safe for now. Then, he said the group was still too large because there weren't enough people with masks in ratio to people with hoodies. So he put all people with masks in one group and then hand picked people from the hoodie group to go into their group. All people with flags and torches not in this final group were to give them to those people. I wasn't in that group. He said that the shot would be done with two groups, this first group and with the rest of us still in the hoodie group. Buuut as soon as he left, the asst director thanked the rest of us and sent us on our way. I'm guessing there wasn't enough time to do it twice so Jared decided to just use the one group. The rest of us were taken back to base camp to wait.
Back at base, me and a few other Echelon were talking about what just happened. One of the girls was blonde and was so upset, it was funny. Jared had spoken softly when getting rid of the blondes but another girl and myself happened to hear when the cameraman told the asst director what Jared said because he repeated it right in front of us. Needless to say, she was upset when she found out. The whole thing was pretty much chalked up to Jared being Jared and Jared being crazy, as well as him being in Bartholomew director mode. I mean, it is his video so he had a certain idea of what he wanted it to look like. Really can't get mad at something like that, especially once we get to see the finished product.
So a group of us were just waiting (among everyone else who were also waiting) and talking. It was 4 of us including me; 2 of whom I love to death now, and one of whom I'm going to the concert in Clifton Park with. So I decided to hang with them and we waited until the last group made it back. It took them longer than expected but we soon found out why. Not only did they do the last shot we were all supposed to do but they also did separate shots in pairs so that one person had a flag and the other a torch. There was also a bit about a triad made of the torches and Jared getting pissed at a cameraman, but I'll keep the (supposed) exact words off of here. Apparently the guy was going to make them go over schedule which was going to cost a shitload of money, which most people would get angry about, especially a sleepless, overworked singer/director. However, that doesn't mean Bart wasn't an asshole to the guy, if it went as my now-friend said.
Anyway, they came back and told us all this and we decided to hang out for the night. It was about 10 of us now. Names: Hannah (Kentucky), Candi (New Orleans), Nir (Israel), Sam & Victor (Brazil), Jessica (New Jersey), Patrick (Maryland), myself, and two other people whose names I forget (from Brazil and New Jersey). Echelon from all over the world united in NY, and both male AND female!!! (Do you know how hard it is to find male Echelon?) Jessica ended up leaving to drive back with some other Echelon, but the rest of us hung out in the Times Square area until about 3 in the morning. You guys know better than anyone know how friendships can form without ever meeting someone. We formed this really strong (dysfunctional) family bond after knowing each other for mere hours. The band is always talking about the family bond of the Echelon, but I really had no idea until I had this experience.
That was probably the best night I've had in NY since I got here. The shoot was great, but getting to know these people was even better. I'm really excited to see this short film when it comes out. Should be in November, if Emma - Jared's assistant - is right.
Well I suppose enough time has passed to make this post less exciting to most people, but not for meee!! Because this post is gonna allow me to relive those two days FOREVER. XD
I was gonna either wait to type it up for after the vid came out or friends lock it, but I figure the band is releasing enough info that my little tidbit won't make much of a difference...
So the casting call went out for the song Hurricane by 30 Seconds to Mars (ft. Kanye West) for people in the NY area. Or, as it were, for people willing to travel to the NY area. So I applied: sent in my pic and contact info and all because I kinda had to, you know? I'm only here for a semester and I sure as hell didn't want to miss this. But it seemed shot when I didn't get a response saying I was chosen for the vid. Found out on Tuesday, October 5th that people had received emails saying that they had been picked.
So I pretty much went into ultra fan mode for the next two days (as if I wasn't already half-way there with anticipation). I used Google Earth, visited every forum, message board, and messaged every person I could think of to try to find out the information for this shoot. I ran into luck on the 30STM Message Board (which I don't recommend anyone going to. Ever.). I met a girl who eventually got good information - her first tidbit was actually a Keanu Reeves movie shoot. On the same board, someone posted that the band was allowing people to bring friends to the shoot now and for the second day. So I took the first girl's info and went to check it out...at 12am...at a place an hour away by train.
But I got there!
And promptly began to freak out.
Because I wasn't sure what to say to get in. The person posted they were letting friends in but I didn't know anyone already in the shoot. So I decided to wing it. I walked up to who I thought was a guard and asked him about it, telling him I'd heard the band was letting people in to watch the filming. (Because I only wanted to watch; never expected to actually be IN it since I didn't get an email.) He said this wasn't true but that if I had black (and clothes that fit the vid outfit specifications) he could let me in. Now of course I wouldn't be a proper fan if I hadn't brought clothes out of hope, so I pulled out what I had and showed him.
He turned to the guy next to him - who happened to be the video's producer!!! - and asked if it looked good to him. They both agreed and I was in! He gave me his own ID and later gave me a little tap of luck during the making of the video. Yes, I pretty much love this guy now. Wish I knew his name cuz I'd surely send him a thank you gift or something. Anyway, someone escorted me in the building (beautiful, beautiful old gothic-style building) and I changed my clothes and was brought to the where the other extras were.
I wasn't waiting for long, considering it was already after 1am, but the others had been waiting since 8pm! But around 1:30/2am, they came and brought us to the hall to shoot our scene. Now let me tell you, Jared had said the video would be about the "violence of sex and the sex of violence" and that was definitely no joke. Most of the extras were like me, in fishnets, straps, lace, etc. But others (and most paid actors) were in latex, gender-bending outfits, and a plethora of BDSM gear. For example, one paid actor was in a pink and black corset and pink latex skirt. Another girl was in all black latex and a gas mask used for breath play. There were definitely some characters. And in the midst of it all, were Shannon (dressed normally), Tomo (in costume gear), and Jared (shirtless and directing).
Eventually all three were down on the same level as us and Jared started telling us about the scene they were going to shoot. They were going to play Hurricane and we pretty much had to pretend we were at a rave and dance to it. Simple, yes, but more awkward than you'd expect. I got into it when they played the music, though, so hopefully everyone else did as well. We did that bit for about 4-5 takes, a couple of which had Tomo being filmed right in front of us, then we were finished. Got some nice eye candy of Jared shirtless and a picture with Tomo that night.
The second night was better. I gave my number to a girl I met the first night and she sent me the info for the second. This time we were filming in Central Park and were supposed to dress in all blacks, whites, and greys in this gutterpunk, serious protestor type thing. Bandanas, hoodies, boots, face masks, etc. Basically, we were the Mars Army. And that's pretty much what we did.
The wait wasn't as long this time but it was also made shorter by simply hanging out with other Echelon and getting to know each other. Then, we were brought into this section of the Park that was under an overpass. They lined us up in a square and gave out the black Mars flags (which I can't find a pic of) and some torches. [Yes, I did get a torch. And yes, I was quite happy. I like fire. :)] So we're all lined up underneath this overpass. We were told to walk very slowly up the steps in front of us and keep going until we passed the cameras at the top. Let me tell you, I think this shot is going to be pretty EPIC. Just imagine just seeing the shadow of a huge group of people walking up and then we finally appear, clad all in black and looking badass as fuck. Yes, that's it. Epic.
Of course, that's saying they use that shot because later we were introduced to Mr. Bartholomew Cubbins, Jared's director "alter ego" and a bit of a hyper version of himself. But we'll get to that in a bit.
After we filmed the part walking up the stairs, we then filmed pretty much the same scene but in different parts of the park with the march being shot from different angles. It should be noted here that you apparently can't block off sections of Central Park because when we were setting up for this part people were continually walking through, and one guy decided to do rollerblade tricks for us. ...Right. But anyway, we set up, got the flags and torches again and walked back and forth a couple times to allow for altering shots.
Then we went on a longer walk, similar shot, down this strip in the Park. That might have come out cool, too, thanks to the lighting. Altogether this might have taken at the most 1.5 hours. We were about to do one last shot, a walk down this long path to end up back where we first started shooting when Mr. Director showed up! The change was almost palpable. Suddenly the cameramen, directors, everyone were tense with work. You know, how people get when their boss is looking over their shoulder as they work. Conversely, all the extras (the Echelon) were trying to watch Jared without actually seeming like we were.
So Jared walks up and begins inspecting the footage they've gotten so far, and his first comment? "Get rid of the blondes." Yep, that's Bartholomew Cubbins. Apparently the light reflecting off blonde hair was messing up the shot that he wanted. So, boom, no more blondes in the shot. Then he came over to our group saying some things to us that were funny and sexy coming from him but would not work if typed here. Even without the blondes, he decided the group was still too big so he separated the groups into people with masks, people with hoodies, and people without either.
People without either were out. I was in the hoodie group and so safe for now. Then, he said the group was still too large because there weren't enough people with masks in ratio to people with hoodies. So he put all people with masks in one group and then hand picked people from the hoodie group to go into their group. All people with flags and torches not in this final group were to give them to those people. I wasn't in that group. He said that the shot would be done with two groups, this first group and with the rest of us still in the hoodie group. Buuut as soon as he left, the asst director thanked the rest of us and sent us on our way. I'm guessing there wasn't enough time to do it twice so Jared decided to just use the one group. The rest of us were taken back to base camp to wait.
Back at base, me and a few other Echelon were talking about what just happened. One of the girls was blonde and was so upset, it was funny. Jared had spoken softly when getting rid of the blondes but another girl and myself happened to hear when the cameraman told the asst director what Jared said because he repeated it right in front of us. Needless to say, she was upset when she found out. The whole thing was pretty much chalked up to Jared being Jared and Jared being crazy, as well as him being in Bartholomew director mode. I mean, it is his video so he had a certain idea of what he wanted it to look like. Really can't get mad at something like that, especially once we get to see the finished product.
So a group of us were just waiting (among everyone else who were also waiting) and talking. It was 4 of us including me; 2 of whom I love to death now, and one of whom I'm going to the concert in Clifton Park with. So I decided to hang with them and we waited until the last group made it back. It took them longer than expected but we soon found out why. Not only did they do the last shot we were all supposed to do but they also did separate shots in pairs so that one person had a flag and the other a torch. There was also a bit about a triad made of the torches and Jared getting pissed at a cameraman, but I'll keep the (supposed) exact words off of here. Apparently the guy was going to make them go over schedule which was going to cost a shitload of money, which most people would get angry about, especially a sleepless, overworked singer/director. However, that doesn't mean Bart wasn't an asshole to the guy, if it went as my now-friend said.
Anyway, they came back and told us all this and we decided to hang out for the night. It was about 10 of us now. Names: Hannah (Kentucky), Candi (New Orleans), Nir (Israel), Sam & Victor (Brazil), Jessica (New Jersey), Patrick (Maryland), myself, and two other people whose names I forget (from Brazil and New Jersey). Echelon from all over the world united in NY, and both male AND female!!! (Do you know how hard it is to find male Echelon?) Jessica ended up leaving to drive back with some other Echelon, but the rest of us hung out in the Times Square area until about 3 in the morning. You guys know better than anyone know how friendships can form without ever meeting someone. We formed this really strong (dysfunctional) family bond after knowing each other for mere hours. The band is always talking about the family bond of the Echelon, but I really had no idea until I had this experience.
That was probably the best night I've had in NY since I got here. The shoot was great, but getting to know these people was even better. I'm really excited to see this short film when it comes out. Should be in November, if Emma - Jared's assistant - is right.