Lars Goes to Hollywood -- Sort Of!
The artist's name is Robin Thicke and the song is called "When I get you
Alone". The album will hit the shelves this summer and the video will air
on MTV, VH1 and everything else. The theme is killer, he's a bike messenger
in NYC and the video will take you through his day on the streets making and
picking up deliveries. Robin is the son of Alan Thicke who has done a lot
of things in Hollywood, but our generation knows him best from TV for playing
Mr. Seaver on "Growing Pains." Robin is a legitimate song writer who has written
music for Pink, Christina Aguillera, Baby Face and a host of other big names.
Now he has decided to do it for himself and has been signed by Interscope
Records. He has already developed some strong ties in the Music Biz as well.
On the set of the video shoot were some of Hip Hops most powerful icons including
Russell Simmons, Andre Harrell, and Baby Face.
Brigitta (make-up), Robin, Matt Kirkby, Me, and Andre Harrell
The meeting: On Sunday evening (after racing moto on Saturday and
racing BMX earlier that day) I sat down with the Director Matt Kikby and the
Producers Claire Neate and Jimmy Parker. (Matt and Claire are from Battlecruiser,
a U.K. based production company and Jimmy is from Christopher Films, out of
NYC) Tony (grip, stuntman etc) was also there and is responsible for, among
other things, making sure I don't die. They were all very cool and professional.
I didn't realize how much of a role I would initially take in the video. At
first I just planned on showing up, riding, and going home, but the whole
experience was fun and exciting so I didn't mind helping out in any other
way. So they wanted two identical bikes, like immediately. If you have never
managed a race team, you have no idea how hard that can be. I placed a call
to my buddy Todd Seplavy at Iron Horse and he was able to overnight ship two
Stout hardtails from two different locations. My boys at Sid's Bike Shop in
NYC built them up stat and we were in business. The bikes were perfect for
the part...dark, stealth and rugged. Then I called Joe at Intense Energy in
NJ, and he hand delivered a kicker ramp to my house (how cool is that). Now
I get to ride...right?? Not so fast.
HAIR, MAKE-UP, WARDROBE:
How can you be a stunt double when you're not as handsome as the star.
Well they start by putting a wig on your head and follow it up with lots of
make up. At 10AM on day two I met Robin for the first time at a Wig store
around 20th street. It is kind of weird to meet someone for the first time
and instantly try to look exactly like him. If you have an identity crisis,
then trust me, stunt doubling is not for you. Robin was actually a real good
guy, he seemed well grounded and was a lot like the people I chose as friends
throughout my life (motivated but laid back, and like to have fun). His crew
were all cool too. I ended hanging out a lot with his assistant Jesse and
his music partner Pro Jay over the next few days.
Later that day...and night...we did some wardrobe stuff, stunt coordinating
stuff, location scouting and more preparation. I tried on a few outfits picked
out by Rodney O'neil McKnight, Robin's stylist. I wanted to be a stunt double
for Robins dance part but he wasn't having any part of it. For some reason
I just couldn't convince him of the power of my moves so he made me stick
to the bike.
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THE FILMING:
It's before 7AM and I'm getting ready to TAKE ON THE WORLD...wearing make
up and a wig. This is it, the fun part, time to ride. I was scheduled to ride
over a car, but that didn't happen because there were some logistical issues
so I was disappointed about that, but I did get to rip up and down the streets.
They shot me with a quad both on and off of the sidewalk. The stunt requirements
were not that difficult but I think we all enjoyed doing it, even the Director,
unless he was just having fun on the quad.
Later in the day I rode the streets with a big 16mm film camera mounted to
the front of the bike and followed Robin through the traffic. He is a trooper
because we just charged the gaps of traffic, and unless you ride in the city
a lot, it can be very unnerving (especially when you're being filmed). It
wasn't a closed set with stunt drivers, it was full on gorilla style urban
warfare with no pads and no helmets. Robin almost took out a pedestrian, it
was mint!!
I also went out and filmed alone for some bike POV shots. That was fun because
when you have a big camera mounted to your bike, it kind of gives you a license
to swerve through pedestrians on the sidewalk and chase down innocent bystanders.
Robin's partner, Pro Jay, having his way with my race bike.
Day two of filming was cool too. I called in my fellow NJ boys, the kings
of mountain bike trials, Jeff Lenosky and Lance Trappe. They got to play themselves
and throw down some tricks. They probably didn't get paid as much or ride
as much as they normally do but had fun just the same. I think they got to
do more on Monday. Anyway, that day I jumped over the hood of Andre Harrell's
Mercedes and skidded into a loading dock (messenger headquarters) to pick
up a package. Again, nothing extremely difficult but it was really cool and
it fit their vision...to keep it realistic. Besides, there's nothing like
the nostalgia of a good skid to cheer you up. Just think about how many hours
you spent as a kid ruining tires. I also rode around with the "ASS-CAM". The
camera was mounted to the back of the bike and it filmed my ass as I pedaled
through traffic. At first I was feeling a little uneasy and violated, but
after a little while I started to loosen up. Then something strange happened,
I secretly started to enjoy it.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE: OK, so here's what I learned about a big production.
You always have to hurry up and wait. The industry is full of really hard
workers that have ONE job, but attention to detail is so important that a
seemingly easy job evolves into a ridiculous amount of work. For instance,
if your job is to feed the talent, there is no "here's your pizza, shut up
and eat it!!" You will have a list of individual orders two pages long, each
order might read something like "pink salmon, very light mayo, no celery,
extra pickles, gouda cheese, arugula, sprouts, onions, sweet peppers, no hot
peppers, salt and pepper on rye with yogurt butter and a 1/2 caf, mocha latte,
skim no whip with an extra straw!" OK, so I am exaggerating. The point is
that everyone works really hard and attention to detail is crucial. It's hard
work but LOTS OF FUN and VERY REWARDING. You get to meet a lot of interesting
people too. I can only hope to do this kind of thing again.
On a personal note, I would like to thank everyone involved. I can honestly
say that I liked and respected EVERYONE that worked on this project. I hope
our paths cross again.
Check out Lars' site here www.larstribus.com
- 10
samblagy
(Oct 11, 2011 at 11:37)