06.05.2007
EXTRA! EXTRA!
READ ALL ABOUT IT: DENISE MALLABO TELLS US ABOUT A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A MUSIC VIDEO EXTRA
I'm not what you would call a professional music video extra—at most, I'm a “seasonal extra” who only pops up in these song-promoting flicks on very rare occasions, when schedule and mood and opportunity all come together. I’d much rather work behind-the-scenes than be in front of the camera (mainly because of the chilling fact that you instantly gain 10 pounds on cam, and thousands of people get the chance to see this phenomenon happen).
However, having talented friends like video directors Paolo and Mara Bernaldo, who are nice enough to ask you to be an extra in one of the music videos that they're shooting, and pleasant enough to feed you the entire day and at the same time make your life comfortable during the long ordeal—that’s enough reason for me to say, “What the heck.”
(And if you don’t happen to have friends like Paolo and Mara but want to try out the life of an extra anyway, just hang out at your favorite bands’ online mailing lists—sooner or later, they’ll probably ask their loyal listers to show up and act as the “crowd” for a music video shoot. Chicosci, Kjwan, Sandwich, and many others have all issued such “casting calls” to their fans.)
Last April 28 was a Saturday, and I usually wake up around 9 AM on Saturdays. But at 9 AM on that particular day, I was already at St. James, a college somewhere on Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City. That was where my friend Paolo Bernaldo—director, bassist for Moonstar 88, and a surfing fanatic as well—was set to direct yet another music video for MYMP, this time for their remake of Richard Marx's “Only Reminds Me Of You.” (Paolo also directed the music videos for MYMP's “Talaga Naman” and “Get Me”—the latter of which was shot in beautiful Zambales.) This time around, the setting was in a classroom, and Paolo's surfer friends, some people from Ivory Records, and the “igans” (our term for friends) were the valiant extras. We all had to act as college students. (Wow, how flattering! I can still pass for a college student!)
The most unbearable part of making a music video is the whole waiting process—from the production set-up (arranging the furniture and readying the props, and especially—setting up the lights), to the styling, to the main leads' make-up, down to the countless breaks. In this particular shoot, sobrang planado ‘yung shots—each scene and angle was plotted out to keep the flow of the shoot brisk and smooth, which minimized delays and fumbling around. Still, some waiting time was inevitable, of course.
Because of all the breaks, I still had enough time to think about what to do after the video shoot. It's fun that my co-extras were also my friends. That easily pacified my nerves, because at least I wouldn't have to feel terrified that I'd look stupid in front of strangers. Chances are, all of us felt the same way.
I was assigned to sit beside MYMP's guitarist Chin, who's a really friendly guy. At one point, he told me that I looked very familiar, so I told him that that wasn't a surprise since I already worked with MYMP a few times. The first was in a photo shoot for the first magazine that I worked with. I was also one of the project managers for their music video “Talaga Naman.” I don't blame him for not instantly realizing that I've already been in and out of their lives once or twice, because if there was one thing that I've learned in this industry, it's to never expect people to remember you.
The concept for the video revolved around a lead girl—my pseudo classmate, played by Jin Joson—who was lovestruck with our pseudo professor, played by surf instructor Tim Goetsch. The ending? That's for you to find out, but let's just say that if you're as imaginative as the makers of this video, you'd come up with so many conclusions—some pretty safe, and some even bordering on the morbid.(And if you don’t happen to have friends like Paolo and Mara but want to try out the life of an extra anyway, just hang out at your favorite bands’ online mailing lists—sooner or later, they’ll probably ask their loyal listers to show up and act as the “crowd” for a music video shoot. Chicosci, Kjwan, Sandwich, and many others have all issued such “casting calls” to their fans.)
Last April 28 was a Saturday, and I usually wake up around 9 AM on Saturdays. But at 9 AM on that particular day, I was already at St. James, a college somewhere on Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City. That was where my friend Paolo Bernaldo—director, bassist for Moonstar 88, and a surfing fanatic as well—was set to direct yet another music video for MYMP, this time for their remake of Richard Marx's “Only Reminds Me Of You.” (Paolo also directed the music videos for MYMP's “Talaga Naman” and “Get Me”—the latter of which was shot in beautiful Zambales.) This time around, the setting was in a classroom, and Paolo's surfer friends, some people from Ivory Records, and the “igans” (our term for friends) were the valiant extras. We all had to act as college students. (Wow, how flattering! I can still pass for a college student!)
The most unbearable part of making a music video is the whole waiting process—from the production set-up (arranging the furniture and readying the props, and especially—setting up the lights), to the styling, to the main leads' make-up, down to the countless breaks. In this particular shoot, sobrang planado ‘yung shots—each scene and angle was plotted out to keep the flow of the shoot brisk and smooth, which minimized delays and fumbling around. Still, some waiting time was inevitable, of course.
Because of all the breaks, I still had enough time to think about what to do after the video shoot. It's fun that my co-extras were also my friends. That easily pacified my nerves, because at least I wouldn't have to feel terrified that I'd look stupid in front of strangers. Chances are, all of us felt the same way.
I was assigned to sit beside MYMP's guitarist Chin, who's a really friendly guy. At one point, he told me that I looked very familiar, so I told him that that wasn't a surprise since I already worked with MYMP a few times. The first was in a photo shoot for the first magazine that I worked with. I was also one of the project managers for their music video “Talaga Naman.” I don't blame him for not instantly realizing that I've already been in and out of their lives once or twice, because if there was one thing that I've learned in this industry, it's to never expect people to remember you.
The concept for the video revolved around a lead girl—my pseudo classmate, played by Jin Joson—who was lovestruck with our pseudo professor, played by surf instructor Tim Goetsch. The ending? That's for you to find out, but let's just say that if you're as imaginative as the makers of this video, you'd come up with so many conclusions—some pretty safe, and some even bordering on the morbid.
The video took a long time to shoot. We started rolling around 10am and wrapped up at 7pm. Before going to the location, I was advised to bring three changes since the story was supposed to happen in three days—movie magic, my friends. Then, acting! Acting that day consisted of sitting on a designated chair, listening intently to our pseudo prof, “kulitan” with the seat mate, coming in and out of the room, looking shocked, happy and serious—easy, no talkies! Almost all the scenes were shot inside the classroom except for the group's performance shots, which were done along a nearby walkway. There weren't any problems while doing this shoot, aside from the obvious—it was so humid that even though the aircon was already on full blast, it was still too warm to move around, and everybody was melting.
I’ve already seen the video being played on MYX. My initial reaction was to look for myself so I could laugh at myself and my five seconds of fame. The whole experience was nothing but fun, it was a different trip. It was also a good excuse to just be with my friends and help them out any way I can—pagkain lang ang katapat!
Photos by Denise Mallabo and Gabie Osorio. Denise is the Production Coordinator of music magazine BURN. She has worked behind the scenes on several music videos. Her occasional career as an on-cam extra continues with the upcoming video for “So Blue” by Sino Sikat, and celebrated music video director Avid Liongoren’s upcoming feature film Saving Sally.
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