#TBT – This is an article that I
wrote about two years ago, but never shared. After hearing Justin Timberlake’s
‘Mirrors’ on the radio for the first time in what feels like years, I started
to reminisce about the good time I had on set while making this video.
Last weekend Justin Timberlake
thanked me in his acceptance speech at the MTV VMAs. Ok… so that’s stretching
the truth a lot bit. JT didn’t exactly get on stage and sing my praises
to the world- but I’ll take it, because back in March I had the opportunity to be
a part of making the ‘Mirrors’ music video with him.
Originally I was going to pass on
the job in favor of spending more time visiting a friend at “real college” at Colgate
in upstate New York. But the reaction I got from a bunch of intoxicated frat
boys at the thought of my helping Justin put on him “Suit & Tie” made me
realized that if I didn’t take it, I might one day regret it.
The majority of it was shot inside a
beautifully ornate townhouse a block and a half from where I grew up on the
Upper East Side. Arriving to set at 6:45am (ouch) we were met not only by the
biting cold of winter in NYC, but the sight of what I (as a dorming student
surviving off of shitty meal plan eggs), thought was one of the most beautiful views
in the world: an all you can eat/anything you want breakfast truck. Thank you
JT.
I should point out the fact that
this was my first music video and I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. It
turned out that for the most part my job was the same as it normally is when assisting
on set at any run of the mill photoshoot. Only, much faster. If any of you have
seen the video (watch it here) you will notice that there are tons of dancers/extras
in the video. Now think about each one of these dancers having to be styled,
fitted, and then actually dressed multiple times by a team of only four people.
Not only does this give each member
of the team a great deal of responsibility, but it can also create a very
stressful situation at times. Everything has got to be done fast and more
importantly, it’s got to be done right.
The concept of this video was how
two people who have spent their entire lives together – encompassing both the
ups and the downs –become ‘a mirror’ of the other. Then exploring the emotions that
incur when half passes away. The older woman (representing Justin’s grandmother,
Sadie Bomar) has lost her husband (the older man representing his grandfather,
Willaim, who sadly passed away not long before the video was made) and is being
flooded with memories of their life together as she prepares to move on.
The
three categories of looks we pulled for were the ‘20s, the circus, and the
‘70s. The video’s main stylist, the beautiful and talented Laura Morgan, worked
closely with the video’s director, Floria
Sigismondi (who, by the way possesses a kick ass style of her own).
Obviously there had been a lot of previous discussion about what they were
going for, but there was also a lot of on-the-spot decisions being made. I’m
sure it can be challenging at times, but that spontaneous creativity is
something I find to be incredibly exciting. I am someone who loves research and
planning, but sometimes an idea can just come to you in the moment and end up being
better than something that was agonized over for hours.
At some point, all of my memories
of those days got a bit jumbled up in a caffeine-induced haze of polyester,
clown shoes, and Swarovski. It’s fun to re-watch the video and have certain
moments come back to me. Like spending the better part of an Sunday morning
calling everyone I knew who might have an extra dance-belt Justin could use because
none of the supply stores were open at that hour. Or, one of the more forward
extras making me feel incredibly uncomfortable by attempting to hit on me while
I dressed him.
Being
thrown into it, the process of working on the video was like a compilation of
many individual shots. A range of quasi-interconnected sequences set the
repetitive track of a new Justin Timberlake single. It was undeniably fun, but
it was still work. Moving on and getting caught up in other jobs and finals at
school I nearly forgot about it until one Saturday morning I came across the
final product by accident while watching the Top 20 Countdown (a part of my
Saturday ritual since high school). At 8:21 long, the video had the feel of a
short film rather than a music video. It’s romantic, but it’s real. It’s a nice
testament to a time back when people actually stayed married.
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