Appaently there is a new video out from the masters of fim at Brooklyn. This is a lil fluff biece that has been circulating the net telling all about the filming of this wonderous work of art.
Think it will win an Oscar? Isn't Oscar the grouchy slob that loves in a garbage can os Sesame Street? Hmmmm...maybe it will at that!
Young People Ask -- Behind the Scenes
The video "Young People Ask" and especially the drama, also known as, "Tara" has been the Video Department's biggest project yet. The "Whole Association" video was actually shot first and was scheduled to be released before Young People Ask. But the Governing Body was so concerned that the information get out as soon as possible they moved the YPA release up a year.
The drama was shot just like a movie. It was done on 16 mm film instead of videotape. There were many professionals who volunteered their time to work along with the Bethel crew during the production. The director, head grip, acting coach, set designers, make-up artist and second cameraman all were temporary Bethelites during the shooting.
As you may already know all the lead characters, except Tara, were from Bethel. Tara was a pioneer from Connecticut. Yes, she and the brother who played Mark did get married a year or so after the video.
The rap video seen on Lori's television was done by the brothers. The Society was very careful not to refer to it as a music video. It was filmed around the backside of Patterson where the left over building materials were stored. Yes, the rapper is a brother, he worked in laundry. He's about as un-gangsta as you can get. It got quite a laugh when he was recognized during the premiere.
The other laugh came when Mark's favorite "parking place" was shown. That's a building on the hill overlooking Bethel. Some other locations used in "Young People Ask": Lori's house interior was actually a set built in the main studio. The exterior was a house under construction in Westchester County, New York. The classroom was also a set built by the brothers. (Sure looks real, doesn't it?) The school exterior, hallways, and lunchroom are a real school. Of course every kid in the background is a brother or sister.
Filming the Spanish, French and Italian interviews and background footage happened in December 2001. The principal crew members from Bethel (writer, director, cameraman and audio) worked with brothers and sisters from each branch.
Shooting the interviews followed the same format in each country. The branch provided the location and would help the film crew construct the set. The young people would go through the wardrobe choices they had brought to pick out clothes that would look good on video. (No fine lines, no solid white, and colors that looked good together) Then the makeup sisters would make sure no one had shiny noses and hair was in place. Before the interviews began, the writer and a translator would explain to them how the filming would be done. Then one of the brothers would say a prayer and filming would begin. To get the ball rolling the translator would ask a question and then wait for responses. Once it started the kids just talked and we filmed everything. The biggest problem was they had so much good stuff to say about friends it makes it hard to decide what gets shown.
Filming in Spain was great. Since Spain was the first stop on the trip the film crew picked up all of the rental equipment there that they would use at all locations. The branch provided them with a small truck to haul everything around in. They even did some customizing; adding shelves and hooks to secure the equipment better. Whatever they asked for in Spain the brothers gave them double. They asked for a group of young people to interview they gave them two. They asked for an outdoor restaurant to film the opening scene they found an entire Spanish village for them to use. The interviews were conducted in the lobby of the branch. Normally there isn't furniture or drapes there. The brothers moved everything in for the filming, even rearranging some of the potted trees outside the window to help the design.
The three girls shown at the restaurant and driving off in the white convertible were filmed in the village of Chinchon. The name sounds Korean but it really is a town about an hour from Madrid. The mayor was so glad to have someone filming there he gave the brothers the entire town to use. They even let them change a street sign so you couldn't tell the girls' car is going the wrong way down a one way street. One of the best parts about Spain was the food. Not only did the kitchen prepare wonderful meals, they were very accommodating of the late shooting schedule. Once the film crew missed the evening meal and the head of the kitchen personally got food ready for them when filming ended about midnight. A real treat for the film crew was attending meetings at the English language congregation in Madrid. For most of the people, English was their second language. The film crew all felt very much at home with the brothers and sisters there.